Wide Angle Lenses are More Flattering
This may surprise you. The book that has influenced my photography the most is Fashion Sketchbook, by Bina Abling. Chances are, you have never heard this book, since it has nothing to do with photography. Rather, it is a textbook instructing first year fashion design students how to illustrate a croquis, which is a stylized drawing of clothing design on a model. Anyway, what the book impressed upon me was an eye for proportions. To that end, I have always been drawn to wider focal lengths - typically between 21mm and 28mm.
From the perspective of fashion photography, a preference for wider angle lenses may seem rather odd, if not completely off the mark. Typically, the majority of fashion photographers tend to favor a more telephoto range with 135mm being the gold standard. Why 135mm? Because it offers the sweet spot of some background blur, distortion control, and an ideal shooting distance for studio photography (since it is far enough for the camera to be placed behind the studio lights). As such, favoring wider angle lenses make no sense.
Mind you, it is not as if I still practice fashion photography. I mean, I do not need to shoot far enough to ensure that I do not block any studio lights. Moreover, it is not as if I need background blur while stopping down. Plus, it is not as if I want to limit distortion. If anything, I want distortion, which is why I favor using wide angle lenses. You see, the certainty of distortion makes wide angle lenses ranging from 21mm to 28mm ideal, since they are better at replicating the desired proportions that Bina Abling impressed upon me years ago.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Perfectly shot to capture the ideal proportions of a height of ten heads measured from the supporting leg (which is weight bearing leg).
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Shot too much at waist level. As such, the midpoint is no longer at the low hip, but rather at the high hip. This means the legs are no longer the same length as the rest of the body.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Leg has been cropped out with arms symmetrical and on the same focal plane as the rest of the body.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - I forgot to ask her to tilt her head. Imagine that she did. 😖 Her chin would recede in a slightly further focal plane, making her chin smaller, and her forehead will be slightly larger on a slightly closer focal plane, resulting a sweetheart face contour.
So what exactly is the ideal proportion as defined by Bina Abling? In general, it is the human form at ten heads in height from head to toe, wherein the low hip is the halfway point, such that the length of the legs from hip to toe equals the length of the rest of the body from hip to crown. Of course in reality, such ideal proportions are neither common nor representational of average folks. Nevertheless, our eyes are still immensely conditioned to favor these unrealistic proportions, owing to media portrayal of what is perceived as ideal.
Also as unrealistic is the ideal proportions of the female face, which we affectionately call the sweetheart face in the industry. In general, it is in the shape of a heart, wherein a cherry-shaped forehead, two almond-shaped eyes, a tapered nose, and clover-shaped lips lie symmetrically in order inside its contours. But once again, we favor these unrealistic proportions, owing to media portrayal of what is perceived as ideal - regardless of how uncommon and nonrepresentational they are in terms of how average folks look in real life.
Do not kill the messenger for pointing this out. The world is the world. I just live in it. Most of us including yours truly are far from the ideal proportions defined by Bina Abling or portrayed in popular media. That said, it does not mean we cannot strive or wish to reach those ideals in make believe, or rather in photographs. Because of that, wide angle lenses are particularly better geared to capture make believe than telephoto or normal range lenses. When executed correctly, they can capture your subject in a much more flattering way.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - The head, arms, and legs are all lined-up on the same focal plane. This makes the subject appear undistorted - meaning the legs do not look bottom heavy (if the camera were tilted down) or the torso and head look top heavy (if the camera were tilted up).
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Legs cropped out in order to conceal the reference points revealing the extent of distortion.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Shot from eye level with the camera pointed down. This will bring the legs to a further focal plane, which will offset the documentation of the subject slightly away from the ideal proportions.
At this point, you are probably wondering why I need to stack the deck in my favor with more distortion, given that my partners-in-crime are already inherently well-endowed with the advantage of ideal proportions. Thing is, that really is not the case. Being human, they too suffer from deviations from the standard ideal. Because of that, their likeness in photograph can still be significantly improved with some strategically planned distortion in the right places. I mean, it can elongate their legs to make them look even taller than they are.
The increase in height is anywhere from twenty to twenty-five percent. Or to put it another way, my partner-in-crime who is normally eight heads in height is ten heads in height, when properly photographed with a 24mm lens (being the lens I used for the photos shared on this blog entry). And because they are stretched vertically, it means they are squeezed horizontally. This will create a slimming effect, which will result in a more flattering look in documentation - even for those who are as well-endowed as my cheery partner-in-crime.
