Practice question · Multiple choice
A portrait photographer wants the mountain behind the sitter to loom much larger, while the sitter stays exactly the same size in the frame. How is it done?
Hints
- The mountain's size relative to the sitter is a question about distances.
- Retreating changes the ratio between the sitter's distance and the mountain's.
Show the answer
C. Step well back and fit a much longer lens, which keeps the sitter framed and enlarges the distant mountain relative to her
Why
Retreating is what does the work. If the sitter is at 3 metres and the mountain at 3 kilometres, moving back to 30 metres barely changes the mountain's distance while multiplying the sitter's tenfold, so their size ratio collapses. The long lens is only there to restore the framing that retreating destroyed.
Practise Point of View
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