Telephoto / long focal length
For other examples:
René Burri p. 93
Telephoto lenses (or long focal lengths) reduce the risk of you getting eaten, scorched, washed away, hit by stray balls or sued. All because they make distant subjects appear closer. But there’s more to telephoto lenses than that.
Telephoto lenses transform you into a hidden observer – someone who is suddenly able to capture subjects unawares.
For his series ‘Heads’, Philip-Lorca diCorcia set up a photographic trap using a telephoto lens and an offcamera flash. When people walked into frame diCorcia shot the picture from afar, capturing his subjects as they walked down the street. The results are candid portraits of everyday people that take on a strangely filmic quality.
Telephoto lenses are essential when you’re unable to get physically close to your subject – in sports and wildlife photography for instance. But when you are able to get close, and choose not to, your images can start to feel quite predatory.
That didn’t bother diCorcia. In fact, that’s what he wanted. But is this what you want? If not, use a shorter focal length that forces you to get in close and interact with your subject.
Head #6
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
2001