Fashion/full body shots.. 50mm, 85mm, 135mm - how far do you go?
Discussion
I purchased a 'nifty fifty' recently (Nikon 50mm 1.8 AF-D) on the grounds that it would fun to try out, plus it was only £110 brand new as these lenses tend to be.
I had read a lot about Fifty's being a great useful prime with nice bokeh and quite fast in low light.
I had been mucking about with it a little, mostly shooting street stuff at night, plus arty shots of nearby objects so I can enjoy some nice bokeh and a shallow DOF
Then I got asked to take some shots of my friend in the local forest this weekend and gladly obliged as I was really keen to try out the Fifty on my DX format D90 for shooting people in daylight.
I thoroughly enjoyed using the lens and was really happy with the results. But... I was a little surprised at how far away I had to be from the subject to get a whole body shot and a little bit of background in frame.
A couple of weeks ago I was seriously thinking of getting the 85mm 1.8D or the 80-200mm 2.8, as both these lenses seem to get rave reviews for shooting people/portraits/fashion type stuff... But I'm not so sure anymore having used the 50mm.
I now realise how far away would you need to be to shoot a full body shot at 80-85+mm? You would need a really large studio or be outside surely?
I've never really noticed this before because I simply never shot people previously, and am just getting into it. Prior to this, I've been a wide angle landscape/architecture/cityscape type person.
What sort of focal length do you all use for your full body portraits and fashion type shoots?
I took the below with my 50 and I'm quite happy with it. Yes, it perhaps has a bit too much background it but my point about distance above still stands for the tighter shots I did
I had read a lot about Fifty's being a great useful prime with nice bokeh and quite fast in low light.
I had been mucking about with it a little, mostly shooting street stuff at night, plus arty shots of nearby objects so I can enjoy some nice bokeh and a shallow DOF
Then I got asked to take some shots of my friend in the local forest this weekend and gladly obliged as I was really keen to try out the Fifty on my DX format D90 for shooting people in daylight.
I thoroughly enjoyed using the lens and was really happy with the results. But... I was a little surprised at how far away I had to be from the subject to get a whole body shot and a little bit of background in frame.
A couple of weeks ago I was seriously thinking of getting the 85mm 1.8D or the 80-200mm 2.8, as both these lenses seem to get rave reviews for shooting people/portraits/fashion type stuff... But I'm not so sure anymore having used the 50mm.
I now realise how far away would you need to be to shoot a full body shot at 80-85+mm? You would need a really large studio or be outside surely?
I've never really noticed this before because I simply never shot people previously, and am just getting into it. Prior to this, I've been a wide angle landscape/architecture/cityscape type person.
What sort of focal length do you all use for your full body portraits and fashion type shoots?
I took the below with my 50 and I'm quite happy with it. Yes, it perhaps has a bit too much background it but my point about distance above still stands for the tighter shots I did
Simpo Two said:
Crop sensor?
85mm+ are more 'portrait' lenses, ie head and shoulder or waist up.
Yes, crop sensor.85mm+ are more 'portrait' lenses, ie head and shoulder or waist up.
The 80-200mm 2.8 seems to be hugely popular but I can only imagine people are using it for head and shoulder shots in a large studio or for sports? And more than that and you would be shouting at your subject from a distance...
I would tackle it the other way round. Decide how much of the subject/background you want to capture, decide the working distance that suits best (this affects perspective and background), then choose the lens that does it.
Whereas on 35mm/FF cameras 50mm is 'standard', it does of course seem 40-50% longer on crop sensors, which IMHO makes it more a portrait lens than standard and that's what caught you out. Its big advantage is fast aperture for low price, but that doesn't make it the right lens for every situation.
Whereas on 35mm/FF cameras 50mm is 'standard', it does of course seem 40-50% longer on crop sensors, which IMHO makes it more a portrait lens than standard and that's what caught you out. Its big advantage is fast aperture for low price, but that doesn't make it the right lens for every situation.
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