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Photography Techniques - The Single Lens Approach

written by Greg Cope

My photo bag is often stuffed with gear, from memory cards, to extra batteries, flash, filters, and of course - lenses. More often than not I find myself carrying at the very least three lenses that span the spectrum, from wide angle to telephoto. Yet when presented with a scene I often gravitate towards the most appropriate lens - for instance a telephoto lens for wildlife or a wide angle lens for landscapes.

After several years of photographing beaches along the california coast I felt my images were becoming stale - be it a lack of creativity or a desire to one-up a previous image - I felt my photos were starting to all look the same. This feeling was reiterated by my wife one evening with a brutally honest critique: "didn't you already take that photo?".

Intent on making a change, I decided to try something a bit different. Rather than packing up my camera bag with all the gear it could carry, I decided to bring along a single lens - in fact a lens that would seem out of the ordinary for the scenario (in this case a 400mm to photograph the sunset). While I'd like to say I came home with a winning image that evening, I did not. What I did come home with however was something more valuable - a spark of creativity. Forcing myself to use a single lens forced me to see a different perspective, forced me to work in a different way, and most importantly forced me to see the landscape differently.

While using a single lens may not always be the most appropriate technique for every situation, I have found it invaluable to help stear me out of "writer's block" scenarios. My camera lenses of choice include a 400mm and 50mm - both fixed width so that I am not tempted to adjust what I see with a zoom. I have found the 400mm - when used in a landscape scenario is quite interesting. While it typically produces few usable images in this context, it forces me to think that much more outside the box in ways I might not ever have thought of otherwise.

Beyond the Single Lens

Forcing oneself to use a single camera lens is but one technique to try and see from a different perspective*. Other techniques can include forcing yourself to photograph a single color, a single subject, or a distinct camera angle. As an example, one evening I forced myself to exclusively point my camera at the ground - no horizon for me that evening. It was an interesting exercise searching for something, anything to work with. I had a blast, and a different perspective rewarded me with images I might have never have thought about of without the different approach.

One may require some self-control to stick to the single lens plan. I have often had the desire to stick to the plan, only to revoke that plan as the conditions changed (it can be difficult to hold a 400mm lens when the sky is lit up in flames from horizon to horizon). I have found it helpful to give oneself some 'outs' - if the sky does this or I see animal X the plan goes out the window. Alternatively, one can limit their use of these techniques to times when the alternatives aren't available - no animals, no sunset, or no light to photograph.

For questions or comments on this article, please contact Greg Cope.

*I do find it ironic - perhaps counterintuitive - in the sense that restricting my capabilities does the opposite to my creativity.