Which lenses to choose: portrait photography
In this post we will speak about different lenses used for portrait photography. I would mention from the very beginning that properly chosen lenses can make a masterpiece from any image.
Traditionally, for individual portraits telephoto lenses are used, while for group images and portraits which have some distracting objects in the background, it is better to choose a wide-angle lens. This theory definitely has some grounds, but it can’t be applied at any situation. In practice, that ill be very difficult to succeed in portrait photography if you strictly keep to this rule.
If you shoot with a standard digital camera at an average zoom setting, you can take a full-length portrait or a portrait that includes shoulders only. As far as digital SLR cameras are concerned, you should always remember that the majority of cameras produce images 1.6 times larger than a conventional 35mm camera, which is the result of a smaller sensitivity of the sensor. The only exception is very expensive digital SLRs. Thus a zoom of 28-80 mm of a digital camera is equal to 45-128 mm, which is ideal for portrait photography. But in most cases such photographs look rather banal. The image can be improved only by a very charming model, your exceptional skill and artistry, or some peculiarities of an image.
A wide-angle lens of a digital compact camera or a 15-30 mm zoom of a digital SLR camera (24-48 mm of a 35mm conventional camera) is ideal for situations when it is necessary to close up to the object, to shoot the model at the extensive background, or photograph a couple or a group of people.
Probably you were told that when shooting a portrait, it is recommended standing as far from the model as possible, so that her/his face didn’t distort. So, the wider the lens you have, the rounder the face of a model will be and the bigger the objects in the foreground will be comparing to those in the background.
But if your aim is an unusual expressive portrait, these conventions do not concern you. Try something new to make your ideas come to life. Come to the model as close as possible, use a wide-angle lens and see what you will get. Then try to place the model on the right or on the left – so that the background became visible.
If your camera allows you to control exposure, why not use this feature? Create a wide Depth of Field using a small aperture (high f-stops), for example f/11 or f/16, if you want everything in the background to be in-focus. Set a large aperture (small f-stops), for instance f/2.8 or f2.4 to make the background blurred and the main subject stand out in the background. A telephoto lens is usually recommended for candid photography, but it can also give some interesting results. Just be creative!
A long zoom of a digital point-and-shoot camera or a telephoto lens of an SLR help you create nice 3-dimensional portraits, in which the model will stand out in the background. To get such results you will have to set the smallest aperture (the largest f-stops), that will be f/4 and set maximum depth of field. But don’t overdo it, otherwise everything, except the model’s eyes will be blurred.
A wide-angle lens, shooting from beneath and an original shot is ready!
Shooting from above adds stress to the face of a model.
Each detail is important on this photo: pose of a model, his expression, clothes and certainly saturated colors.
Technorati Tags: digital photography, portrait photography, photographic lenses, telephoto lenses, wide-angel lenses, tips
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