Focal Length has a dramatic effect on photographs. The whole image is transformed. When you shoot at wide angle the elements in the image are spaced out not just in terms of field of view (from side to side), but also from front to back with foreground and background elements looking to have more distance between them. As you increase your focal length, the field of view is narrowed and the elements in the background appear to move closer to the foreground elements. Check out the video above and the images below to see how each of the focal lengths impacts the look of the photos.

This illustration is taken from the same distance for each shot.

In the second illustration I have changed camera position with each shot to try to frame the subject the same in each photograph. It shows dramatically how the background creeps up on the subject with each increase in focal length. I have moved from approx 1 feet from the subject, in the first photo to about 30 feet away in the last photo to be able to give the subject the same framing.

A long focal length is ideal for zooming in on distant subjects so that they appear to be closer to the camera position. Short focal lengths are best for getting more of the scene into the photograph, or if you are unable to move back to get more of the scene in with a longer focal length.

Hope you enjoyed the information in this post. There are lots of similar posts throughout the site if you want to check out more. Thanks for taking time out to visit us. I also undertake one to one tutorials at my studio in Warrington and have more online tutorials. Subscribe to my “learn photography newsletter for more info” below.

Your DSLR camera has a built in light meter that helps you work out the correct exposure.

when you point your camera at something to take a picture your camera meter calculated the exposure.

Most DSLR cameras have a number of metering modes you can use that are something like this…

Evaluative metering mode

This is a general-purpose metering mode suited for portraits and even backlit subjects. The camera sets the exposure automatically to suit the scene your pointing your lens at.

Partial metering mode

Effective when the background is much brighter than the subject due to backlighting etc. Partial metering covers about 9.4% of the viewfinder at the center.

Spot metering mode

This is for metering a specific spot of the subject or scene. The metering is weighted at the center covering about 2.3% of the viewfinder area. When spot metering is set, the spot metering circle will be displayed in the viewfinder.

Center-weighted average metering mode

The metering is weighted at the center and then averaging for the entire scene.

Hope you enjoyed the information in this post. There are lots of similar posts throughout the site if you want to check out more. Thanks for taking time out to visit us. I also undertake one to one tutorials at my studio in Warrington and have more online tutorials. Subscribe to my “learn photography newsletter for more info” below.

I have just completed my online video photography tutorials for beginners, which covers the  basics and is aimed at anyone who has just purchased an DSLR camera and wants to better understand it. I have done lots of one to one tutorials at my studio in Lowton and in doing so have come to understand what people generally want when they get themselves a new camera.

So I have crafted a number of video photography tutorials that take viewers through each stage of the learning process so that they have a clear path to their goal of getting more from their camera and to understand the important aspects of photography so they get consistent results and basically know what they’re doing, rather than relying on the camera to work it out for them.

I have started the video course at just £15 for 2 months access. The videos take less than an hour to get through but have all the information packed into short videos that can be returned to again and again over the two month access period.

Check out the sales page here where you can purchase the tutorials and get a link and access password.

I am also on hand to answer any questions you have once you’re inside.