In my little photography experience I have found that shooting with a zoom lens greatly improves my portrait shoots.  The closer I get to my subject, say, using a wide angle lens, the more distortion and stretching of their face I’m going to get.  Their nose is going to get enlarged, the sides of their face stretched back – in short, they’re going to look horrible, or at best, like a clown.  Using a zoom or higher millimeter lens (a 55mm instead of a 18mm,) I can get a much more accurate portrait of my subject.

Below you can see the difference between  lens angle of 18mm and 55mm:

18mm versus 55mm zoom for portrait photography

18mm versus 55mm zoom for portrait photography

By being able to stand further away from the subject I create a sense of isolation and comfort for the subject, allowing them to act naturally.  Getting too close to the model’s face makes them become self-conscious and stiff.

So not only does using a zoom lens, or a lens in the 55mm+ range – help tremendously to create a pleasant portrait of your subject, but it also allows your client to be able to relax and be natural.  Ultimately, using the appropriate distance+zoom equals the best portraits you could imagine.

And that’s all, folks.  Happy Thanksgiving!