BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

2 September 2014
Accessibility help
Text only

BBC Homepage

Contact Us

How to Take Good Photos: People

Previous Page - LightNext Page - Portraits

Lens

Woman dancing, photo by Tom Ang
© TOM ANG
  1. Use your zoom lens to shorten the 'depth of field' (sense of depth) in your photograph, and throw the background out of focus. This adds emphasis to your subject.
  2. A wide-angle lens used too close to your subject will distort their features.
  3. Use your zoom lens to fill your photograph, rather than leaving your main point of interest floating in space.
  4. Zooming in will flatten perspective, which generally produces a more flattering shot of your subject.
  5. In this picture, a zoomed-in setting focuses on the dancer, throwing the foreground objects out of focus.
Previous Page - LightNext Page - Portraits

How to take good photos
CompositionLightColour
Landscape People Being Ready


About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy