The title should really be "Perspective and Focal Length" but I reckon that using technical phrases like "Focal Length" would put a few folks off. So Zoom Setting it is.
* Tip: "Zoom Setting" and "Focal Length" mean the same thing...
Anyway. Most people use a zoom lens to get the right distance away from the subject of their photo, zooming in or out as necessary until the thing they're photographing is the right size in the frame.
While it's true that zoom lenses are useful for this, there are more uses for a zoom than as substitute Nikes. (As in, using your feet versus using your zoom to get closer or further from your subject!)
If you set your camera at the wide end of the zoom (that's what it is set to when you first turn your camera on) - that's called "Wide Angle". When you zoom in a bit, about a third of the way, you get into what's called "Standard" focal length. If you keep going, you get to what's called "Telephoto" - where you bring far away subjects closer.
The trick here is that if you are aware of the implications of using different zoom settings, you can use them to great creative effect...
Consider the shots below. That's the Ambulatory Photographist's better half by the lakeside in Queenstown on a summer day, with the Remarkables in the background. (Click to enlarge if you want)
About those Remarkables... check out the size of them in relation to the size of the willing model in the frame. She stays more-or-less the same size, but what happens to those Remarkable mountains? Or should they be - Inflatable mountains? Because they're getting bigger with each shot!
Of course, I wasn't standing in the same spot for each of these photos, as I zoomed in, I had to walk backwards so she occupied the same space in the frame. This is where the change in perspective comes from. The more you "zoom in" (Tech speak: the longer your focal length) - the larger the background will be in relation to the foreground in your picture.
So if you want to make someone or something look like it's dominating the scene, get up close to it and use a wide setting.
If you want to make your subject look like they're insignificant in the context of the background, step back a bit and use a longer zoom setting.
There are other tricks you can do with zoom lenses and we will have more articles on those later.
* Tip: "Zoom Setting" and "Focal Length" mean the same thing...
Anyway. Most people use a zoom lens to get the right distance away from the subject of their photo, zooming in or out as necessary until the thing they're photographing is the right size in the frame.
While it's true that zoom lenses are useful for this, there are more uses for a zoom than as substitute Nikes. (As in, using your feet versus using your zoom to get closer or further from your subject!)
If you set your camera at the wide end of the zoom (that's what it is set to when you first turn your camera on) - that's called "Wide Angle". When you zoom in a bit, about a third of the way, you get into what's called "Standard" focal length. If you keep going, you get to what's called "Telephoto" - where you bring far away subjects closer.
The trick here is that if you are aware of the implications of using different zoom settings, you can use them to great creative effect...
Consider the shots below. That's the Ambulatory Photographist's better half by the lakeside in Queenstown on a summer day, with the Remarkables in the background. (Click to enlarge if you want)
About those Remarkables... check out the size of them in relation to the size of the willing model in the frame. She stays more-or-less the same size, but what happens to those Remarkable mountains? Or should they be - Inflatable mountains? Because they're getting bigger with each shot!
Of course, I wasn't standing in the same spot for each of these photos, as I zoomed in, I had to walk backwards so she occupied the same space in the frame. This is where the change in perspective comes from. The more you "zoom in" (Tech speak: the longer your focal length) - the larger the background will be in relation to the foreground in your picture.
So if you want to make someone or something look like it's dominating the scene, get up close to it and use a wide setting.
If you want to make your subject look like they're insignificant in the context of the background, step back a bit and use a longer zoom setting.
There are other tricks you can do with zoom lenses and we will have more articles on those later.








