Working distance between you and your subject.

benjiboy · Nov 4, 2013

jnanian said:
i couldn't agree more with you benjiboy!
all i can say is it is an acquired skill to be able
to have a conversation with the subject and i can understand why some folks don't / can't do it.
for someone who isn't used to it, or isn't used to the situation .. it can be frightening,
and the resulting photographs endup worse then .. well, the last thing you described.

john

I.M.O John portraiture is less about technique and more about being able to help your sitter put down their defences, relax, and show who they really are.

wiltw · Nov 4, 2013

MattKing said:
Ben:

I don't disagree with you that many of us do use our experience with the common "portrait" focal lengths for 35mm film when we consider this issue. The problem that occurs, however, is that trying to covert that experience for use with other formats can be both complex and subject to error.

I shoot several medium format formats, and in at least one case I have to add close-up accessories to my lenses to attain a close up headshot using an appropriate lens. In the end, for me it is simpler to arrive at a single, standard working distance for each intended result (full body portrait, 3/4 body portrait, upper torso and head portrait, shoulders and head portrait, close up headshot) and then choose the appropriate lens to match.

Matt, you're making things more difficult than they need to be. Simply understand the ratio of your [favorite 135 format FL:135 frame height], and perpetuate that ratio for all other formats, choosing the closest real FL lens!!!

Example...
You like 85mm at 9' distance for 135 format head and shoulders; 85:24 = 3.55:1. Use

150mm (3.55 * 43) on 645
200mm (3.55 * 56) on 6x6 or 6x7
320mm (3.55 * 90) on 4x5"
65mm (3.55 * 18) on half frame (e.g. Olympus Pen)

You like 150mm at 9' distance for 135 format headshot; 150:24 = 6.25:1. Use

270mm (6.25 * 43) on 645
350mm (6.25 * 56) on 6x6 or 6x7
560mm (6.25 * 90) on 4x5"
110mm (6.25 * 18) on half frame (e.g. Olympus Pen)

...results identical framing and identical perspective at the identical subject distance
choosing the closest real FL lens.

johnielvis · Nov 20, 2013

whoopsie…maybe this post belongs here:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

the difference between the 35mm and medium formats is minimal, but when you get into the larger formats it makes quite a difference in fact.

oh--and on the subject of differences in distance--it MATTERS…those have some faces that favor far away (skinny faces) and those that benefit from close up (wide faces). The distance causes the skinnier faces to get more depth and the lack of distance causes the faces to be "skinny"--more of the front is "up front".

from far away, it is best to have the face at an angle so as to not have both ears sticking out--the ear wider is excentuated with distance, so the solution is to lose one ear and to flatten the other.

markbarendt · Nov 21, 2013

benjiboy said:
I.M.O John portraiture is less about technique and more about being able to help your sitter put down their defences, relax, and show who they really are.

I did some employee-of-the-month shots where I work earlier this year. It was a lot of fun getting the guys to relax a bit. They would typically walk in, square up to the camera, clasp their hands in front of their balls, and cringe like I was going to kick them. It took a moment to pose them and get them to giggle but the shots came out nice.

I was too expensive for the company's taste so after two months they went to iPhone shots with the guys covering their balls again, oh well.

johnielvis · Nov 22, 2013

HA. The problem is just that--people can't relax because they are used to seeing pictures of themselves that they don't like. So they are tense when the camera comes out. Then, because of the tension, they look terrible. It's a self sustaining feedback loop.

cliveh · Nov 22, 2013

In terms of distance to control perspective, just look at this shot by HCB and the way he makes his viewpoint of the line on the wall equal the angle on the cart.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...zenfolio.com%2Fp813810244%2Fh1FEB9431;505;337

markbarendt · Nov 22, 2013

johnielvis said:
It's a self sustaining feedback loop.

Yes it is.

Sirius Glass · Nov 23, 2013

The technical term is "positive feedback".

removed account4 · Nov 23, 2013

benjiboy said:
I.M.O John portraiture is less about technique and more about being able to help your sitter put down their defences, relax, and show who they really are.

you can say THAT again !
any technique works, as long as it works
( and that could also mean directing the person to do so they " -look good- " )

photopriscilla · Feb 26, 2014

I am a wedding photographer, so I like to always take a few shots up close just of the details. The way the hand rests on the should, the way the earring hangs next to her next. The bride holding the bouquet. So I can get really close, but I know this breaks a certain measure of personal space so I make those moments fast.

Working distance between you and your subject.

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