You photograph a building, doorway, tiled wall, bookshelf, or city street, then notice something strange when you look at the image. Lines that should be straight appear to curve outward. The middle of the photograph seems to bulge toward you,…
What Is Field of View in Photography
Every photograph begins with a boundary. Before you choose aperture, shutter speed, ISO, or even where to focus, your camera has already made one important decision visible through the viewfinder: how much of the scene fits in the frame. That…
What Is Lens Compression in Photography
Lens compression is one of those photography terms that sounds more technical than it really is. You may have seen a portrait where enormous mountains seem to rise directly behind a person. Perhaps you have noticed city photographs where buildings…
What Is Crop Factor in Photography
Put a 50mm lens on one camera, and the photograph may look fairly natural and spacious. Mount that same 50mm lens on another camera, stand in the same place, and suddenly the composition looks much tighter. The lens didn’t secretly…
Focal Length in Photography: What 18mm, 35mm and 50mm Mean
Look at almost any camera lens, and you will find numbers such as 18mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, or perhaps a range like 18-55mm. Those millimeter numbers are among the most useful pieces of information printed on a lens, yet they…
