.Extreme camera angles aren't the only cause of subject distortion. You can also warp features if you use a wide-angle lens (short focal length) and position the camera too close to the subject. The image cam be doubly awful because standing so close can exceed the camera's minimum focusing distance, leaving the subject distorted and blurry. Stepping back from the subject fixes both problems.

Even when you're within the camera's minimum focusing distance, you still may be too close to get a distortion-free image with a wide-angle lens. Even when you can achieve proper focus, however, you may still be in the distortion zone.

To get a better result, shown above, have the subject pose in a spot that would provide a more pleasing backdrop. The photographer stood about eight or nine feet away and zoomed in to the camera's maximum focal length, which is about three times that used for the previous image.

TIP: If you want to fill the frame with your subject's head and shoulders, use a focal length equivalent to about 135mm on a 35mm film camera and shoot at a distance of about seven feet to avoid distortion. You need to check your manual to determine how your camera's focal-length range compares to the 35mm film-camera standard.

If your camera offers only a fixed focal length, you simply have to keep moving back from your subject until you reach the distortion-free position. Of course, when you do so, you get more background in the picture. If you shoot at a high enough image resolution, you can always crop away the excess background and enlarge the remaining image in your photo editor.