To conduct this exercise, I used my tripod and three different lenses on my Canon 550D: a 18-55mm lens, a fixed 50mm lens and a 70-300mm telephoto lens.
My subject was positioned roughly 4 metres from his background.
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| IMAGE 1: 24mm focal length, ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/6sec |
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| IMAGE 2: 50mm focal length, ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/6sec |
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| IMAGE 3: 100mm focal length, ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/8sec |
This experiment has shown a massive difference in both background and foreground across all three lenses.
In image 1, the subject appears somewhat distorted at a focal length of 24mm. As well as this, the background is still fairly focused and appears to be 3-4 meters away from the subject. There is quite a wide view in the background.
In image 2, using a focal length of 50mm, the subject appears less distorted and more in proportion. The background appears to be a lot closer to the subject and is less focused which draws attention to the subject more than image 1. The range of view is also a lot smaller. Only a portion of the painting on the wall can be seen in the top left corner, while in image 1, the entire framed painting was visible in the image.
Image 3 creates a different image again. The background is even more out of focus than in image 2, appearing to be closer again and the field of view to the sides is much smaller. Together, these two effects help to draw attention almost solely to the subject.
This exercise was an eye-opener for me as I would normally use my 18-55mm lens (used in image 1) for the majority of my shots. However, my 70-300mm telephoto lens (used in image 3) took a much more balanced and proportioned image with a smaller depth of field which was perfect for this scene.
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