35mm lens

[tina_johnson]

<p>I've been commissioned to do a family portrait in my client's home. The space is quite grand & I'd like to capture that in the portrait. Although a 50mm lens captures enough (i ran a test when i visited the location) .. I feel I will be a touch too far from my sitters and the portrait my feel distant.<br>

I'm wondering if I could get away with getting closer to them, with a 35mm lens and capturing the environment as well?<br>

Will I risk distortion or should I be ok?</p>

<p>I also plan on having some family members sitting, while others stand behind .. What would the ideal camera height be? Somewhere in between the seated sitter and the standing?</p>

[tina_johnson]

<p>the lens I plan on using is a Nikon 17-35mm</p>

[starvy]

<p>Tina, if you are using a 35mm lens and going forward, surely that is the same as your 50mm lens and staying where you originally had been standing? To get more of the surroundings you'd need to step back. The other option is to have the surrounding and the background in clear focus. This is where a 35mm lens, stopping the lens down to f8 or more should allow for more depth of field. The longer the lens, the distance between the background and subjects would be getting increasingly blurred.</p>

[Brad_]

>>> I'm wondering if I could get away with getting closer to them, with a 35mm lens and capturing the

environment as well? Will I risk distortion or should I be ok?<P>

 

When I'm out shooting street portraits with my dSLR, my 35mm/1.4 is the only lens I use. I like the

close subject-photographer engagement it affords, and the wider view allowing me to capture more

environmental context.<P>

 

As you mentioned, you do have to be aware of distortions that can occur shooting close to your

subjects. Not just noses, but hands that might be out in front. <a href=

"http://www.citysnaps.net/blog/street-portraiture/">Here are some portraits</a> I've made with my 35mm lens, those that are rectangular (square shots are from my phone).

[tina_johnson]

<p>Brad those are great shots - Thank you for sharing.</p>

<p>Are there any tips to avoid distortion of noses/hands? Having said that, are they subtle ... could they be fixed in photoshop do you think?</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<blockquote>

<p>ould they be fixed in photoshop do you think?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Short answer is no. Don't shoot the subject at too close of the range. To be safe, don't zoom wider than 28mm. And don't place important features at the corners of the frame. You'll be fine...I use the 17-35mm often.</p>

[tina_johnson]

<p>Thank you Leslie .. I don't plan on shooting at wider than 35mm .. I don't want to take too many risks :) How far from my subject should I be ... roughly....?</p>

[sgust]

 

<blockquote>

<p>using a 35mm lens and going forward, surely that is the same as your 50mm lens and staying where you originally had been standing?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Using a crop sensor camera, I personally like the perspective a 35mm gives you better than that of a 50mm for group photos. I find that the images do change if you go with a shorter focal length and get closer. For head shots I like longer lenses due to the distortions that the wide ones create. But for group shots I like the wider lenses. It seems to me that the distortions show up any time the relative distances of facial features to the camera are very different. If your 10 ft away from you subject's eyes, their nose is only a very small fraction of that closer, no noticeable distortion. But if your 2 ft away, the tip of their nose is a much large fraction of that distance closer and will cause noticeable distortion.<br>

The longer lens can be useful if your trying to get a out-of-focus background though. A fast aperture on a wide lens can do this as well, but the blur seems nicer on the longer lenses.</p>

[pbalko]

<p>What would be the objection to shooting with both focal lengths?</p>

[tina_johnson]

<p>Limited time Phil :)</p>

[amir_kk]

<p>i am very confused regarding lenses use<br>

my question is that:<br>

if someone have 18-135 lens so photographers use<br>

24mm35mm/28mm/50mm/85mm/135mm (fix focal lenses)<br>

u have a lens who can cover 18 to 135 lenths in one lens so why we use different lenses<br>

pls detail</p>

[sgust]

<p>Amir, fixed focal length, aka prime, lenses have several advantages. Fixed focal length lenses are optimized for a specific focal length. Zoom lenses are always making compromises to allow for the change in focal length. They don't have as large apertures as fast prime lenses do, and the level of sharpness achievable with them is generally lower than with a prime. Also prime lenses have the added benefit of generally being smaller and cheaper (individually at least) than zooms.</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p>I also use a 35mm lens for portraits all the time. It is really impossible to say if it will work in the situation without seeing the room. It is also impossible to say how high the camera should be. Just play around with distances when you have everyone seated. Take your time and don't shoot until you are 100% comfortable. <br>

FWIW, here are a few shots I've done inside with the 35mm. <br>

<br>

<a title="kid by ian_taylor_photography, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4138/4825518739_c7d3f27daa_m.jpg" alt="kid" width="240" height="160" /></a></p>

<p><a title="school kids by ian_taylor_photography, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6922239209_655518386d_m.jpg" alt="school kids" width="240" height="160" /></a></p>

<p><a title="b&g by ian_taylor_photography, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3092/3094173819_11dfd10a91_m.jpg" alt="b&g" width="240" height="160" /></a></p>

[luke_kaven]

<p>Tina, the blessed thing about the 17-35 is that it has only the slightest distortion at 35mm. This is not true of other 35mm options. I think you will find that this is an excellent way to do environmental portraiture. In point of fact, Annie Leibovitz uses a 35mm lens for much of her own work. I believe the Keith Richards portrait was done with one. </p>