That said, it is not as if a wide angle lens in itself will automatically heighten a subject’s proportion in capturing a more flattering look. Many have tried and many have failed miserably with disfiguring distortions. In the end, much of what we capture, especially with a wide angle lens, depends on how the subject is framed. Executed incorrectly, and your subject can end up looking top-heavy or bottom heavy. Or even worse, your subject can end up looking just heavy all around, as if an extra twenty pound is gained in the documentation.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Again, image that her head is tilted down 😖
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - You can tell from the background perspective lines that I shot at eye level with the camera pointed down. Since her lower body has been cropped, the extent of shortening from distortion is not revealed.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Shot from below, but her head has been tilted forward, so that the extent of distortion from different focal plane would be minimized. Also, her elbow has been cropped out to reduce the impression of distortion.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Both legs are actually on the same focal plane. As such, I was able to have some fun with their relative positioning. That said, the supporting leg is pretty much hidden behind that sign 😖 so any evidence of any hypothetical distortion would have been covered up.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Had I captured the other hand, it would be much smaller than the one showing.
To optimally document your subject in the most flattering way, there are a couple of factors to keep in mind. If you are documenting a full body shot from head to toe, make sure there is more space between the subject’s head and the top of the frame than between the subject’s feet and the bottom of the frame. This way, the legs are stretched more than the neck and head. And if you are photographing closer up, never frame your subject standing in the left or right third of the frame, or reclining in the top or bottom third of the frame.
Of course, optimizing distortion from head to toe can be a cumbersome task. Alternatively, an infinitely easier approach to capture your subject in a more flattering way is to crop out all reference points when framing the composition. Such details like capturing feet, knees, or elbows can reveal the true proportions of your subject. Thing is, if you crop out the feet, you no longer know how long the subject’s legs are. If you crop out the knees and elbows, you can no longer piece together the length of appendages to reveal the true height.
In addition, never tilt the camera. Generally, photographers shoot at eye level. If you do, the legs of the subject will dangle down to resemble ham hocks, which never looks appealing hanging under an elongated torso. For that reason, shooting perpendicularly from the ground is a much safer option for wide angle lenses. That said, the only reason why photographers tilt their camera is because they want to get a full body shot at eye level. If they shot slightly above waist level, they could do that without encountering unsightly distortions.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Shot at eye level with the camera tilted down. Hence, legs are on a further focal plane, which offsets the documentation of the subject slightly away from the ideal proportions.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - This actually took some effort to photograph. Both feet were positioned on focal planes that would make them appear more similar in size.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Deliberately playing with distortion. Even though the hands are much larger than they really are, they are out of focus, which softens the distortion somewhat.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - The distortion of the lens accommodated the feet in frame. This created an illusion that elongated the legs, even though the camera was tilted down in the image capture.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Took me forever to take this shot, in waiting for the background to clear.
Still, there is no implicit rule saying that one cannot shoot at an angle. However, if you must, make sure you do not capture the entire body. Since the different focal planes of a wide angle lens is spaced much further apart, there will be noticeable distortion between what is on a closer focal plane and what is on a further focal plane. In other words, the head will look disproportionately larger with the rest of the body shrinking underneath. But if you crop out the feet, you remove the reference point that emphasizes the unsightly distortion.
One detail often overlooked is the way in which the subject’s appendages are positioned in frame - especially when shooting wide angle lenses. Given the increased span between different focal plane, arms and legs can look awkward, with the lead arm or leg appearing disproportionately longer or larger than the receding arm or leg. The best way to remedy this problem is by positioning the subject’s appendages on the same focal plane or close to one another, by positioning them symmetrically, or by concealing one limb from view.
As for taking portraits with wide angle lenses, I believe they are much more flattering in documentation. Given their increased span between different focal planes, the resulting distortion creates a more three dimensional look in reproduction. In my opinion, this makes the face appear more rounded and lifelike. Better yet, if you tilt your subject’s head down slightly, the distortion of a wide angle lens can better exaggerate a sweetheart face. That said, I forgot to do that for this entry, since my partner-in-crime already has a sweetheart face. 😖
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Head and body are on different focal plane. But since her body is in shadows, the shortening of her lower body is not as obvious.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Arms almost symmetrical and on the same focal plane. Shot at eye level with the camera tilted slightly down. Legs cropped out to eliminate reference points.
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length
Fujifilm X-Tra 400 @ 24mm Focal Length - Legs are once again on the same focal plane. As such, I was able to have some fun again with their relative positioning.
So as you can see, I really prefer the look of a wide angle lens. It just makes your subject look more enhanced, if shot correctly. That said, I am exceptionally biased. After all, my eyes have been conditioned by Bina Abling to favor these unrealistic proportions. Whether it is really right to favor these ideals, that I will leave to discuss another day. But for now, all I can say is the world is the world, and this is what average folks aspire to look like in make believe, or rather in photograph. To that end, a wide angle lens is indispensable.
It should be mentioned that the male body and face do not benefit from wide angle lenses, if an exaggeration of masculinity is sought. Generally, a more chiseled look is preferred, wherein tighter focal lengths can square the body and face better (by flattening out the image through bringing different focal planes closer together).
All images have been digitized on a Pakon F135, automatically cropped from full negative during the scanning process, and fine tuned very slightly in Adobe Lightroom.
