Prime Lens Portraits: 35mm, 55mm and 85mm Portraits with Ashely

Ashley Against wall 35mm portrait

If you’re curious about prime lens portraits, then this photoshoot may be for you. I had the opportunity to do a small portrait shoot with local model Ashley.

If you started out like me, then maybe you’re looking to purchase and invest in more gear. I know I started with a single camera and lens combination, but I was able to grow this collection as my skills progressed. I was constantly looking for samples of prime lens portraits to see which one I wanted the most.

Fast forward 2 years and my collection has grown. I brought along my 35mm, 55mm and 85mm for this shoot and I wanted to share the results of each lens with you.

Introduction to Model

Ashley standing pose 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/500sec

Ashley is a local interior designer in the Dallas, TX area. She has been modeling on the side and building her portfolio along the way.

I put together a small model call and she reached out because she was interested in the concept. I kept the shoot small and brought minimal gear along with me. I’m glad Ashley reached out, because I was able to get some great shots of her.

Photoshoot location

The location for the shoot was a small photography studio in the heart of Plano, TX. Just north of Dallas. The studio features 6 large windows, each frosted to give a light glow into the room.

The studio was surrounded by natural wood floors and an old reddish brick that lined most of the walls. It also features some small furniture that I utilized during the session.

Photography Gear

For this shoot, I have 2 cameras. The Sony a7 mirrorless camera and the Sony a7ii. I normally use one of the cameras as a backup but for this shoot I used both during the session so I can shoot with different lenses.

I also had 3 prime lenses that I used for this shoot.

Each lens has a unique look and characteristic so I wanted to use all three to get a variety of looks during the session.

No off-camera flash or reflectors were used for this shoot. I used only the natural ambient light coming into the studio.

Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens

Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens

Sony 85mm f1.4 GMaster Lens

Now that we’ve gone over the details, let’s check out the final edits from this session.

35mm Prime Lens Portraits

Ashley on chair 35mm portraits
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/500sec
Ashley window gazing pose 35mm portraits
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 160 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley having fun 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/500sec
Ashley near window 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 160 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley looking down 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 160 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley Against wall 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/500sec
Ashley in white body suit close up 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley in white on couch wide shot 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley in white body suit on couch 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/1,250sec
Ashley in white closed eyes 35mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens | @f1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/1,250sec

55mm Prime Lens Portraits

Ashley in purple sweater 55mm portrait standing pose
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens | @1.8 | ISO 100 | 1/1,600 sec
Ashley in purple sweater 55mm portrait near window
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens | @1.8 | ISO 100 | 1/1,600 sec
Ashley in purple sweater 55mm portrait on chair
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens | @1.8 | ISO 100 | 1/1,600 sec
Ashley in purple sweater 55mm portrait close up details
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens | @1.8 | ISO 100 | 1/1,600 sec
Ashley in purple sweater 55mm portrait
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens | @1.8 | ISO 100 | 1/1,600 sec

85mm Prime Lens Portraits

Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait looking sideways
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec
Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait closeup
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec
Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait closed eyes
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec
Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait facing forward
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec
Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait smiling
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec
