Fortunately, camera manufacturers who have commit-
ted to smaller chip sizes have started to introduce lens
lines specifically designed for digital imaging. With these
lenses, the circle of coverage (the area of focused light
falling on the film plane or digital-imaging chip) is smaller
and more collimated to compensate for the smaller chip
size. Thus, the lenses can be made more economically
and smaller in size, yet still offer as wide a range of focal
lengths as traditional lenses.
The Normal Lens.When making three-quarter- or
full-length portraits, it is advisable to use the normal
focal-length lens (35mm to 50mm, depending on the
camera’s sensor size, as noted above). Because of a child’s
size, a three-quarter- or full-length portrait of a child re-12 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
Stacy Bratton photographed this little beauty in an array of moods and poses. Stacy says that her special talent is not taking pictures, al-
though she has extensive training and experience, it’s “being able to get a two-year-old who walks in the door, kicks me in the shin and
says, ‘No!’ to everything I’d like them to do, to cooperate fully and hug me and love me—that’s my talent.”