How to Use Camera Focal Length

The creative process of photography begins during a shoot. By playing with the various options on your camera (shutter speed, aperture, etc.), you can manipulate your view of the world around you to create interesting and unique images. The camera's focal length can be a great creative tool in the process.

Instructions

1. Use the standard focal length of a lens to capture images in a field of view that closely mimics what is seen through the human eye. For most 35mm cameras, the standard focal length on a lens is 50mm. As mentioned before, this 50mm range mimics normal human vision, so faraway objects will not be magnified.

2. Determine if your camera is a SLR or if it has a fixed lens. To change focal length on a SLR camera, you will have to change the whole camera lens. Fixed lens cameras give you the option of zooming in or out.

3. Shorten the camera's focal length to make a wider field of view (meaning the angle will widen and include more in the image than would be captured with human vision). This can either be done by zooming out with your fixed lens camera or switching your standard lens to a wide-angle lens on your SLR camera.

4. Magnify objects in the distance by zooming in with your fixed lens camera or putting a telephoto or fisheye lens on your SLR camera. This option puts faraway objects in great detail, yet greatly shortens the angle of view.

5. Use telephoto and fisheye lenses to crop and single out singular aspects of a landscape without having to get close to the subject. By cutting out the wide field of view, images can be created using amazing and unique perspectives.