London - The smartphone selfie shows no sign of relenting, but when photographing friends and loved ones on your travels, consider a more reflective approach.
If you rely on the tenets of classical portraiture you can set your pictures apart and capture meaningful memories of your companions.
There are several steps in avoiding contrived “grin and bear it” moments. For seasoned photographers, review the merits of a prime, or fixed focal length lens. The focal length indicates the angle of view of your image. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view and the higher the magnification. A shorter focal length will result in a wider angle of view and lower the magnification.
For portraits, popular focal lengths include the standard 35mm lens, which allows a human subject to be pictured within the surrounding environment. The standard 50mm focal length offers a natural perspective, while an 85mm portrait lens encourages a tighter composition. A 135mm short telephoto lens flattens the perspective creating an appealing out of focus area at wide apertures.
An aperture between F/1.4 and F/2 produces satisfying results. Take care, when shooting at large apertures, that your subject's eyes are in focus. Depth of field at wide apertures can be so shallow that the distance between the eye and the tip of the nose may mean the difference between what is in and out of focus. With simpler optics, prime lenses usually have a larger maximum aperture (smaller F-number) than zoom lenses. Fast lenses with large apertures have the benefit of eliminating distracting elements in a pleasing blur, isolating your subject.
Pose your subjects away from direct sunlight to avoid squinting eyes and shadowed faces. Forgo the flash: a fast prime lens affords you the luxury of shooting in low light conditions producing natural results.
Despite their perceived flexibility, zoom lenses often result in static images, leaving the photographer grappling to frame the image within the fluctuating zoom range. Fixed focal length lenses require more legwork but reward engagement.
DSLR camera-makers produce superior prime lenses in several fixed focal lengths with fast apertures. They can be good value and are physically smaller and lighter compared with their zoom counterparts.
The one lens, one camera body, minimalist approach can deliver impressive images and reward bold photographers with new-found knowledge and increased interaction with subjects. So, forsake the selfie for visually arresting portraits that develop your photographic journey.
The Independent on Sunday