Portraiture 101: Lenses

I seem to be coming across photogs out there that are confused about the same thing: which lens to use for portraits. As you all well know, I do not ascribe to this ideas that we need a new piece of equipment to be better photographers. Put simply, the number one thing new gear does for us is drain our bank account. If we would only understand the limitations of our gear, we could then maximize its capability. We must master the equipment we already own. But I digress. When it comes to shooting portraits certain lenses, more specifically, certain focal lengths are better than others.

If you don’t want to read the rest of the post, with all the ‘splainin’, here’s the short version: For the most flattering headshots, shoot with a focal length somewhere between 85-100mm. That’s it.

For the longer version, here we go… **big stretch**deep breath**and, go…

When it comes to portraiture, which focal length to choose depends on the type of shot you’ll be taking. If you plan on taking a tight, head-and-shoulders shot you will get the most pleasing results shooting somewhere in the 85-100mm range. Why is this? Can’t we get the same tight shot with a 50mm by just moving in closer? Well, yes and no. With a wider lens, you can move physically closer to your subject and achieve a similar composition. However, shooting in this manner will distort your subject’s face. The closer you get to your subject, the closer they are to the curvature of the front element of the lens. This will cause the subject’s nose/face to bulge, looking unnatural. Shooting between 85-100mm, we get the same tight composition, but we are further away from the subject. More importantly, the subject is far away from the curvature of the front element of the lens. This keeps the subject’s nose /face from bulging, and therefore looking natural.

What about shooting with a focal length longer than 100mm? Can’t we use a 300mm and just move back? Again, yes and no. Shooting with a lens longer than 100mm you begin to have the opposite effect. The more we zoom in on something the more it compresses the image. So, the further past 100mm you get, the more compressed your subject’s nose/face becomes, looking flatter than it should.

To put it another way, shooting with a focal length between 85mm and 100mm eliminates the unflattering facial distortion wide-angle lenses are notorious for, while avoiding the compression long telephoto lenses give.

So which is it? 85mm or 100mm? There’s a massive debate over that one. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter. In my honest opinion, anywhere between 85mm and 100mm is pleasing for close-up portraits. What about using a prime lens or a zoom? The nice thing about zooms that incorporate the 85-100mm range is the flexibility to pick 85mm, 100mm or anywhere in between. Plus, you don’t have to move your tripod or model each time you recompose the shot. On the other hand, Prime lenses tend to be sharper than zooms, but you loose the flexibility. So, pick your poison.

Most entry-level SLRs come with an 18-55mm lens. If this is all you can afford, then simply stay away from tight headshots to keep from distorting your subjects. If, however, you need to shoot tight headshots (to fulfill your vision), and you can afford it (without going into debt), then consider another lens. The complimentary lens you can pick up for a modest investment is the 55-200mm for Nikon, and the 55-250mm for Canon. These are relatively inexpensive and incorporate the 85-100mm focal length.

Again, this is all applies to tight, head-and-shoulder shots. Anything other type of portrait (3/4 length, full length, wide environmental, etc), you can use just about any focal length you want. For all of you out there confused about focal lengths, I hope things are a bit more clear.

Now, go out and shoot something!