Exercise 1: Focal length and angle of view

Take three photographs of the same scene, one at standard focal length, one at widest view, one at furthest telephoto setting.

My camera has an 18-250mm zoom. This first picture demonstrates the standard focal length: 63mm. (Canon EOS 350D, 1/80s, f/5.0).

This shot shows the same scene at the widest angle: 18mm (1/125s, f/5.0). Finally, this third shot shows the same shot on the maximum telephoto setting: 250mm (1/60s, f/6.3):

The photographs were taken in the church yard of Little St. Mary's in Cambridge. It was (and still is) a miserable cold day with barely enough light - even at midday - for the auto-focus to function. In the circumstances it would have been better if I'd used a tripod for these shots; only the second one - wide angle view - comes within the comfortable range for hand-holding the camera. Despite that I'm chuffed that my first time out for this course I've learnt something I didn't know about my camera.

I've been thinking since doing this exercise about what the benefits are of having this information - is it going to make me take better photographs? I think it should, when I get used to thinking about it while out with the camera. At the moment to compose a picture I just move the lense while I'm looking through the viewfinder until I see something I like the look of. Being clearer about how focal length effects composition however should enable me to look at a scene and envisage how it's going to look as a photograph when shot at particular focal lengths - making it easier to realise the scene I'm trying to capture.

I'm also going to attempt a shoot with a prime lense in the not too distant future - I've been advised that the discipline this imposes can be very beneficial in terms of composition.