35MM PORTRAITS: MODELS

What's So Special About 35MM?

Nothing.

Which is the point. A 35mm lens doesn’t do any work for you—there’s none of the tension inherent in a wide angle portrait taken with a 28mm lens. There’s no swirly bokeh to make your non-photographer friends go awwwww like you’d find with an 85mm.

Shoot enough with 35mm and what initially feels wide becomes normal. You’re free to concentrate on composition and balance, and from certain distances you can even create the step-inside-this-frame feeling of medium format.

Here’s an example: the image below is seven feet across, shot from a distance of five feet from the subject. A wider lens would require that you step closer to maintain the composition at the risk of distorting the model’s left elbow or legs. A longer lens would compress the feeling of depth and “collapse” the couch. At 35mm, it’s just right:

The Apple

You can fill the frame with a head and shoulders portrait from about two feet away, creating a dramatic look while leaving the model plenty of personal space. A head-on shot at this range might look bulbous and un-flattering; best to stick with a profile. And no, the image below is not distorted.