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40mm portraits


john sypal

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Re: Rene's picture

 

I like the utter lack of pretention or artifice of it. It is simply a photograph of a boy

(centered in the frame) in a restaurant. Due to the visually stripped down feel of it, there is

plenty of mental space to think about it's possible meanings. Who is he? What is the

relationship between him and the photographer? Why is he not giving the usual Cute Kid

look? No pronounced grin, just a steady look at the person taking the picture. He is inside

yet has on his coat and hat over his ears. I wonder if it is late and he wants to get home

yet he does not seem to dislike having this picture taken and looks more like he has been

in this situation before.

 

For me photographs are much more interesting when they ask questions instead of trying

to tell you meanings. (Rene, I am not expecting you to answer the ones I asked here

although of course you can if you want.)

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Not really 40mm... 38mm, Fuji lens on Fuji Klass (=AFM35), open at f2, no flash (of course).<br>

Since it is not a 40mm, I give you the nice story. This was the first trip to France (Dec 2003) of my girl friend. She liked the hat but did not buy it. Next day she went back home, in Japan. I ran down the store, bought the hat and sent it to her. We married in in December 2004. :)<br>

I wish my M6 had a 40mm mounted on with 40mm frames, I love this focal length.<br>

Happy shooting, and sorry for the 2mm missing...<div>00HtSK-32114584.jpg.76446f16a4f0132819f033a6a4a00361.jpg</div>

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John, You are a good sport about the ribbing, but maybe there are some who do not understand the principles of shorter lenses. Your friend's face seems to be somewhat detached, in proportion, to her neck. That's what happens when you are in close with a wide, and precisely why wides are used in close--to exagerate the foreground object, while keeping the background in focus.

 

Longer lenses, to the contrary, flatten DoF, and also provide, at wider apertures, a chance to blur out the distractions of the background.

 

Some of the other photos offered are better because they were not so close to the subject, therefore foreground objects (noses, foreheads, etc.) weren't exagerated. Sure, you can use your 40 to take people pics, but I can't recommend it for "portraiture" unless capturing your subject "in situ" is important. And if that's the case, remember to keep your distance so that you capture enough of the surroundings to help tell the story. The White House photographer's favorite lens is a 28--but you get to see figures head to toe and all the White House trappings surrounding them.

 

Good luck,

Ray Hull

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