I’ve been reprimanded for straying from my normal domain of portraits, so I thought I’d venture back to more familiar ground. On a similar note to yesterday though, I really like the simplicity of a tight head / shoulder crop for portraits.

I also like really tight depth of fields - I typically use my 85mm lens at anywhere between f/1.8 and f/2.8 - this shot is 85mm f/1.8.

This time though, I thought I’d go for an even tighter crop. There’s always the issue of how much hair / chin do you crop off, and if you can’t see the ears, how much cheek you can see (otherwise, it can look like the subject has no ears!), but I really like the result in this shot. Both eyes are in focus (quite miraculous given the tiny depth of field!), and though they’re a bit too near the vertical middle of the frame for my liking. they really grab your attention, which is the most important part of a portrait.

In portraits like this, there’s nowhere to hide, so if in doubt, use a looser depth of field to ensure the eyes are in focus, and ensure you have catchlights (the catchlights here, are from standing in the shade - no fill flash was used). Also, people with bad skin may not be comfortable seeing shots like this, as it really does take no prisoners, though a tight depth of field, and some skin smoothing make it more flattering.

Try a really tight portrait, you may like it!