PERSPECTIVE IN PORTRAITURE

Which lens type should you use?

WIDE-ANGLE These have two uses in portraiture.

You can use them to shoot environmental portraits that capture your subject in their environment, letting the surroundings tell a story. Or you can utilise the distortion that wide-angle lenses create by moving in close to your subject and exaggerating their facial features. unflattering, but great fun!

PORTRAIT These lenses have a focal length between 85-135mm and are ideal for traditional head and shoulders portraits. This is because the slight foreshortening of perspective you get is flattering to the human face and records our features in a realistic, pleasing way. Prime lenses such as the 85mm and 105mm are favourites among portrait photographers.

TELEPHOTO LENSES A good choice if you want to compress perspective and pull background elements in. At wide apertures, DOF is also limited so you can throw that background well out of focus and make your subject really stand out. Tele lenses are also ideal for candid shots, as you can work from a distance.