Why do we use different lenses? Most people think that we use different lenses to alter how much we can include in the frame. When we want to include a lot use a wide-angle. When we want a narrow field of view, use a telephoto lens. These are answers that typically come from amateurs. Yes, it is true the different focal length lenses change the field of view, and even pros use different lenses for this purpose. However, the biggest reason why pros use different focal length lenses is not because of the field of view but rather to change perspective.

          I have mentioned in a previous blog about lenses that wide-angle lenses create space and if placed close to an object, it exaggerates that object.  It also makes objects in the background appear smaller. It was also mentioned that telephoto lenses compress objects. Conversely to a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens makes distant objects look larger. Now that we know that we can use different lenses to change the apparent size of objects in the frame. Do you want to make a closer object look larger? go for the wide-angle. Want to enlarge a background object? grab the telephoto.

          Here is an example of the difference in the size of an object lenses make:

This image was taken at 200mm. Note the size of the moon in relation to the foreground Yuccas. Let's say we want to make the moon look larger. We attach a longer lens and walk backwards so that the Yuccas are similar in size between the two images. Now look at the difference in the size of the moon in the next image:

The moon is more prominent in this image. It was taken at 334mm compared to 200mm of the previous image. How about playing with perspective in your images? Make different elements look larger compared to others by using different lenses. Forget about just using different lenses to fit more or less scenery in the image. Think perspective, think relative size of objects compared to others.