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In my studio 99% of all portraits are done at a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres. Why?
In "Western" style societies this is the distance that two strangers set when they are engaged, interested, attentive, respectful, but not invasive of personal space. This gap is so familiar and consistent that facial features, ratio of nose to ears, chin to neck, etc, just look "right".
Once the distance is known framing is organised by choosing the appropriate focal length; long focus for tight face portraits, wide angle for half-figure, and so on.
Photography, the word itself, invented and defined by its author Sir John.F.W.Herschel, 14 March 1839 at the Royal Society, Somerset House, London. Quote "...Photography or the application of the Chemical rays of light to the purpose of pictorial representation,..". unquote.
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 Originally Posted by RalphLambrecht
'If your pictures are not good enough, you're not close enough.'
Rober Capa
I believe that was related to war photography, if I am not mistaken.
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Usually the width of the road between my house and the hot next door neighbour's bedoom window ... Wait, should I be saying this here?  
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Originally Posted by RalphLambrecht
'If your pictures are not good enough, you're not close enough.'
Rober Capa
I have seen variations of that in almost any basic book on composition. One of the most common composition mistakes is to not isolate the subject from distractions.
Warning!! Handling a Hasselblad can be harmful to your financial well being!
Nothing beats a great piece of glass!
I leave the digital work for the urologists and proctologists.
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My studio (spare room) is 15' x 15' and luckily ceilings just as high. If I stand off the model from the background, I usually have 5-7 feet, or closer.
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Originally Posted by photoworks68
I believe that was related to war photography, if I am not mistaken.
Yes. The guys who got too close aren't able to warn us.
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Originally Posted by Maris
In my studio 99% of all portraits are done at a distance of 1.5 to 2 metres. Why?
In "Western" style societies this is the distance that two strangers set when they are engaged, interested, attentive, respectful, but not invasive of personal space. This gap is so familiar and consistent that facial features, ratio of nose to ears, chin to neck, etc, just look "right".
Once the distance is known framing is organised by choosing the appropriate focal length; long focus for tight face portraits, wide angle for half-figure, and so on.
I like this theory. I'm going to bring this in practice to see if you're right or not.
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At least with LF landscape, a bad day of photography can be a good day of exercise.
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I try to stay at least 25 feet away from my subjects, in case they derail and jump the tracks. My subjects are usually trains.
Kent in SD
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Originally Posted by artonpaper
Thinking back on some of Avedon's pictures, I feel that wasn't always the case. Some are obviously in the 5 - 7 ft range. I don't have an example on hand at the moment, when I get to one, I'll give an example, see if anyone agrees.
Yes, Avedon frequently photographed with a Rolleiflex on a tripod, set up quite close to the subject. Prefocused, almost pre-framed. Avedon could speak with the subject, elicit responses, etc. even as he shot (with a cable release) and advanced the film without the subject being fully aware that the photo had been taken. You can see this, IIRC, on the American Masters show re: Avedon. (I'll confess that I can't quite figure out if he was using a Tele-Rolleiflex, or at times a regular Rollei with a close-up set. I'd tend to think the former is more likely.)
Here are examples:
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