What lens should you use when taking a headshot?

Do you ever wonder what lens you should use when taking a headshot or a portrait? This is a common question among photographers new and experienced.  The reason even veteran photographers still ask this question is because every single photo shoot has a different set of variables which may effect your decision on what gear you should use.  I recently shot a video that dives into detail what shooting portraits at different lengths will do to your subject.  I started at 10mm and made my way up to 200mm to show how wide angle lenses distort the face and make your portrait extremely unnatural and unflattering.  I want send out a HUGE thank you to my girlfriend Shelby who was nice enough to model for this demonstration and brave enough to let me post some really awful photos of her…. Don’t worry there are some really good ones too!




Here are all the photos from the session so you can really see the effects of shooting a model with a lens that is too wide…

Finally, here is a video where I explain this concept in a little more detail…

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Cheers,
-Jeff