THE LENS LIBRARY / ESSAY 02

Portrait distance

Let working distance shape a more comfortable portrait.

THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

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10 GUIDES / PRACTICAL BY DESIGN

10 guides

Increase camera distance before making the framing tight with a longer lens.

Use a focal length that includes the room without crowding the sitter.

Agree on simple directions before increasing the working distance.

Place the person where surrounding lines support rather than distort them.

Change distance to reduce exaggerated size differences between near and far features.

Stop down or reposition until both faces fit the useful focus range.

Work far enough away to allow interaction without filling the frame with clutter.

Raise the camera slightly if near feet become disproportionately large.

Photograph a personal object at a useful scale without forcing excessive magnification.

Prepare three shooting distances instead of changing lenses between every setup.