Today I am sharing a set of photos captured during blue hour. For this portrait photography session, I am using the Sony A7RIV with the GM 85mm f1.4 lens.
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85mm
The Nikon Z8 is a 46 megapixel full frame camera, featuring a fully electronic shutter. During this portrait photoshoot with the Z8, I am using 2 lenses. The Nikkor Z 35mm f1.8 S and Nikkor Z 85mm f1.2 S. Watch my behind the scenes video to see the SOOC unedited photo at 100% crop. The photos in this blog post are my final, edited version of the images from the Nikon Z8.
Should you use a Mist filter for your portrait photography? During this portrait photoshoot, I take side by side photos using a Pro-Mist Filter vs not using a filter. I organised this portrait session with Wiktoria while I was travelling through Poznan, Poland in the summer.
Unlike our first day in Prague, on day 2 Dan and I managed to wake up at sunrise. Since we are here in the middle of summer, it gets extremely busy during the day. In order to be able to capture photos of the city, we need to get up as early as possible! The bonus side to having quiet streets is early in the morning, you also have beautiful soft light to work with as well.
After a busy first day exploring Prague under the summer sun, Dan and I took some time to relax and do some shopping. We ended up at FotoSkoda to take a look at the film cameras and I also bought a cross body camera strap in green. Having a camera strap around my neck is too uncomfortable during long days shooting! It's been a long 4 years since I've travelled anywhere so I'm learning all over again along the way.
The Samyang 85mm f1.4 AF mkII is a full frame lens for Sony E-Mount. For this review, I am using the Samyang 85mm f1.4 II on the Sony A7IV for photography and the Sony A7sIII for video. In this review, we are checking out how the Samyang 85mm f1.4 mark 2 performs in a real-world setting at a portrait photoshoot. This Samyang 85mm f1.4 II is a moderately priced lens with a fantastic balance between sharp image quality and character.
The Samyang AF 85mm f1.4 FE is an auto-focus telephoto prime lens that I am using on the full frame Sony A7iii. This 85mm is a budget-friendly counter option to the Sony GM 85mm f1.4.
The GM 85mm f1.4 is an FE mount prime lens for Sony cameras. I am using this lens for portrait photography on the Sony A7iii.
The 85mm, 100mm and 135mm are all popular prime lens choices when it comes to portrait photography. We are going to be putting each lens to the test during a portrait session to see the differences.
In today’s behind the scenes video we are comparing the 85mm and 135mm focal lengths for portrait photography with a number of different portrait compositions and locations to see the pros and cons of each lens for portraits.
I have a whole series comparing prime lenses and focal lengths, you can check them all out here:
24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135mm on a full frame camera
24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135 on a crop frame camera
Please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already, I upload new photography videos every single week!
Gear used:
model karina
makeup lidija j
video dan @ i make films
All photos edited with my L.A. Lightroom Preset!
All photos edited with my L.A. Lightroom Preset!
In today’s photoshoot we are comparing the 50mm vs 85mm for portrait photography. Below are the photos I took on each of the lenses to test out a few factors that are important when photographing portraits such as the compression when it comes to full body, mid body and close up shots, any distortion in extreme closeups, lens flares, CA with backlighting and harsh sunlight.
Lenses
Body
Canon 5D mkiv for both lenses
model madeline
makeup lidija j
I have a whole series comparing prime lenses and focal lengths, you can check them all out here:
24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135mm on a full frame camera
24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135 on a crop frame camera
This blog was put together with Narrative. I love using Narrative as part of my photoshoot culling process to see which images from a shoot I should edit and I also use it to easily & quickly be able to put together these blog posts with different layouts of images side by side. I’m really excited to say I’ve teamed up with Narrative and have a 15% discount code for you guys using the code julia15 or just clicking this link! You can download a free trial to test it out for 7 days too :) And the gear links listed above are affiliate links, so they help me out as a creator and don’t cost you anything extra
Watch the video below to see the behind the scenes from our photoshoot as well as hearing my thoughts on both these lenses! Please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already, I upload a new video every single Wednesday.
