A study in perspective - focal length and maintaining subject size

27 mm, 52 mm, and 120 mm focal lengths used from left to right.

Pay attention to the relationship between foreground subjects and backgrounds.  The relationship can be altered by changing your position relative to the foreground and the focal length of the lens.

The simplest way to think about it is to zoom in and move away or to zoom out and move in.  If you keep the subject the same size in your viewfinder, you will find that the size of the background changes relative to the foreground.

This is an important concept when composing a scene.  Even small adjustments in position and focal length allow the visual relationship between foreground and background to change.  The change in perspective often has a significant impact on the resulting image.

The image below conveys the concept of zooming in or out while changing position.  The key is to keep the subject the same size.  With practice, you will discover a whole new way to look at the world.

Changing position while altering focal length is a powerful composition tool.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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