Distance perception in photographic displays of natural settings

Distance perception of depicted objects was examined as a function of photographic perspective. 24 subjects viewed slides of outdoor scenes and directly estimated the distances to specified objects. Perspective was manipulated by photographing each scene with lenses of four different focal lengths: 48 mm, 28 mm, 24 mm, and 17 mm. Distance perception along the pictorial depth plane (z-axis) was systematically transformed by changing the photographic perspective: the shorter the focal length of the camera lens, the greater the perceived distance. Perceived distance between objects along the lateral plane (x-axis) was unaffected by changes in lens focal length.