The choice of focal length is one of the most fundamental decisions a photographer or videographer can make. But even so, do you consider just how important that choice really is?
Coming to you from Jamie Windsor, this great video talks about the importance of choosing the correct focal length. While most of have an understanding of how varying focal lengths render subjects differently, how they affect depth of field, and more, we sometimes tend to approach focal length from a sense of practicality more than intentionality. That is to say, we sometimes approach focal length from a standpoint of convenience, choosing that which we think will make it easiest to capture our subject. Of course, certain genres demand a restrictive set of focal lengths (I hope none of you are walking up to lions on safari with a wide angle lens), but at the same time, the way to really take your work to the next level is to move beyond choosing focal length for practical reasons and start making conscious decisions to use it to help shape your storytelling. This is a great way to build a recognizable style. Check out the video above for more on the topic.
Learned something new from this.
Really good. Told simply and clearly with no BS.
I used my 70-200 lens at 150mm with this portrait because I wanted to shrink the distance between my model and the prop, without distracting background.