Telephoto vs. Wide Angle

There are two ways to perceive the world we live in. One can take a very narrow, yet focused look - a look of pinpoint precision. On the other hand, one can step back and look to the horizon, taking in a glorious panorama. These methods of observation are closely related to photography, namely the use of the telephoto and wide angle lenses.

THE TELEPHOTO LENS

In the TV show, Bones, Agent Booth refers to them as squints. They are scientists that look closely at an object. Experts are experts for a reason. Simply stated, they know what they are looking at. They notice the finer details. Why is the remains that of a woman? Notice the aspect ratio of the pelvis. Notice the structure of the skull. Where some see only a skeleton, an expert sees the remains of a Chinese woman with an iron deficiency.

By limiting our scope, we can narrow our focus like a laser. This relates to personal tastes as well. Imagine the Trekkie or Trekker. Star Wars may be okay, but it doesn't really interest them. They live for Star Trek. They know each line, each episode title, each gaff, each set piece, each inconsistency. Music fans, too, may hone their senses to a more narrow genre of music. Look at the thrash metal fan, the gothic rocker, the American hardcore punk.

The benefits of a telephoto perception is that one knows an awful lot about a particular subject. The person is a specialist of sorts. The liabilities are that knowledge of other topics must be shoved aside. Time and effort that could be used to appreciate other things is not to be wasted. That time, that effort are devoted to the subject at hand, the main topic if you will.

THE WIDE ANGLE

If you want to capture the whole image that you see before you then use a wide angle lens. The wide angle perspective steps away from the individual subject to see how it relates to the whole. How does Star Trek relate to science-fiction as a whole? How does the death of this person relate to the investigation of this crime? How has thrash metal evolved from its roots in Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin?

This person takes in a wide assortment of information, but a lot of it is quite generic. When stepping away from the subject, some of the finer details are lost. We forget actors' names, we forget episode titles, we forget the sequence of events. We deal in the basics, the fundamentals, the outlines. As such, one becomes, as they say, a Jack of all trades and master of none. There is no expertise, only a broad collection of common knowledge.

The two systems of thought stem from the taxonomy of perception. Just as in the classification of animals, the classification of ideas attributes to the generic and the specific. Generic knowledge is the wide angle. Meanwhile, the telephoto approach is more specific. Neither is more or less valid than the other. Indeed, the two must work in tandem. Otherwise knowledge fails to serve. Specifics have no use unless applied to a general construct. What has the weight of the cadmium atom to me? Now, add the battery cell and its relationship to the world is more clear. Meanwhile, generals mean little without specifics. What is a battery without the specifics of the chemicals involved?

The telephoto/wide angle pairing appears in other forms. For instance, in the martial arts aggressive styles often take a telephoto approach. There exists a tunnel-vision like focus upon one enemy. Attacks are linear and direct. Meanwhile, defensive styles take a wide angle view. The person is aware of attacks from all sides.

Usually we are able to slip from one perspective to another, but in some things we may be locked into a certain perspective. Perhaps we fail to see the finer details of a situation. This could be in relationships, at work, or in art. At other times we may fail to see past the finer details and thus lose out on the overall theme.