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Puzzled by distortion in this photo
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Jul 25, 2017 08:25:51   #
docdish Loc: Saint Petersburg, FL
 
She is standing in a 3/4 view and 45mm is too short for a proportional shot. Her right hand and right breast are just the closest things to the lens and will be magnified. Shoot the same shot will less body angle (level the shoulders too) from farther away with a level camera at 85mm or more. You will be happier. On the second shot, get down to eye level and shoot level. BTW, her feet are closer and look big. Get lower, farther, level, longer lens, and crop out the boots and you will be happier.

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Sep 27, 2017 19:40:28   #
papa Loc: Rio Dell, CA
 
Quite right in these replies. It easy when one understands that the wider from normal perspective is stretched and the narrower is compressed. That's why 50mm (normal) is used less than 70mm to 135mm for more complimentary portraiture.

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Feb 22, 2018 11:23:05   #
lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle
 
LiamRowan wrote:
This is my wife. I snapped this photo of her in a stairwell that had cool glass showing the outside light and trees yesterday.

Note her right hand, which looks enormous compared to how it looks in reality. What baffles me is that it is right up against her leg, not held out significantly closer to the camera. The window bars are square in reality, but in the image they taper at the bottom and widen to the top. Is that a hint as to what is causing the distortion in the size of the hand? My thinking is that the window bars appear to be getting closer together because they are progressively farther from the lens, so why would the hand do the opposite? Sure am confused . . .

6D, ISO 640, f5, 1/125
This is my wife. I snapped this photo of her in a... (show quote)


I am a NASCAR fan.

So? You ask.

When the video camera is on one end of the track, zoomed in on a car at the other end, heading toward the camera, the car looks distorted. Usually the rear of the car looks bigger than the front. Your brain says, "That's not right." It's the result of magnification and perspective. As humans we have to solve the problems and oddities that the machines (camera, lens, computer) throws at us.

Your wife's right hand looks bigger because; 1)of the bright light shinning on it, 2)it is closer to the camera. Turning her hand, reducing the light shining on it, or bouncing additional light from her right (your left) could help.

You are in a stairwell, so I will assume backing up and/or using a longer 100mm lens is not going to work. Do what you have to do to get the camera lower and keep it parallel to the blocks in the window. You should be able to see this in the viewfinder or the view screen. Don't be surprised if you get a slight wine barrel effect. If you want the fuller body shot, you may have to accept some distortion. Having her turn parallel to the camera and the blocks might help. If you are willing to accept more of a bust shot, then try a 50mm lens to reduce distortion.

Hopefully this is not a busy stairwell, and you two can spend all the time you need to experiment. I find that part of the fun of photography is solving the problems like these.

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Feb 23, 2018 11:53:45   #
canon Lee
 
LiamRowan wrote:
This is my wife. I snapped this photo of her in a stairwell that had cool glass showing the outside light and trees yesterday.

Note her right hand, which looks enormous compared to how it looks in reality. What baffles me is that it is right up against her leg, not held out significantly closer to the camera. The window bars are square in reality, but in the image they taper at the bottom and widen to the top. Is that a hint as to what is causing the distortion in the size of the hand? My thinking is that the window bars appear to be getting closer together because they are progressively farther from the lens, so why would the hand do the opposite? Sure am confused . . .

6D, ISO 640, f5, 1/125
This is my wife. I snapped this photo of her in a... (show quote)


Consider cropping her hands out...

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Feb 23, 2018 12:09:17   #
canon Lee
 
LiamRowan wrote:
Yes, please take my word for it. I would not be wasting everyone's time on the forum. Here's an image with her hands looking like they normally do.


To do portraits you need to study composition and posing... Everyone has a good side, its the bad side that you need to key into... There is an art to doing portraits, in that its more about capturing the subjects personality as well as the exposure.
The image attached is from a wedding I shot.. Using just the camera and flash... Nothing special but it does capture the personality.
Of course the portrait would have been much better if I were in a studio with controlled lighting and better props.... But it shows that you can capture a good enough image in just a few seconds... If you go on line you will be able to see some posing techniques..... To those that would find fault with this image, I say to them, its just a snap shot, taken at the spur of the moment, with a minimum of editing....Color and exposure can vary with the monitor you are using. To the OP, I say, keep it simple & take lots of pictures....



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Feb 23, 2018 14:47:04   #
Al Freeedman
 
Very nice, but I would have moved the very busy pillow that was behind her. Would have only taken a few seconds.

Captain Al

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Feb 23, 2018 18:15:50   #
Canpic78
 
Most mature women look better if their hands do not appear in the photo, or if it does, fingers together. Ask her to pose a different way with her hands.

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Feb 23, 2018 18:47:13   #
canon Lee
 
Al Freeedman wrote:
Very nice, but I would have moved the very busy pillow that was behind her. Would have only taken a few seconds.

Captain Al


Thanks for the complement... the so called pillow behind the brides maid is not a pillow but part of the sofa... .This was not a posed picture but a quick snap....

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Feb 23, 2018 18:48:37   #
canon Lee
 
Canpic78 wrote:
Most mature women look better if their hands do not appear in the photo, or if it does, fingers together. Ask her to pose a different way with her hands.


LOL.. OMG she's only in her 20's ... Not sure if you missed my comment about it being a wedding pre ceremony shot.... Walking through the house and catching shots as I came across them....

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Feb 23, 2018 19:42:19   #
lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle
 
canon Lee wrote:
LOL.. OMG she's only in her 20's ... Not sure if you missed my comment about it being a wedding pre ceremony shot.... Walking through the house and catching shots as I came across them....


Canpic was responding to the OP. He just did not use "Quote Reply".

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