Week 3 Session: Choose the Camera and Portrait View

Compare available devices and 35mm-, 50mm- and 85mm-equivalent views, then justify the smallest kit that suits a real partner portrait plan.

SLOP1810WEEK 038 March 2027

Before the session#

Bring the device you would realistically carry on a date: a phone, compact or interchangeable-lens camera. Charge it, clear enough storage and bring a spare battery or power bank if you already own one. Do not buy or borrow equipment only to make your kit look more advanced.

Also bring the Week 2 date and shoot plan. Circle the most important photo window and describe the intended result in three words—for example, “casual, bright, environmental” or “soft, clean, romantic”.

In the session#

1. Device experience test#

In small groups, make the same simple portrait with at least two available devices or modes. This may be a phone and camera, phone main camera and portrait mode, or modern phone and older compact. Compare:

• how quickly the device is ready;
• how the subject reacts to it;
• how it handles the current light;
• how much control it gives the photographer; and
• whether the result matches the intended style.

The task is not to declare one device the winner. Identify the situation where each one becomes the sensible choice.

2. Focal-length and distance test#

Make three portraits that approximate full-frame-equivalent 35mm, 50mm and 85mm views. Use suitable lenses where available; otherwise use the optical cameras or focal-length options the device provides. Adjust camera distance to make the subject a similar size in each frame.

Compare how each view changes:

• the amount of environment;
• the apparent relationship between foreground and background;
• the photographer’s distance from the subject;
• ease of conversation and direction; and
• the style of portrait the frame suggests.

Do not use a wide lens very close to the face simply to match a tight crop. The working distance is part of the test.

3. Aperture or separation test#

If the camera allows aperture control, photograph the same frame once near the widest useful aperture and once at a smaller aperture. If it does not, compare the normal camera with portrait mode or change the subject-to-background distance. Decide when blur helps the portrait and when it removes useful place and story.

4. Accessory demonstration#

The teaching team briefly demonstrates a spare battery and storage check, direct flash, a small continuous light and a reflector. Students identify which accessory could solve a real problem in their Week 2 plan and which ones would only add weight.

Afterwards#

Submit a contact sheet containing:

1. the three focal-length views;
2. one device or aperture comparison; and
3. a short kit decision for the Week 2 plan.

Complete the sentence:

I would bring ______ because this plan needs ______; I would leave ______ at home because ______.

The mark is based on the reasoning and the visible comparison, not on owning the most expensive equipment.