Portrait photography tip: Get closer
Thursday 6 February 2025, 15:30 by Elja Trum | 2,530 views | 4 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Generally speaking, many photographs are taken from too far away. With a portrait, you usually don't want to include the whole person in the photograph. It is often much more powerful to get closer, so that only what matters is in the frame.
Is your portrait photograph not powerful enough? Take a few steps forward and try again. There is a good chance that the portrait will become much more interesting. By getting closer to the model, you also feel more connected to the person in the photograph, as a viewer.
Do you find it uncomfortable to stand close to your model? A telephoto lens can be a useful tool. This allows you to get closer from a distance.
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
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4 comments
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 6 February 2025 at 22:33 | replyI think not every model likes it when you, as it were, get right in their face. You then give the tip to use a telephoto lens. What I see as a disadvantage is that a telephoto lens has the effect of everything being 'squashed together', so you have less depth in the portrait. Of course, it depends on which focal length you use. But the more telephoto, the greater the effect.
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martin wrote on Tuesday 11 February 2025 at 15:06 | replyCertainly a good tip, but is the photo in question really a good example. The model is looking up and is not engaged with the viewer. She is lost in thought. Then it is rather intimate to come this close. You might want to emphasize the looking up by taking a bit more distance instead. And look along in thought, thinking about what moves her. I find it a contradiction now, which detracts from the composition. But oh well, tastes differ and I never take portraits of people.
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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
