{"id":10009,"date":"2012-02-06T00:54:11","date_gmt":"2012-02-06T04:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2017-08-11T20:46:22","modified_gmt":"2017-08-12T00:46:22","slug":"composition-for-full-length-portraits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/composition-for-full-length-portraits\/","title":{"rendered":"Composition for full-length portraits – step back!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Composition for full-length portraits – step back!<\/h1>\n

A comment in the article on a simple lighting setup for the family formal photos<\/a>, asked why I recommended that a photographer should step back rather than zoom wide when photographing a group.\u00a0The reason is that the perspective distortion that a wide-angle lens will give to your subject, is not all that flattering.<\/p>\n

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With this straight-forward portrait of Anelisa, I was shooting with the 24-70mm lens (on a full-frame camera), zoomed to 70mm. I wasn’t super-tight in my composition, so I was shooting at a distance where there is no distortion introduced on her face. (For example, Yes, that was shot at the 50mm focal length, but isn’t a close-up head-shot<\/a>, will bring unfortunate distortion to your subject’s face.)<\/p>\n

It is a simple, pleasant portrait. Nothing complicated.<\/p>\n

I was shooting at this distance from Anelisa for that portrait.<\/p>\n

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If I want to shoot a full-length portrait now, I have two options:
\n– I can zoom wider (and not move my position), or
\n– I can keep my lens to 70mm, and step back until I have her full-length in my frame.<\/p>\n

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Zooming wider and shooting from “above”, will give me this kind of bobble-head distortion, where her head is much larger, and her legs are much shorter. NOT flattering.<\/p>\n

Stepping back forces a more pleasant perspective.<\/p>\n

So when photographing someone, I fight the immediate urge to be lazy and just zoom. Instead, I keep to the longer focal length as much as I can, stepping back until I get the framing I want. Invariably, this is the more flattering perspective.<\/p>\n

Only when I can’t safely or comfortably step back anymore, will I zoom wider. But my focal length then will still be more appropriate than if I had immediately racked my zoom as wide as it could.<\/p>\n

And to give you an idea of the relative distances, I was standing this far from Anelisa when photographing the full-length portrait at 70mm.<\/p>\n

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Obviously there will be times when you want a more dynamic composition<\/a>, or you may want to go for the crazy wide-angle shot. But for a representative portrait, it is always the better decision to step back rather than being lazy and just zooming wider.<\/p>\n

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The entire motif behind this article then, is to be aware of your own position in relation to your subject, and see how this will affect your composition … and how pleasantly this might render your subject. This is one of those things in photography where it is a good idea to just\u00a0get a camera in your hand and start playing. See how zooming affects your angle of view, and how this might affect your own position if you recompose.<\/p>\n