Standing near a wall or tree can force the camera to move closer.
For the PC version you can pan the camera around freely when paused (hold the middle mouse button down), or use the mouse to zoom in or out during play (with the angle linked to the distance).
On the Xbox you can move the camera round pretty much any time with the right stick, but the only distance choice is standard or (by holding the left trigger down) an almost over the shoulder view. With the left trigger down, though, moving the right stick rotates your character, so you can not move the camera in front of the character.
