How does using a longer focal length relative to subject distance affect perspective?

• A. It exaggerates perspective, increasing the sense of depth.
• B. It widens the angle of view making the scene appear larger.
• C. It compresses the scene, making background appear closer to the subject.
• D. It has no effect on perspective.

Answer: (C)

Perspective compression occurs when you use a longer focal length relative to how far the subject is from the camera. A telephoto lens magnifies the scene and narrows the angle of view, so elements at different distances stack more closely in the image. This makes the background appear nearer to the subject and the overall depth feel flatter. In practice, portraits or close-ups shot with a long lens will show a background that looks pulled in toward the subject, rather than receding as it does with a wide-angle lens. If you used a shorter focal length, the scene would exaggerate depth, with the background seeming much farther away.