How to Use a 35mm Lens for Portrait Photography

35mm is one of the best all-around focal lengths, especially if you’re into travel photography. But did you know that the 35mm lens is also a very capable portrait lens as well? Sure, 50mm and 85mm lenses are seen as more “traditional” portrait photography lenses. However, 35mm lenses, due to their wide field of view, can provide a unique perspective when capturing both individuals and groups of people. Like any focal length, though, there are a few best practises to consider. To get you started, I’ve outlined three ways to effectively use a 35mm lens for portrait photography:

Utilize the Environment

Due to its wide focal length, a 35mm lens can capture a large amount of a scene, making it a very good lens for environmental portraits.

In traditional portrait photography, a subject is generally photographed pretty close up, and the background is usually kept pretty simple. This is to help isolate the subject, or portrait, in the frame, and ensure that there are no distracting elements behind them. These traditional portraits are great for LinkedIn profile pictures, resumes or marketing brochures, but, sometimes, we want our photos to tell a story. That’s where environmental portraits, and of course the 35mm lens, comes in.

You’ve likely seen environmental portraits that tell a story before. In fact, if you read the news this morning, you more than likely saw a number of environmental portraits. That’s because journalists often utilize imagery that helps show the scene, details and people that are involved within their stories to help the reader further connect with not only the writing in the article, but also the story itself. More often than not, journalists will use a 35mm lens to capture images for their stories.

But I get it. You’re not a journalist, so why does this matter? Well, one of the best ways to create more dynamic and authentic portraits is to try and tell your subject’s story through the image. Whether your subject is building a business, improving their local community or simply hiking after work, everyone has a unique and interesting story to tell. As a portrait photographer, you can really help your clients share their stories by taking images that help capture the essence of that story. And, you guessed it, one of the best ways to do that is through environmental portraits.

So, the next time you’re out taking portraits, snap some shots with your 35mm lens. You may be surprised by the stories you uncover in your images.

Capture Some Closeups

Now, 35mm lenses may be ideal for capturing environmental portraits, but they’re also really solid at capturing close ups too.

While 50mm and 85mm lenses are generally considered the ideal focal lengths for both half-body and headshot portraits, 35mm lenses are still totally usable for these types of shots. You do, however, need to get fairly close to your subject due to the lens’s wide field of view. This isn’t a bad thing though, as it will be much easier to interact with your subject when you’re closer to them, which can be helpful when you’re trying to guide them through different poses and scenes.

Similar to environmental portraits noted above, you can also capture quite a few details using a 35mm lens, even at close range. For instance, if you’re shooting fashion photos, the 35mm lens will not only allow you to snap a close up of your model’s face, but also, due to the wide angle of the lens, allow you to capture a good portion of their outfit as well, which is, of course, a huge component of fashion photography!

Avoid Distortions

Now, the 35mm focal length is great for both environmental portraits and close ups, but there is one potential downside that you need to be aware of. Due to the lens’s wide focal length, subjects within the frame can get distorted, including facial features. Ouch. Not too flattering!

The good news is that this is actually quite easy to avoid. Most wide angle distortions occur near the edges of the frame. So, when shooting portraits with a 35mm lens or wider, it’s best to keep your subjects more towards the centre of the frame.

I, personally, haven’t noticed much (if any) distortion while using a 35mm lens, even when my subject’s are close to the edge of the frame. 35mm is technically considered a “wide” focal length, but it’s actually fairly close to how our eyes see the world, so you really don’t get any of the wild distortions that are typical of super wide focal lengths, such as 24mm or 16mm.

In saying that, it’s still good to be aware of the potential for image distortion when using a 35mm lens for portrait photography, but experiment for yourself. You may end up creating portraits that you not only like, but also stand out from the crowd.

Conclusion

While 50mm and 85mm lenses are known as more traditional portrait photography lenses, 35mm lenses can be just as effective, opening up a whole new perspective to capture both individuals and people. Due to the focal length’s wider field of view, the 35mm lens can help you capture environmental portraits, helping you tell a story through your images. In addition, the 35mm lens is also great for close up shots, particularly in the fashion industry when you’re trying to capture both your model’s face and their outfit. While shooting portraits with a 35mm lens, however, just make sure you’re aware of the potential distortion that can happen towards the edge of the frame. Like most arts, however, the overall look totally comes down to the artist’s preference, so experiment and see what works for you!