The Best Lens for Photographing Surf from Land
There is no single best lens for photographing surf from land, but there is a clear category. If you are standing on shore, you want a telephoto. The reason is simple. Waves break far from where you can safely stand, and surfers are not going to come closer to make your life easier. In this piece I will explain what I used for The Stairwell and offer some general guidance on choosing a lens for surf photography from the beach or the bluffs.
This print comes from Santa Cruz, CA during the string of summer swells in 2026. I noticed the wave aligning with the stairwell while scouting a place to surf. At the time, nobody was surfing the wave, but I decided to head back to my van for the camera.
I waited for almost an hour in the stairwell for a surfer and wave to align.
Thankfully, I stuck out the wait as I love this image.
Additional Information:
Please allow 5-10 days for printing and shipping.
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For this photograph, I shot a Sony camera with a Tamron 70-180 G2. I was zoomed to 159 millimeters, and I was about 100 to 200 yards from the surfer. I made the picture in Santa Cruz, California, in early summer 2026. That focal length let me bring the wave closer while keeping the stairwell walls in the frame, which was the whole point of the shot.
A zoom like the 70-180 is a strong choice for this kind of work, mainly because you can change your framing without moving. When you are standing in a fixed spot, whether on rocks, a seawall, or a stairwell, you often cannot take a step forward or back. A zoom lets you adjust the scale of the scene as conditions change. If the surf gets bigger or the rider takes a different line, you can respond.
Long lenses also compress perspective. That means objects at different distances look closer together, which can make the wave seem larger against its surroundings. In The Stairwell, the brick wall, the shadowed wall, and the ocean beyond sit together in a tightly layered composition. A wider lens would have made the walls feel far from the wave and the surfer smaller.
If you are starting out, you do not need to buy the most expensive lens. Many photographers begin with a more affordable telephoto zoom and learn to work within its reach. Longer focal lengths, such as 200 millimeters and beyond, can be helpful if you will be shooting from farther away. They are heavier and harder to hold steady, so consider a strap and a stable stance, and if you can, a monopod. These are suggestions, not rules, and your own style may differ.
I will not pretend a lens makes the picture. The stairwell gave me the frame, and the tide and the swell gave me the wave. What the lens did was let me stay safe on land and bring the moment close. Keep your gear protected from salt and spray, wipe the front element carefully, and stay well back from the water. Rocks are slippery, and you should never turn your back on the ocean.
Think about your budget and your distance honestly before you buy anything. If you plan to shoot from a pier or a low beach, a shorter telephoto might be plenty. If you will be on a high bluff or a far rock, you will want more reach. Renting a lens for a weekend is a smart way to find out what suits your style before committing to a purchase. Whatever you pick, learn it well, because knowing your lens matters more than owning the longest one.
If you want to see what that setup produced, The Stairwell is available as a print in seven sizes, from 8x10 to 24x36. It is an open edition and starts at $26.95.
Go check out all the prints by Dalton Johnson.
About the Author
Dalton Johnson is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker who tells stories about real people pushing themselves in the outdoors, from the High Sierra to the far reaches of every continent. He has shot and written for brands, tourism boards, and editorial outlets, including Nike, Patagonia, Four Seasons, PBS, GoPro, and Ford, with more than 160 campaigns and hundreds of published articles to his name. Off assignment, he bikepacks, trail runs, swims open water, chases big waves, and rock climbs.
