Rules are made for breaking

Wide angle setting on a Canon S90 on fully automatic. No room to get back.

 Never shoot a portrait with a wide angle lens. It's a rule. Use something between 85mm and 135mm. I like 105mm, myself.

Yet, if the space is tight and the portrait is begging to be shot, forget the wide angle rule.

My granddaughter loved the blue Jelly Dog the moment she saw it in the store. Her dad made the mistake of letting her hold the stuffed animal "temporarily." Giving up that blue doggie was tough but Fiona did it. But her dad couldn't give up the stuffed dog as easily. He carried the memory of his daughter's delight and subsequent disappointment for days --- until he returned to the store and bought Blue.

I saw Fiona clutching Blue tightly to her cheek while sitting in her backward facing car seat. The 85mm was out; No room. The 28mm was in and so was the picture. So she's a little distorted, I can live with that.

The lesson: always take the picture. Always. If it doesn't work out, so what. But if it does . . . Eureka!