As photographers we get very involved in thinking about the maximum aperture of a lens, the make of a lens and creating great background blur. These are all very interesting and relevant if you want certain results, but before you get into thinking about the best lens for portraits, first think about the best focal length for portraits.
Once you know the effect a particular focal length will have and how close or far you need to be from your subject with that portrait focal length, you can start looking at other aspects of portrait lenses.
After all, what’s the point of great depth of field if your subject is distorted, because you used an unflattering focal length for portraits?
What type of lens is best for portrait photography?
It’s a good question and there’s a good reason why portrait photographers obsess over focal length. Your choice of focal length for portraits has a big impact on the image. It affects:
- How much of the background is in frame
- The shape and proportions of your subject’s face
The shorter your choice of portrait focal length (wider field of view), the more the middle of the photo will balloon forward. A wide angle will make noses and foreheads grow!
However, whilst a longer portrait focal length (narrower field of view) flattens the middle of a photo, so makes a big nose seem smaller, after a certain point, it’ll also start to widen a face.
Portrait focal length exercise
It’s always best to do something for yourself so that you can see the results and know what was involved. All the YouTube videos and blog posts in the world about portrait focal length won’t teach you as much as this five minute exercise…
To recreate your own series of photos like mine above…
- Find a patient friend or family member
- Get them to stand or sit still in one place for the duration of the exercise
- Line them up in your viewfinder for a head and shoulders shot
- Take note of exactly where they are in frame
- Quick tip: using your rule of thirds grid, place the top right intersection of lines on the left eye (the eye that’s camera right). Do this for every shot to make sure their eye is roughly in the same place for each photo. As your focal length changes you’ll need to adapt.
- For each new focal length, starting at 28mm, you’ll have to move further back and realign your subject in the frame as closely as possible to your first photo
- Take note of exactly where your subject is in the frame and keep it as constant as possible. (Yes, I’m stressing this point, because it’s important)
- Take a shot at 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, 200mm
- You’ll need to change lenses, but that’s okay
- If you don’t have all those focal lengths at your disposal, just do the ones you have. You’ll still see a difference
- For the most consistent results, don’t change any camera settings – same aperture, shutter speed, ISO and lighting
Now examine your photos on the computer. I don’t need to say anything more. You’ve just proved to yourself how focal length affects the appearance of people in portraits.
Plus, now you know which portrait focal length to use for headshots.
Is a 35mm lens good for portraits?
Yes, it is. Use a 35mm for environmental portraits. These will be more full length portraits where the subject is smaller and doesn’t fill the frame. The wider angle means that you’ll capture more of the background, which is very relevant in environmental portraits.
To avoid distortion of your subject when using a 35mm lens, make sure that they’re not at the edge of the frame.
A simple rule of thumb for portrait photography is that, if you use a short focal length, step back and include more background in the frame to avoid distorting your subject’s features.
Is a 50mm lens good for portraits?
Yes, a 50mm lens is a good portrait lens for full length photos or taken from the waist up. If the portrait is any closer, make sure that your subject is towards the middle of the frame with space around them to avoid distortion. It’ll make faces thinner and noses bigger.
A 50mm lens is a very versatile lens and a favorite of new photographers, because the price point makes it very affordable. It’s also a light lens and doesn’t scream “serious about photography”. So it’s perfect for street photography as it’s less noticeable.
Which is better for portraits 50mm or 85mm?
The short answer, and the easy way out is that an 85mm lens on a full frame camera is considered the ideal focal length for flattering portrait photos.
However, the best way to answer this very popular focal length question is with four more questions…
1. How much of your subject is in frame?
- Headshots (85mm)
- Three quarter length (50mm or 85mm)
- Full length (50mm or 85mm)
If all you have is a 50mm lens and you want to photograph headshots, then just shoot with more space around your subject and crop the image in post. It’s not ideal, but it works and you won’t distort your subject. They’ll like you for that.
If your subject is not a photographer they might not notice the distortion as such, but if they look different from how they see themselves in the mirror, the image will feel off and they won’t like it.
2. Are you photographing adults or children?
When choosing a lens for portraits you need to think about your subject. You might need to be closer to be more connected to your subject.
If you want a full length shot and you don’t want to be too far away, go with a 50mm focal length. With an 85mm focal length you’ll have to stand further away.
3. How many people are in frame?
The wider the lens focal length, the more you can fit into the frame, because of the field of view of a wider angle. So, without having to stand too far back, you can capture more people in a group with a wider focal length than with a narrower focal length.
However, you need to pay attention to the edges of the frame to avoid distorting the people on either end of the group shot.
4. Are you using a full frame or crop sensor camera?
This is very relevant! If you use a full frame lens on a crop sensor camera, you need to multiply the focal length by roughly 1.5 to get the true focal length. So, a full frame 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera photographs more like an 85mm focal length. If the math seems out, don’t worry, it’s an approximation.
