Wide-Eyed: How iPhones Change the Way We See

In the postwar 1940s–50s, budget-friendly cameras marketed to families almost always came equipped with a 50mm lens. If you don’t believe me, Aunt Suzie or Uncle Bob surely have a Kodak Brownie or Argus C3 tucked away in storage to prove the point. These cameras helped shape photographic history as they opened up picture-making to the masses by means of bakelite and mass production. This “standard” focal length of 50mm was prized because it closely mirrored human sight - neither distorted nor compressed - and it was also cheaper to manufacture. A father photographing his children in the backyard or a mother capturing a family gathering would have seen their lives rendered in a perspective that felt natural and true to the eye.

Today, the mass-produced and most widely used camera in the world - the iPhone - comes equipped with a much wider lens, closer to 24mm. This small technical shift has become the visual default for an entire generation. A family photo is no longer framed through the narrow honesty of a 50mm, but through the sweep of 24mm, which pulls more of the background, enlarges what is near the center, and stretches the edges with distortion.

At first, this may seem like a trivial matter of optics and camera-nerd obsession. But lenses teach us how to see. And the ways we frame our photographs often mirror the way we frame reality itself.

24mm vs 50mm

The difference between a 50mm and a 24mm lens is more than an optical formula. A 50mm lens records the world much as our eyes perceive it: proportions remain natural, subjects are gently separated from their surroundings, and lines stay straight. The 24mm lens, by contrast, opens up a much wider field of view. More of the scene is captured, but the trade-offs are immediate: noses appear bigger, edges stretch unnaturally, and the connection between subject and background is lost. 

A few years ago, a popular “face zoom” trend spread across social media that you might remember. A creator would first film themselves as usual, holding the camera less than an arm’s length away. Then the video would cut to a clip zoomed in to about 50mm, filmed from farther back. The difference was striking. The proportions of the face looked natural, and the nose suddenly seemed much smaller. The trend caught on because it was genuinely shocking to see ourselves at a “correct” focal length, not the selfie we’ve grown accustomed to.

This focal length difference also changes where the photographer stands. To capture a similar composition with a 24mm as with a 50mm, you must move closer. Much closer. The subject fills the frame, while the environment is pushed farther back, skewed toward the periphery. The act of documenting life subtly rearranges our relationship with self, others, and the world around us.

This shift is not just technical but cultural. By shaping the way we capture and share images, it reshapes how we see ourselves, others, and even reality itself.

A comparison of 24mm and 50mm with my trusty model.

Self at the Center

Wide lenses exaggerate whatever is placed in the middle of the frame. A selfie at arm’s length enlarges the subject, making the person loom larger than life while everything else fades away. Over time, this visual habit trains us to think of the self as the natural center: the focal point around which all else is arranged.

There is nothing inherently wrong with placing ourselves in the frame. But when “I” becomes the default subject, it reinforces a deeper cultural pull toward self-importance. What began as a byproduct of optical design has now become the way we imagine life itself.

This temptation is not new, and it has been around much longer than cameras. In Scripture, it is the very heart of pride: the urge to sit at the center of the story. John the Baptist’s words provide a counter: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). If the iPhone teaches us to swell at the center, faith teaches us to step aside, allowing Christ to take his rightful place as the true focus.

Marginalized Edges

Within a wide frame, whatever is close becomes dominant while anything at a slight distance is pushed away, almost disappearing.

This optical effect is an uncomfortable metaphor for our social vision. Those who are near — socially, relationally, or economically — loom large in our lives, while those on the margins fade into invisibility. Technology has not created this bias, but it echoes and reinforces it.

The Gospel, however, re-centers the margins. Jesus repeatedly turned his gaze toward those pushed aside — a blind man silenced by the crowd, a woman at a well, children whom others dismissed. In his vision, the marginalized and overlooked were brought into focus, given dignity and worth, for “theirs is the Kingdom.” This wide-angle distortion can serve as a warning: without intentionality, we too can let the background disappear.

Extended Awareness

Yet the wide lens also carries a gift. Unlike a 50mm lens, which isolates the subject, the 24mm draws more into the frame. A photograph can hold not only the person but also the place - the background, the environment, and the crowd.

This widened perspective can enrich our vision. It reminds us that our stories are never just about us: they are intertwined with community and creation itself. A wide frame calls us to notice the background details, to see not only the face but the setting in which that face belongs.

Faith also calls us to this wide-eyed awareness. To see with God’s eyes is to recognize that life is larger than our immediate circle, that the world is filled with his presence, and that those around us are part of his story. A smartphone lens may capture a scene, but it is Scripture that trains us to truly see.

Conclusion

The iPhone lens both distorts and reveals. It exaggerates the center, diminishes the margins, yet also expands what can be seen. In this way, it mirrors the spiritual challenge of our day: Will we allow our devices to reinforce a self-centered vision, or will we choose to see differently?

The invitation is clear: place Christ at the center, draw those on the edges into focus, and live with wide eyes - attentive to the fullness of creation and every person within it.

-Anthony Moore
(a 24mm shooter)