AP photographers utilize a variety of tools in all sorts of situations every day.

Assignments may include sporting or political events, breaking news or a daily feature hunt. In all cases, the choice of lens is paramount to accomplishing the task at hand: informative and visually dynamic photo reporting.

In the January 2023 installment of The Shot, we look at the use of long lenses.

Thanks for looking.

The Shot is a monthly series showcasing top photojournalism from staff photographers at The Associated Press. Each month, AP photographers will share the stories behind some of their iconic imagery.

Produced by AP News staff. The sponsor was not involved in the creation of this content.

Only the television tower looks out over the fog that covers the city of Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 800mm | F-Stop: 7.1 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | ISO: 50

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10) is hit by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Adam Gotsis, left, as he tris to pass during the second half of an NFL football game in Houston, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 2000

MATTHIAS SCHRADER, based in Munich, GER

I’ve been photographing ski jumping at the Four Hills Tournament for over 20 years.

Thanks to technology, the work has become much easier for us. In the past, most events took place in daylight. Today there are night jumps with sometimes difficult lighting conditions.

The quality of the lenses has changed enormously. Of note, the quality with long glass is incredible. In the past, we had to drag heavy 400mm and 600mm f2.8 fixed lenses. Frigid temperatures and difficult paths in ice and snow made the work even more difficult. Many photo positions are feasible with shorter focal lengths. But due to the sometimes large distances between the photographer and athlete, the long lenses are irreplaceable.

Anze Lanisek of Slovenia soars through the air at the fourth stage of 71th Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/1250 | ISO: 20000

Daniel Andre Tande of Norway soars through the air at the fourth stage of 71th Four Hills ski jumping tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 100-400mm | F-Stop: 5.6 | Shutter Speed: 1/800 | ISO: 12800

MARK BAKER, based in Sydney, AUS

Both of my photos featured here were taken at a focal length of 600mm, and both with the new 200-600mm lens.

What a magnificent lens for a wire agency sports and news photographer.

This lens is now my “always/everyday” lens. In the past a lens that was as slow as 6.3 would have limited value, especially in low light.

In the Nadal picture, I was indoors at 6400 ISO shooting tennis at 1/2500 of a second and the quality was incredible, the sweat on his face, the sharpness and detail, and of course the ball bouncing high near his face, it’s all there in this image. The background is also completely blurred when used like this, which makes the subject stand out.

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts after losing a game to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their Group D match at the United Cup tennis event in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 200-600mm | F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/2500 | ISO: 6400

The surfing photo was just a daily life hunt for a nice photo. The weather was fine but with gale force winds blowing. I thought there had to be a picture out there somewhere, and there was this lone surfer off in the distance and the wind caused a very nice spray to blow off the waves in some nice backlight.

In the past the fixed 600mm lens used to be a very specific lens. It was a long and heavy piece of glass, mostly used by us down here in Australia for cricket and the very occasional news assignment. Now with the technology we can carry in our bags every day, we can get images we might not normally have taken previously. The image quality of these new cameras is off the chart amazing.

A surfer rides a wave at One Mile Beach at Port Stephens, Australia, Sunday, June 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 200-600mm | F-Stop: 6.3 | Shutter Speed: 1/2000 | ISO: 100

NATACHA PISARENKO, based in Buenos Aires, ARG

If I could always carry a long lens, I would.

But depending on the assignment, you need to prioritize your visibility with such a huge lens, so you are not seen as a machine. Long Sony lenses like the 400mm and 600 mm f2.8 are much lighter than what we used in the past, making them easier to utilize. But in many cases, when the light is good, the best option is to take a 100-400 mm f4.5-5.6 lens.

In sports, it is a must and shooting from designated positions makes everything easy for a long lens with an aperture of f2.8 or a 600 f4: a seat, a monopod, and lots of space.

Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after receiving the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament during the awards ceremony after Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final soccer match at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Model: Sony a1 | Lens: Sony 400mm | F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | ISO: 3200

I think in other non-sports assignments long glass is good to have. You can photograph details that you don’t get with wide angles. In other cases, you can work and witness what’s going on without being intrusive, as with funerals, where you need to respect others’ pain by not bothering them in their moment. In sports and political assignments, you just don’t need to think at all because being equipped with a long lens is a must.

But to carry long lenses everywhere can make you more clumsy, slow, unable to move smoothly. Sometimes, I choose to give up the f2.8 aperture and carry the 100-400mm f4.5-5.6.

Every situation has pros and cons and those need to be constantly evaluated.