You do not need a wide-angle lens for landscapes.

*Shock, horror*

Yes, that is a rather bold statement that I have just made, I’m well aware. But I wanted to prove that you could shoot an entire day’s worth of landscapes (well in this case, a few hours in the early afternoon!), with a telephoto lens. In this case the Fujinon XF55-200 F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS.

So, to the shoot! Mum had told me about a flat field about 15kms away that had just been decked out in bales and bales of hay, with “an old tree in the middle of it.” Armed with the fresh intel I packed my gear and jumped in the car and got to the field then realised I had no SD cards in my X-T3 (which were still sitting in my iMac and card reader in my studio). Half an hour later I was back on the road and parked next to this treasure field of hay.

   

For me, I love to capture things in detail in their large environments and a telephoto lens like the XF55-200mm fits the bill perfectly. I didn’t even count how many bales there were in the field, but I know that the neighbours in the field next door were salivating over them.

   

Above left: New spring mamas protective of their new calves / Above right: Pack of wary outsiders trying to figure me out!

   

The whole herd was very wary of my presence and despite the closeness of these photos (thanks to the XF55-200mm), I was very thankful for the wired fence and the 10-15 metres between them and myself!

   

Above left: The black beauty of the herd even made a cameo! / Above right: The most striking of the herd really put on a show, standing on her platform!

After about five minutes or so my new cattle friends seemed more intrigued than worried by my presence, and I embarked upon my very-own Country Style Magazine-esque shoot! They all took their turn trying to figure out what I was doing; fascinated by my pacing up and down the roadside, negotiating long tall grasses to get closer to the fence. Some of their markings on their coats were magnificent. Combinations of white and black faces mixed with bodies as dark as coal splashed with marbling of golden brown.

 

   

Above left: The newest members of the herd / Above right: Spring calves getting to know the sounds of their own moo!

Even the calves of the herd were simply gorgeous, with their colourings even more varied than that of their mothers. It was soon midday and the herd were well and truly entrenched under the tree. It’s beautiful shape provided shade close to the ground, and a web of branches that became quite the multipurpose apparatus

   

Above left: The newest members of the herd / Above right: Spring calves getting to know the sounds of their own moo!

Even the calves of the herd were simply gorgeous, with their colourings even more varied than that of their mothers. It was soon midday and the herd were well and truly entrenched under the tree. It’s beautiful shape provided shade close to the ground, and a web of branches that became quite the multipurpose apparatus

 

   

Above left: This gorgeous black beauty had staked her claim / Above right: And she was pretty keen on letting me know it was hers!

About ten metres to the right of the herd’s favourite tree was this dead and twisted trunk, aged by the searing heat of decades of summers gone by. In the whole half-hour I was there, this heifer didn’t move from her tree. She was curious that I was taking interest in her, but she was adamant at keeping the ground and tree carcass she had claimed as her own.

 

   

Above left: These two dames were never that far from each other / Above right: New mamas are on watch when their calves are around.

I hadn’t really observed cattle behaviour before and I found it rather fascinating. Most of the time I was there, I stood watching as the elder mothers took turn rotating in front of new calves creating a secure wall between what they thought was a threat (moir and my camera), and their fledgeling offspring.

The Bellarine Peninsula is a beautiful landscape with a thriving agricultural industry and having a lens like the XF55-200mm allowed me to get up close and witness and learn a little bit about the life of cows. To be honest, I wouldn’t be able to capture moments like this with a wide angle, so it really is something to think about when heading out in the countryside next time.