And just to be clear, a full frame 50mm lens on a full frame camera photographs at 50mm.
Obviously, your choice of camera and lens makes a big difference to the effective focal length of the lens!
My favorite portrait focal lengths
I shoot with focal lengths mainly between 85mm and 200mm when outdoors. I do a lot of walking back and forth to my subject to communicate between each series of shots, especially when using a focal length of 200mm!
For headshots outdoors, even though I have all the space in the world, the longest focal length I use is 105mm. Beyond that the face starts to become wider.
When I photograph indoors I choose my focal length based on:
- The space that I’m in (how far back I can stand from the subject)
- What I’m photographing (size of my subject – child vs adult)
- How much of the subject is in frame (headshots or full length photos)
As I mainly photograph boudoir indoors, my most popular focal length is 70mm. I just checked this by applying a focal length filter to all my boudoir photos in the Library Module of Lightroom (it’s a great database, not just a great photo editing program).
Last word on lenses for portrait photography
The lens you use for portrait photography is the most important piece of camera equipment. It doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank, just get the best that you can afford.
If you don’t have an infinite budget for the best of everything, rather spend more on a good lens and less on a camera. You’ll replace your camera a few times while your good quality lens will just keep on going.
It’s not just about wide apertures either. More expensive lenses are built better to last longer, work harder and in tougher conditions. In the end, an expensive lens works out cheaper than a cheap lens.
Leave a comment
If you have any questions about the best focal length for portraits, let us know in the comments.
Also, I love good news, so if my portrait focal length tips have helped you to understand how to decide on focal length, share that too.
Nicely explained…
HI Jane,
Glad to find your site and tutorials.
Could you do a tutorial (if there isn’t one already), on full length portrait and how you accommodate the same variables that head shots etc. present.
Thanks to the “recent” changes with the tech, I’ve been 1-2 years self-teaching-by-doing – with Canon connect and the cell phone. It is an art just to handle the process of that. Then, getting a good shot.
So far 18% grey cotton backdrop (9ft W X 14ft L, to provide 3-4in. headroom, 4-6in. in front of shoes. 2 octagon soft boxes (27in, I know: modest size) a third un-modified speedlite for bouncing off the 8ft white ceiling to “separate” subject from background (and maybe a tiny bit of hair/rim-light, if lucky. Canon SL 2: I know, modest) and Cactus triggers. That’s the gear The main issues you could provide would be great: framing in a spare room, camera/ sticks placement (height, angle) and of course controlling and creating effective (not passport…) lighting techniques for submitting to background work. So the 50mm 1.8 and a polarizer (so far only using Man. mode) is working. But seeing the DOP’s on set who are decades in learning their skills has overwhelmed me in understanding the lighting and its powerful and at the same time delicate results to the portrait . Thx, Frank
Hi Frank
Learning photography can be overwhelming at times, because as soon as you understand one thing, your mind is opened up to so many more concepts to learn. Just keep going. It sounds like you’re progressing well and don’t worry about others, because there’s bound to be something that they’re still learning too and they’ll be comparing themselves to more experienced photographers as well. That’s what’s so great about photography – it’s continuously challenging and stimulating.
Here’s a tutorial on portrait lighting that will help you with your light placement – https://thelenslounge.com/5-portrait-lighting-patterns-you-need-to-know/
When shooting in the studio I’m a huge fan of using a light meter to quickly and accurately set lights so that you can control the light ratios and therefore the tonal contrast in an image. https://thelenslounge.com/why-you-need-a-light-meter/
If you’re photographing indoors using off camera flash (or on camera for that matter) you won’t need a polarizer – they’re great for using outdoors to cut through reflections on reflective surfaces like water and glass and for more bluer skies and greener vegetation.
Hope that helps.
Fantastic post. Thank you
Hi Jane, Great article . I have new to photography and own a Sony mirrorless Full-Frame camera . Also i have Tamron 28-200mm/f 2.8 zoom, 28-70/3.5f Sony lens. I am trying to buy one Prime lens but under budget(<$700) . Can you suggest anything here.
I bought a Sony 1.8f/50 mm standard lens($250) but it has lot of AF issue so thinking of returning it .
My need : fast AF, indoor portrait in low light.
Great article..thank you.
Hi Jane!
Very nice and informative article.
However, there is an inaccuracy: When you use a crop sensor instead of a full frame a given lense with a given focal length will not at all change into a larger focal length. It will only appear that way since parts of the information gets cropped away. But actually the focal length stayes the same, and so does attributes like depth of field and distortion.
Hi Kjetil
Yes, that’s what I meant. Thanks for pointing out that my language wasn’t clear enough. I’ll change the wording to avoid confusion. I appreciate that you took the time to let me know.