I have a Canon T2I, and also a good prime lens (50mm / f1.8) but I cannot seem to take close up portraits like I see in magazines. Do I need a better lens?
Answer
Well, a classic lens for portrait is 80mm to 135mm on a 35mm full frame camera. If you do the math, on the 2Ti it's around 50mm to 85mm for the same field of view. So, in that sense, you're at the wide end of the portrait "sweet spot" as it were.
Does that mean anything? Well, it does. A shorter lens will often have a greater depth of field and that tends to bring backgrounds into focus and that adds distraction to the primary subject. Also, the smaller the sensor, the greater the depth of field. So, for a dSLR, I'd recommend getting to farther end of the range for the APS-C (70-85mm) to get that nice bokeh on the background that makes the subject pop.
Now, having said all that, it is important to realize that magazine shots have a few other things going for them such as:
Very experienced portrait photographers. This shows in their manipulation of light, the angle of the shot, and the depth of field they aim for.
Very experience makeup artists. You can't discount this, high end work isn't just the camera and the lens, it's also the people behind the scenes that make sure everything is perfect.
Top of the line post-processing. If you have ever seen the photo manipulation done during the work for a professional magazine shoot, you'd get over the limitations of your own efforts. This level is insane, they will adjust anything at all to make the shot look better. Sure, they have to start with something, but after they're done, it can be night and day.
Anyways, to get good portrait shots it is a balance of the right lenses, as I mentioned, and the right light. The right light is a whole new level of challenge and there are some great sites to help you get started:
Good luck! In the end, to get the great shots takes practice, so dig around these sites and shoot.
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