Portraits in Stereo

[P3D Paul S. Boyer <boyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Portraits in Stereo

Using a longer focal length forces the photographer
to move back from the subject, which changes the perspective.
Perspective is solely a function of distance from the
subject.  The more distant perspective makes traffic
seem more bunched together in pictures taken along
highways: that is why whenever a news medium
wants to emphasize congestion, they use a long
focal-length lens to go with their story about the
evils of automobiles, dangers of pollution, or what
ever point they wish to make.  No doubt about it,
in the wrong hands, photography is great for
misrepresenting facts while pretending objectivity!

In portrait photography, the same thing is done with
longer focal-length lenses to make the face look
flatter.  This is an aesthetic which is apparently
founded on human instinct.  We are attracted by
flat faces with big eyes: we like kittens, but
long-snouted rats and possums do not normally
elicit the same cuddling response from us.  In
portraits, big noses are out.  Can you think of
a single fashion model who has a larger-than-normal
nose?  On the contrary, small noses enhance the
appearance of flatness in the face, and bring out
an apparently instinctive protective response
which in our distant ancestors released nurturing
behavior toward the young.  I have noticed that
several of the currently most popular models have
flairing angles to their jawbones, which is not
a typical characteristic in people of European
ancestry, but it has the effect of making the face look
flatter.

So that is what is behind the recommendation of
longer lenses for portraiture.  The normal lens
for 24x26-mm format 35-mm slides is the
diagonal of a rectangle 24x26 mm, or about
43 mm.  A seven-perforation format is pretty close
to that, so  that about 40 mm would be right.  If
you are doing portraits, you could double that,
but then you would have to worry about the
depth relationships.  Anything which would
exaggerate depth would make the noses longer,
and that would not be desirable.

I would suggest using normal stereo lenses and
the special close-up mounts formerly supplied from
Realist.  You can shoot within the 2.1-m normal
frame distance if you use those mounts, because
they mask differently.  You can avoid excessive
difference in deviation by eliminating the distant
objects in the picture: shoot your subject against
an interior wall, or close vegetation if outdoors.

Another consideration is that portraits need
not be restricted to just the head.  In my
never-so-humble opinion, the best portraits
show more of the person than that.
The most important thing is to capture the
interest of the personality and the
individuality of the life before you. 

--Paul S. Boyer   <boyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


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