Why I Use Medium and Wide-Angle Lenses for Wildlife

Wildlife photography is often associated with long lenses. A 400mm or 600mm lets you stay distant, frame tight, and avoid disturbing your subject. That approach works, and I still use it when the situation calls for it. But for me, some of the most meaningful images have come from working with wider focal lengths between 24mm and 200mm.

These lenses shift the way I see. They force me closer, challenge how I compose, and invite more of the landscape into the story. They make me feel more present. And they let the viewer step into the frame instead of simply observing from far away.

The Power of Proximity

Long lenses isolate. They compress a scene and draw all attention to the subject. That can be beautiful, but it often erases context. You lose the dust, the wind in the trees, the shape of the land. The relationship between animal and environment disappears.

Wider lenses bring that relationship back. You have to get physically closer, which means understanding behaviour, reading body language, and knowing when to stop. I never push an animal. If it moves off or shows stress, I give it space. No image is worth pressure.

But when trust is there and the moment allows it, that closeness becomes powerful. You capture more than just the animal. You capture the atmosphere, the textures, the sense of place. These are the elements that bring depth and honesty to a wildlife image.

Craig, Framed by Space

When I photographed Craig, the iconic tusker of Amboseli National Park, I chose a wide focal length and a low perspective. I didn’t want a cropped headshot. I wanted the feeling of standing near him. I wanted the viewer to see the space he owns and how the land responds to his presence. That image became one of my most meaningful prints. Not because of how sharp it was, but because it felt real.

A Different Kind of Connection

Wider images carry something that tight portraits often do not—a sense of being there. The subject shares the space with the viewer. It feels natural and unforced. You can see the path the animal walks, the shadows that stretch beside it, the sky it moves under.

These images also offer more to explore. The eye moves across the frame, discovering details in the background, following lines in the landscape. When printed large, this kind of photograph holds attention longer. It invites quiet observation.

Less Perfection, More Presence

This way of working isn’t always successful. The moment can pass too quickly. The light can shift. The animal can disappear. But when it works, it feels earned.

Using shorter focal lengths forces me to slow down, stay alert, and be deliberate. I’m not relying on distance. I’m relying on connection.

And always, ethics come first. I stay on foot only in safe, permitted areas and only with trusted local guides. In a vehicle, I move carefully, letting the animal decide how close it wants to be. Respect is non-negotiable.

Tools and Techniques

My go-to lenses are the 70-200mm and 24-70mm. They give me flexibility to frame both the animal and its surroundings. In certain moments, I go even wider. A few guiding principles:

• Get low. Eye-level or below creates intimacy and presence.
• Watch your background. Wide angles bring in more clutter. Every element should serve the story.
• Use the light. With more scene in frame, light becomes a narrative tool, not just a technical one.
• Work with people who know the land. Good guides are essential—for safety, awareness, and knowing when to wait.

Knowing When to Switch

Wider isn’t always better. Skittish predators, thick bush, or risky terrain may demand a long lens and more distance. I carry telephotos for those moments. They’re part of the toolkit.

But the key question is always the same: What do I want to say with this image? Am I chasing a portrait, or trying to show how the animal belongs to the land?

Even close-ups taken with wider lenses feel different. They carry a sense of nearness, of being allowed into the animal’s world. That feeling is what I chase more than anything else.

Why It Matters

The best feedback I get is not about sharpness or settings. It’s when someone says, “I feel like I was there.”

That is the kind of impact I aim for. Wide and medium-angle photography brings me closer to that feeling, both in the moment and in the final print. These lenses let me tell stories that are not just seen but felt. And in the end, that’s what this work has always been about.

See more of my work at www.johansiggesson.com