All photos edited with my San Francisco Lightroom Preset!
All photos edited with my San Francisco Lightroom Preset!
The 24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135mm are common prime lenses for portrait photographers. During this photoshoot, we are comparing ALL my prime lenses side by side. I am using the Canon 5D mkiv, a full frame camera body for this test. The exact lenses we have include:
on the Canon 5D mark iv
If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure on what should be your next prime lens, then this comparison of all my prime lenses is just for you! I will be taking photos with each lens: 24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135mm in a few different scenarios.
The first comparison will be with the model and I standing in one spot. You will be able to see the difference each focal length makes when it comes to background compression, bokeh, distortion and how it changes the look of someone's face and body.
During the next comparisons, I will be moving around to frame each focal length to look as similar as possible. First we will shoot a landscape, mid length portrait with each lens. Finally, we have a closeup headshot focal length comparison. Here, the difference in background compression is extremely noticeable. Not only that, but it's interesting to see how each focal length changes the shape of someone's face!
Focal length choice with prime lenses can either be a stylistic or technical choice. An 85mm is classified as the perfect portrait lens, as it's flattering for closeup portraits and has great background to foreground separation. I personally like to use a more “unconventional” lens for my portraits - a 35mm. I love the distortion it creates and how you can see more of the location that we’re shooting in. In this case, using a 35mm for portrait photography is a stylistic choice.
If you were to choose a prime lens for a technical reason there are 2 (among many other) simple reasons you could choose one lens over the other. I used to work as a retoucher and photographer at a headshot studio. I learnt from the photographer who owns the studio that people have different face shapes and features - well, duh! But depending on their features, can be a reason to choose a particular focal length.
For example, if someone has a wider face, I would opt for taking portraits on a wider angle prime lens like a 50mm. I personally have a wider face and always find I prefer portraits of myself taken on a 35mm or 50mm rather than an 85mm. If someone has a smaller face with features closer together, I would choose to use a telephoto prime such as the 85 or 135. Having a longer lens compresses the photo and flattens out a face more in a photo.
Another easy reason to choose a focal length is your location. If you have an amazing location you want to incorporate into your photo, then a wide lens like the 35mm could be a good choice. If you are in a busy location, then a lens with more compression such as the 135mm could come in more handy. A telephoto lens will throw the background out of focus and help your subject stand out in your portrait.
Watch the video below to hear my thoughts on each of these focal lengths! I share each of the comparisons side by side throughout the video to help you decide which prime lens is right for you.
I also have a more detailed series of photos + videos where I compare only 2 focal lengths together so you can see even more examples with different portrait and location combinations. You can see those all here:
24mm vs 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm vs 135mm on a crop frame camera
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel, I upload a new video every week.
All photos are edited with my Aspen Lightroom Preset!
To make it easier to compare what each focal length looks like, please select which 2 lenses you want to compare below.
Photographer + model standing in one spot:
Full body with photographer moving around to fill the frame:
Mid length portrait with photographer moving around to fill the frame:
Close up portrait with photographer moving around to fill the frame:
Let me know what you think of the lenses in the comments of the video, would love to know which ones you guys prefer, what you like to use the most, etc!
All photos edited with my Aspen Lightroom Preset to give the photos a natural look so they are easier to compare when they are all colour graded the same.
if you enjoyed this video, I have also compared all my prime lenses on a crop frame camera!
The Sigma 85mm f1.4 ART lens is a budget-friendly, third party alternative to Canon's discontinued Canon 85mm f1.2L II lens. During this portrait photoshoot, I am using both lenses on the full frame Canon 5D mkiv camera body. The photos in this blog post are edited and mixed up between both lenses - let me know if you can guess which one is which!
model chloe @ vivien's
makeup lidija j
video dan @ i make films
photographer julia trotti
Watch the behind the scenes which includes what camera equipment & camera settings I used for this photoshoot:
Please subscribe to my channel! I release 2 new videos each week of more behind the scenes fashion shoots, lightroom tutorials, photoshop tutorials and more!
All photos edited with my Disposable Film Lightroom Preset













