desymbol: Photographer Uses Two Lenses To Shoot The Same People Keeping Their Distance, But Pictures Show The Opposite

Everyone knows that reality is subjective. Our perception may change in an instant depending on how much and what exactly we know. But two Danish photographers have taken the idea to a whole new level.

In the times of the current crisis, keeping a safe distance is key. Even if countries are starting to ease restrictions on quarantine, it doesn’t mean it’s over. But how do we know, from the pictures alone, that people are doing what’s right? It turns out, we can’t.

Photographers Ólafur Steinar Gestsson and Philip Davali conducted an experiment for the photo agency Ritzau Scanpix. The Copenhagen-based artists photographed the same people chilling out outside on the same day. Their trick was to use two different perspectives—a wide angle and a telephoto lens. The pictures show a staggering difference in the distance between these people and make us rethink the things we take for granted.

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The wide angle is similar to the way our eyes see. Ólafur Steinar Gestsson explained to a local Danish website: “it takes wider pictures, and as a photographer, you use it when you are close to what you need to photograph.” Similar types of cameras are built into our iPhones.

Meanwhile, the telephoto lens is the long lens used to photograph press meetings, football matches, and any situation where the subject is far away. “It gets closer to what you are photographing, and in a way, it pulls the subject together,” he said.

Wide angle

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Telephoto-lens

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Wide angle

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Telephoto-lens

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Wide angle

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Telephoto-lens

Image credits: EPA / Philip Davali / Olafur Steinar RyE

Ólafur told TV2 that viewers should be aware of the lens and equipment photographers used to take a particular picture. “If there was a description in the caption of how the image was taken, the editor would have the freedom to choose.” According to him, photographers “must always keep in mind how we do our job, especially in times of the corona crisis.”