Photographers are an odd bunch, they spend loads of time reading about making great pictures, they spend time researching their purchases and then they forget the reading altogether since their new lens is just ace and everything is good when the use it.
Know your lenses
Many of us have a standard zoom that goes from around 28mm to around 70mm, it’s a handy range and good for many things. However portraits of people at close range are not it’s best trick at 28mm. People pictures generally have a more flattering look if you step back and zoom to the 70mm setting. With the longer focal length there’s two effects. Folks noses and ears are better aligned rather than look like their nose is two feet in front of their ears – compression of distance effect. Secondly the width of the background behind them is narrower, allowing you to isolate them from the scene – or in the studio use narrower background rolls. But there is of course more…
Photographer Neil van Niekerk’s article demonstrates the other effect of making heads look overly big and legs shorter.