How lenses control the image.    
  A moderately long lens (such as an 85mm or 105mm lens on a 35mm camera) used at least 6ft from the subject makes a better portrait than a shorter lens used close to the subject. Compare the sizes of nose and chin in the pictures. Photographing a person at too close a lens to subject distance makes features nearest the camera appear too large and gives an unnatural looking dimension to the head.  
         
 

 
 

Long lens-moderate distance

short lens - up close

  
         
         
         
   
  200mm 60mm 18mm  
  The distortion in the face is because the camera is closer to the subject when shot with a wide angle in order to get the same composition. When the camera is away it is at almost the same distance to all the features of the face whereas as the camera is moved closer, the nose is relatively much closer than the ears which makes it appear much larger and the ears much smaller. This is in fact a natural process and the distortion is not caused by the lens itself but due to the reason that it is being used very close to the subject. If you stretch one of your hands out and keep the other one closer to the eye, you will see that the one which is closer appears much larger than the other one. In reality both are of  the same size.  
         
         
         
         
           

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