Need advice on taking portraits with 35mm f1.8 DX lens?

[Studly]

I just got my new 35mm f1.8 DX lens for my D3300 camera. I know a 50 or 85mm lens would be better for portraits (and maybe I'll get one of those some day), but the 35 seemed more versatile for now, and I've seen that many people have great results taking portraits with that prime lens.

For those of you who use your 35mm lens for portraits, I have some questions for you:

* What aperture setting do you typically find ideal to balance out getting nice bokeh while keeping the subject's face in focus, assuming the subjects face is just slightly angled away from the camera? Is f2.8 about right?

* What's the closest you can be to the subject without experiencing facial distortion? Do you have to stick with nothing closer than waist-up (half body) shots? Or can you get a little closer than that?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

 

[Studly]

Just wanted to clarify that the new 35mm lens I have and am asking about is a Nikon lens on a DX body, so it's more like a 50mm lens after crop factor is taken into account.

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

Some pictures will always be better than others.

A big challenge is getting the right person in the right pose with the right background.




Taken on film with a 50mm - the same angle of view as 35mm on DX.



--
Leonard Shepherd
Often good photography is about being in the right place at the right time with the right kit and especially with the right experience.
You can buy kit. The rest is mainly down to you.

 

[pda4you]

I just got my new 35mm f1.8 DX lens for my D3300 camera. I know a 50 or 85mm lens would be better for portraits (and maybe I'll get one of those some day),

Yes - you are very correct. In fact I like 100-200mm equivalent best for portraits. The 35 is OK for family shots or full body shots - when you stand back enough.

For those of you who use your 35mm lens for portraits, I have some questions for you:

* What aperture setting do you typically find ideal to balance out getting nice bokeh while keeping the subject's face in focus, assuming the subjects face is just slightly angled away from the camera? Is f2.8 about right?

Yes 2.8 is pretty good, still a pretty narrow DOF. Get that closest eye in focus and soft other stuff isn't a big deal.

* What's the closest you can be to the subject without experiencing facial distortion? Do you have to stick with nothing closer than waist-up (half body) shots? Or can you get a little closer than that?
Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

Agree you need mostly full body stuff. Half is likely getting a bit too close. But you can test it out - on folks of differing body styles you might be able to get closer on some and need to be further on others to keep the face flattering.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

YW

Mike

 

[thelenspainter]

It depends a lot on the facial features and proportions of your subject whether the 50mm-equivalent FOV is unflattering to them or not.

When shooting people with a normal or wider lens, the key thing is to position the camera so the sensor plane is parallel to their body. In most cases that means crouching down so that the camera is at their chest or waist level. Keeping the sensor parallel to the person's body will avoid perspective distortion from exaggerating the size of their head, for example.

 

[BobWorrell]

I just got my new 35mm f1.8 DX lens for my D3300 camera. I know a 50 or 85mm lens would be better for portraits (and maybe I'll get one of those some day), but the 35 seemed more versatile for now, and I've seen that many people have great results taking portraits with that prime lens.

For those of you who use your 35mm lens for portraits, I have some questions for you:

* What aperture setting do you typically find ideal to balance out getting nice bokeh while keeping the subject's face in focus, assuming the subjects face is just slightly angled away from the camera? Is f2.8 about right?

* What's the closest you can be to the subject without experiencing facial distortion? Do you have to stick with nothing closer than waist-up (half body) shots? Or can you get a little closer than that?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

I think one of the most important tips for shooting portraits wide, is keep the face right in the middle of the frame with the camera at the same height (don't shoot up or down at the face) stand back a little and crop after the shot for portrait composition.

Bob W.

 

[gunlbum]

I don't disagree with what anyone else has said but you're looking for advice on aperture settings, so I'll share what I do with my 35mm DX:

- Head shots: F 2.8 - 4 or even higher if you want ears somewhat in focus or if the subject is not facing you dead-on (otherwise you get the one eye in focus, other eye out).

- Head and shoulders: F 2 to 3.3 (I use half-stop adjustments)

- Any more than head and shoulders F 1.8 to 2.8 max

My copy is pretty sharp even at F 2 and if you want any sort of reasonable OOF, then you need to open it up if it's not a head shot. Backgrounds are pretty important with this lens as it doesn't always give even acceptable bokeh. Distant and not-too-busy backgrounds often look pretty good to my eyes and points of light not too bad either.

 

[calson]

Any lens shorter than normal is going to provide more perspective distortion. Very important to check the camera to subject distance with regard to body parts. If the head is 4 feet away but a hand is 2 feet away the hands will look gigantic. Same applies to feet. I would not get closer than 4 feet as otherwise you are likely to get enlarged noses with your subjects.

I have yet to see a picture of a person taken with a 35mm or shorter lens that was improved by that choice of lens by the photographer. If you are shooting inside a small room and want a full body shot then one needs to go wide or find a larger space. For me the DX lenses best for people is a 24-70mm zoom or the 58mm f1.4 prime.

 

[Photography201]

I just got my new 35mm f1.8 DX lens for my D3300 camera. I know a 50 or 85mm lens would be better for portraits (and maybe I'll get one of those some day), but the 35 seemed more versatile for now, and I've seen that many people have great results taking portraits with that prime lens.

It is not so much the lens as it is the perspective. It also has to do with working camera to subject distance and making the subject feel at ease.

Best results is when you can compress the background unless you want that look. The other part has to do with making subject matter look flattering.

The wider the local length the closer you have to get for certain types of shots.

For those of you who use your 35mm lens for portraits, I have some questions for you:

* What aperture setting do you typically find ideal to balance out getting nice bokeh while keeping the subject's face in focus, assuming the subjects face is just slightly angled away from the camera? Is f2.8 about right?

* What's the closest you can be to the subject without experiencing facial distortion? Do you have to stick with nothing closer than waist-up (half body) shots? Or can you get a little closer than that?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

While there are not right ways and if you like that look.

If I was doing portraits I would get a 70-200 f 4.0 or 70-300 or 28-300 before a prime lens on a budget, just get between 85 mm to 135 mm.

You do not want to use F 2.8 all the time unless you want certain features soft or look out of focus. Especially with more than one person say for a engagement session.

I will use the 70-200 mm 2.8 but not necessarily use 2.8. If I do both need to be on the same focal plane or just a few inches someone is out of focus open wide. Also, you may need a neutral density filter depending what you need to do.

If you use flash that is a whole other thing because it is a completely different exposure.

Start watching videos on YouTube

Buy some classes from Creative Live

Start google searching professional photographers and lighting etc... I will say 99% do not use a 35 mm for portraits. It is too wide. The 50 mm is better if you really had to. Hey if your subjects like it, that is all that matters.