DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This video explains linear perspective and geometry when shooting portraits

Feb 14, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Remember the animation showing how focal length impacts the portrait? When you shoot with different focal lengths and your subject takes the same space in the frame, you’ll get a certain amount of distortion. As a matter of fact, this is one of the reasons why camera “adds ten pounds”. In this video, Koldunov Brothers demonstrate how geometry of the face and body depends on the distance from the camera. So, what is it that looks so strange when shooting up close with a wide angle lens?

YouTube video

How camera distance affects the body

When you take photos of two people standing one behind the other, the one in front will always appear taller than the one in the back. But, as you increase the distance of the camera, this difference gets smaller. Take a look at the examples:

How camera distance affects the face

When you shoot a close up portrait with a wide angle lens, the subject can look a bit like Goofy. This goes both for video and stills. The proportions of the subject’s head and face get distorted, and this is why you get an unrealistic portrait.

In reality, your nose is smaller than your ear. When you take a photo with a wide angle lens up close, this proportion gets distorted and your nose appears larger than the ear.

When you step further back (and crop the photo or use a zoom lens), this proportion gets realistic and the face looks more natural. As you make the distance larger, the nose and the ear end up being the similar size.

Fitting the subject and the backdrop

If the backdrop appears narrower than the subject, stepping back and zooming can solve this problem. This relies on the first point: the difference in size between the closer and the further subject decreases when you move the camera further back. This way the subject will fit the backdrop, and his or her face will also seem more realistic.

 

You could find these points useful for your next portrait session. And it can come in handy for making a perfect selfie, too. Either way, it will help you make the subject look natural and in proportion.

[Geometry of selfies | Koldunov Brothers]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

DaVinci Resolve 12 Beta Is Here – World’s ‘Most Advanced’ Non-Linear Video Editor Slider MotorHow To Build A Linear Motorized Slider For Less Than $60 Use Linear Light blend mode in Photoshop to enhance your colours the easy way Shooting film isn’t vegan-friendly, and Ilford explains why

Filed Under: Inspiration

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Is cheap gear really cheap? This is what it can cost you in the long run
7 tricks and tips to let you get the most out of your smartphone photography »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • AstrHori new 28mm f/13 2x Macro Periscope lens sees round corners
  • Sony World Photography Awards under fire for age limitations in Student contest
  • 5 ways to find inspiration when the weather is sad and grey
  • Photographers, keep an eye out for auroras around the world this weekend
  • How to make beautiful frozen soap bubble photos this winter

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy