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When to use the lens hood

You may have received or purchased a camera with one of these interesting looking add-ons and been curious what to do with them. They're called a "lens hood" and they attach to the front of your lens "righty tighty, lefty loosey" style. Their purpose? To prevent (or do their best to prevent) your photo from being covered in these lens flares. They prevent light from reflecting off the lens glass and ending up in your image.

Now, sometimes you may have seen a photo that had a similar "defect" and thought it was really beautiful. And that's okay! The rules of photography are... that there really are no rules! I always tell students that as long as you ended up with the photo that you INTENDED to achieve, then you did it right! It's when things like these lens flares happen and you DON'T want them or know how to get rid of them that it's important to know some "rules."

Zoom in / out for effect + exposing for bright sunlight

One of the easiest in camera tricks you can learn is what I like to call the "time warp." Flooding your image with motion while keeping all (or a portion) of your subject in clear focus.

You accomplish this by slowing down your shutter speed and rapidly zooming in or out while you hear the shutter release (click! for a photo).

The settings you'll see below reflect variations of "ideal" and "over" exposure.

The zoom out warp

The zoom in warp

These two photos have the exact same settings...

but here my subject has moved a bit more into the shade, but I'm also rapidly zooming OUT rather than in.

You'll notice the beginning of the "time warp" feeling here, but I really wanted the sun to be isolated in this small frame of branches...

So here you'll see the aperture moved from f/8 to f/13 to technically "under" expose this photo for the desired effect.

Wide angle vs telephoto lens

photo created by Adobe Firefly

Why Distance Changes the Story Your Photo Tells

One of the biggest “aha” moments in photography is realizing that lenses don’t just change what you see — they change what the image means.

Wide angle and telephoto lenses don’t simply zoom in or out. They shape perspective, emotion, scale, and how connected the viewer feels to the subject. Understanding the difference will immediately elevate your photos, even before you master manual mode.

Let’s break it down.

What Is a Wide Angle Lens?

A wide angle lens captures more of the scene in front of you. It has a short focal length, which means it shows a broader field of view.

What wide angle does visually

Makes foreground elements feel larger and closer
Pushes background elements farther away
Exaggerates distance between objects
Emphasizes space, environment, and context

What wide angle communicates emotionally

Wide angle photos often feel:

Open
Immersive
Energetic
Sometimes distorted or dramatic

Because you usually have to physically move closer to your subject, wide angle images tend to feel more intimate and present, even when they include a lot of surroundings.

photo created by Adobe Firefly

What Is a Telephoto Lens?

A telephoto lens has a longer focal length and shows less of the scene, but in more detail.

What telephoto does visually:

Compresses distance between objects
Makes background elements appear closer to the subject
Narrows the field of view
Simplifies compositions

What telephoto communicates emotionally

Telephoto images often feel:

Focused
Observational
Less intrusive

Because you can stand farther away, telephoto shots can feel like the viewer is watching rather than participating.

When telephoto works best

Portraits with soft backgrounds
Wildlife and sports
Details and moments you don’t want to interrupt
Scenes where simplicity and isolation matter
Compressing busy backgrounds

photo created by Adobe Firefly

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