Long lens photography: Far and near
AP photographers utilize a variety of tools in all sorts of situations every day.
Assignments may include sporting or political events, breaking news or a daily feature hunt. In all cases, the choice of lens is paramount to accomplishing the task at hand: informative and visually dynamic photo reporting.
In the January 2023 installment of The Shot, we look at the use of long lenses.
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The Shot is a monthly series showcasing top photojournalism from staff photographers at The Associated Press. Each month, AP photographers will share the stories behind some of their iconic imagery.
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Only the television tower looks out over the fog that covers the city of Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 800mm | F-Stop: 7.1 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | ISO: 50
The Penn State Blue Band performs before the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game between Penn State and Utah Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 600mm | F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/1600 | ISO: 2000
People ski on a slope near Schladming, Austria, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. Sparse snowfall and unseasonably warm weather in much of Europe is allowing green grass to blanket many mountaintops across the region where snow might normally be. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/1600 | ISO: 250
Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) is hit by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis, left, as he tris to pass during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 2000
MATTHIAS SCHRADER, based in Munich, GER
I’ve been photographing ski jumping at the Four Hills Tournament for over 20 years.
Thanks to technology, the work has become much easier for us. In the past, most events took place in daylight. Today there are night jumps with sometimes difficult lighting conditions.
The quality of the lenses has changed enormously. Of note, the quality with long glass is incredible. In the past, we had to drag heavy 400mm and 600mm f2.8 fixed lenses. Frigid temperatures and difficult paths in ice and snow made the work even more difficult. Many photo positions are feasible with shorter focal lengths. But due to the sometimes large distances between the photographer and athlete, the long lenses are irreplaceable.
Anze Lanisek of Slovenia soars through the air at the fourth stage of 71th Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | ISO: 20000
Daniel Andre Tande of Norway soars through the air at the fourth stage of 71th Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/800 | ISO: 12800
MARK BAKER, based in Sydney, AUS
Both of my photos featured here were taken at a focal length of 600mm, and both with the new 200-600mm lens.
What a magnificent lens for a wire agency sports and news photographer.
This lens is now my “always/everyday” lens. In the past a lens that was as slow as 6.3 would have limited value, especially in low light.
In the Nadal picture, I was indoors at 6400 ISO shooting tennis at 1/2500 of a second and the quality was incredible, the sweat on his face, the sharpness and detail, and of course the ball bouncing high near his face, it’s all there in this image. The background is also completely blurred when used like this, which makes the subject stand out.
Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts after losing a game to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their Group D match at the United Cup tennis event in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 200-600mm | F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/2500 | ISO: 6400
The surfing photo was just a daily life hunt for a nice photo. The weather was fine but with gale force winds blowing. I thought there had to be a picture out there somewhere, and there was this lone surfer off in the distance and the wind caused a very nice spray to blow off the waves in some nice backlight.
In the past the fixed 600mm lens used to be a very specific lens. It was a long and heavy piece of glass, mostly used by us down here in Australia for cricket and the very occasional news assignment. Now with the technology we can carry in our bags every day, we can get images we might not normally have taken previously. The image quality of these new cameras is off the chart amazing.
A surfer rides a wave at One Mile Beach at Port Stephens, Australia, Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 200-600mm | F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 100
NATACHA PISARENKO, based in Buenos Aires, ARG
If I could always carry a long lens, I would.
But depending on the assignment, you need to prioritize your visibility with such a huge lens, so you are not seen as a machine. Long Sony lenses like the 400mm and 600 mm f2.8 are much lighter than what we used in the past, making them easier to utilize. But in many cases, when the light is good, the best option is to take a 100-400 mm f4.5-5.6 lens.
In sports, it is a must and shooting from designated positions makes everything easy for a long lens with an aperture of f2.8 or a 600 f4: a seat, a monopod, and lots of space.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after receiving the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament during the awards ceremony after Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final soccer match at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | ISO: 3200
I think in other non-sports assignments long glass is good to have. You can photograph details that you don’t get with wide angles. In other cases, you can work and witness what’s going on without being intrusive, as with funerals, where you need to respect others’ pain by not bothering them in their moment. In sports and political assignments, you just don’t need to think at all because being equipped with a long lens is a must.
But to carry long lenses everywhere can make you more clumsy, slow, unable to move smoothly. Sometimes, I choose to give up the f2.8 aperture and carry the 100-400mm f4.5-5.6.
Every situation has pros and cons and those need to be constantly evaluated.
Vanessa James and Eric Radford, of Canada, compete in the pairs short program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 400 | Shutter Speed: 1/4000 | ISO: 4000
South Africa's Keshav Maharaj ducks under a high delivery from Australia's Josh Hazlewood during the fifth day of their cricket test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 600mm| F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/10000 | ISO: 800
A commercial aircraft approaches the runway as the sun sets for the last time in 2022, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 8 | Shutter Speed: 1/2500 | ISO: 100
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stands next to Indigenous leader Cacique Raoni at the Planalto Palace after he was sworn in as new president in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/800 | ISO: 200
Visitors pose for a selfie in a sunflower field in Hokuto city, Yamanashi prefecture Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/1000 | ISO: 500
A ground operations crew member walks past a Southwest Airlines jet sitting at a gate, Dec. 28, 2022, at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 200-600mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 2500
Soldiers wearing face masks and goggles march past masked passengers waiting at a railway station in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. Some Chinese universities say they will allow students to finish the semester from home in hopes of reducing the potential of a bigger COVID-19 outbreak during the January Lunar New Year travel rush. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 5 | Shutter Speed: 1/6400 | ISO: 400
Hostesses prepare drinks at the Great Hall of the People before the opening ceremony for the 20th National Congress of China's ruling Communist Party in Beijing, China, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 600mm | F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | ISO: 6400
Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., applaud as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/640 | ISO: 1250
Britain's Prince Charles, left, with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis her great-grandson, covering his ears with his hands, next to his mother Kate Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte her daughter, at right, stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, Thursday June 2, 2022, on the first of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch's 70 years of service. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 600mm | F-Stop: 7.1 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | ISO: 800
Georgia Godwin of Australia performs on Uneven Bars during the women's all-around finals at the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, England, Sunday, July 31, 2022. Godwin won the Gold medal. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 70-200mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/1000 | ISO: 1000
Switzerland's Martin Fuchs on Leone Jesi crashes as he competes in the Six Bars horse jumping competition at Rome's horse show, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/1600 | ISO: 3200
Sonny Leon celebrates after riding Rich Strike past the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 600mm | F-Stop: 4.5 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 1250
Louise Christie of Scotland performs with the ball in the Individual All-Around Rhythmic Gymnastics competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 4 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 2500
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Produced by AP News staff. The sponsor was not involved in the creation of this content.