Fill Your Frame With StoryUse the expansive perspective of wide-angle lenses to put your portrait in context
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By Maura C. Lanahan, Photography by Maura C. Lanahan
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Page 1 of 2 
Having
started my career assisting two professional photojournalists, I
quickly realized that powerful images could be created by using a
wide-angle lens. Photojournalists love using this type of lens because
of its ability to capture a subject closely while showing the expanse
of his or her environment.
After segueing my career into portrait photography, I’ve embedded in my
style the techniques of a photojournalist. The type of photography I
shoot is different now. I now direct my subjects instead of being the
“fly on the wall.” I like to tell a story with my images, and a
wide-angle lens allows me to do this.
Lenses: Standard Vs. Wide
Standard portrait lenses usually have a 50-80mm focal length range,
with a narrow angle of view. Because of this, you’re limited in trying
to capture a story or sense of place in your image.
Wide-angle lenses are much different. My first wide-angle lens was a
Canon 17-35mm, and I couldn’t put my camera down when I got it. I
started to fill my frame with objects, trees, sky, cars and winding
roads, all of which direct focus to my subjects. This lens opened up a
huge canvas on which I could paint, so to speak.
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