 BetterPhoto Member |
How to Take Facial Shots? Hi, I'm new to photography and would like to know the technique of taking facial close-ups. Should I zoom in from a distance (what distance if that's the case) or should I move the camera close to the person's face? I noticed that when I move the camera close, the photo is very unflattering. Is this how to person really looks like or is it the camera? By the way I'm using a digital camera (Fujifilm Finepix 1300). Thanks in advance.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
It's best to zoom in. Getting close with a wide angle will give the "dog nose" effect that you refer to as unflattering. As far as distance, just experiment with different distances. It will be different for different people. For example, someone with a long nose will look better with more zoom as that will tend to shorten the appearance of the nose.
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John A. Lind |
Jason, Jeff's exactly right about the "dog nose" effect getting in too close with a wide angle lens. Been there, done that, and looks bad unless you're after a humorous "clown" effect . . . which requires very careful composition and proper facial expression to match (plus a subject who doesn't mind this kind of photo)! If you can convert the focal length range of the zoom on your digital camera to an equivalent focal length for 35mm film cameras: the traditional "portrait" focal length lenses are between about 85mm to 135mm. Some fashion photographers use even longer lenses. Compare this to the "standard" focal length 50mm lens. Usually the true focal length range of your lens will be found in the specs in the instruction book for your camera along with a conversion to the equivalent focal lengths for a 35mm film camera. -- John
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