There has been quite a lot of debate, dare I say argument about this question
Going on, on the internet for quite some time
So i thought it would be a good idea to come out make a video to explain my take on
and why I teach what I teach, in the way in which I teach it
If you're not sure what's meant when somebody says change your focal length,
and it will change the Perspective image, then I suggest you click the link
and watch my Focal length: explained film first because that will tell you
what we're talking about then you can come back here
Because of the argument this raging about this
I thought to be good idea to have a look at the meaning of the word Perspective
So I went online to the Oxford Dictionary's website
and they had plenty to say about it perspective
Perspective - the art representing three dimensional objects in a two-dimensional surface
so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth,
and position in relation to each other. The appearance viewed objects with
regard to their relative position
distance from the viewer etc for example.. a trick of perspective
in geometry
it's the relation of two figures on the same plane, such that pairs of corresponding points
Lie on current lines and corresponding lines meet in collinear points
A particular attitude towards away all regarding something... A point of view
There is more and as you can see there is plenty of room for
confusion over what the meaning could be
so we just arguing over semantics?
lens compression, image compression, compression of perspective
I tend to believe they're all pretty much the same thing
it's when the background of an image
starts to creep up behind the subject at all tends to compress together
there's also there's some people who say that
that is nothing to do with the focal length you use, it's to do with viewpoint
well yeah that could be a a point there but what I would say is that so
viewpoint if I'm looking at you from here
I'm looking at you from this point if you but if I move over here,
over here I'm now looking at you from this point to view
I haven't actually changed very much a part from the point to view
but if I look at you from here but then I moved backwards
I would suggest I'm still looking at you from the same point to view I'm just
moving closer or further away and that's quite interesting
So let's go do a little test
So what I have here, is a zoom lens
set to 50 millimeters I'm gonna leave it set on 50 millimetres
You will just have to take my word they're not gonna change it
It's an FX lens and I'm using your on an FX camera for this demonstration
there is no reason why I'm using an FX camera instead of a DX crop sensor camera
I just happened to be doing that
I'm going to be taking a shot of you guys in the background as represented by Lorna
and the video camera and the subject to my photo is going to be
Our supermodel Abbie Hills ladies and gentlemen
give it up for Abbie Hills!! Too much??
okay I'm going to shoot a portrait Abbie from about the waist up
like this is kinda like a half-length portrait with you guys
to her right to not be on the left of the picture
let's do that first and I'm gonna composes in camera
using my 50 millimetre focal length: love the moody sky going on behind you Abbie
right just get all that nicely lined up
focus on Abbie and there's a picture
it's really quite cool let's take the same shot I want to get the
element to this picture in the same place at the tree in the middle
in between you guys, Lorna on the camera and Abbie
so I'm going to move back and make sure I don't change my viewpoint by going from side to side
so that the tree is still in between
Abbie and Lorna, about here
let's take that same picture
and see whether the background is coming closer and compression of perspective
has occurred when we look at the first shot
Its not a bad portrait, and you can see where the background is
in relation to Abbie. We've got the tree there,
we've got you guys as in, Lorna on the video camera
we look at the second shot which I took from further away we increase the distance
it's really obvious you guys have become really really tiny
in the picture, so I went as a great composition.
But the way you deal with that would be to crop in
So let's just zoom in, let's crop in and see if we can create the same sort of composition
the half-length portrait with you guys in the background
and do you know what... Yes!!
The background has come up closer behind Abbie
so I would say that compression of perspective, has occured
well it depends on your point of view all perspective really doesn't it
yes as you change the distance from the camera to the subject so perspective expands
and contracts along with that, but as you saw there's a cost attached to it.
To get the same composition you have to crop pixels away in post production
Well as more work but also you degrading your image, you throwing away
alot of those very expensive megapixels you paid a lot money for
and that's going to impact on image quality
Now I know we all have our own learning styles, some people want to know why a certain thing happens
in a certain way and that's completely cool, and for you guys I've added some Links below
Go and click on them, and you can find out all about it.
Personally, I like to just try and keep things simple I know that
by putting on a longer focal length: I've gotta move back to compensate for
the magnification so I can keep the same composition
and okay that will change the background it will compress the perspective
so why haven't I gone into that? I think when you're learning photography
you got enough on your plate trying to think about juggling ISOs and apertures
and shutter speeds to get your exposure
thinking about composition how to align things in your picture
thinking about white balances, thinking about all that stuff in the menu and all
the things that you read in magazines, make it which is kinda conflicting in my opinion.
So I've kinda always gone with the view that okay if you do this
it'll look like that, the whys and the where fors
I think a less important. So I've probably start up a bit of a hornet's nest by making this film
My next stop is to go and get some cosmetic surgery change my appearance a little bit,
before smuggled under a blanket, to a safe house, in a secret location. Oh god they're coming!!
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