Choosing the Right Lens Length: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace

Mark Wallace

Mark Wallace is a photographer based in the United States. Best known for his web-based video series Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography sponsored by Adorama. Millions of people have watched Mark’s videos on YouTube, and the numbers continue to grow. Mark has a strong social media following on Facebook and Twitter, where he spends time interacting with viewers and workshop attendees. In 2014, Mark left the United States to embark on a 2 year worldwide adventure. He visited 28 countries and captured thousands of unique photographs across the globe. In 2016 Mark decided to give up planes, trains, and automobiles and is now exploring the world on his motorcycle.

Is there a difference between walking close to a subject to fill the frame or just zooming in with a longer lens? The short answer is yes. When we walk closer to our subject, things in the foreground become much larger than things in the background. Objects get larger (or smaller) disproportionately, this also creates “distortion.” On the other hand, when we zoom in, things all get larger (or smaller) in proportion to each other. And that long lens gives us something called “compression.”

These are seemingly complicated principles. In this episode, Mark Wallace uses everyday household items to demonstrate how everything works. Mark shows you how you can try this out at home and solidify all of these concepts.

Interested in learning more about photography lenses? Take a look at these guides on 42 West:

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Choosing the Right Lens Length: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace

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