One of the “fun facts” I remember from my photography classes was that “wide-angle lenses are not for portraits”. Of course, you can always experiment and photograph people with wider focal lengths, but the truth is – it does make them seem a bit weird in the photos. This fun gif shows precisely how the change of focal length affects the face of a person you’re photographing.
Focal length and portraits – the animation
Focal length and portraits – breakdown
Lenses with smaller focal lengths distort the face so it looks thinner, while those over 50mm make it more realistic and wider. So, from now on, I’m going to take photos of myself only with wide-angle lenses.
Of course, as you can see from the gif, this theory is true as long as the face takes up the same space within the frame. Cropping doesn’t count, only “zooming with your feet”. After all, you can easily try it at home; even a kit lens will do the trick. Let us know how it turned out for you.
[via reddit]
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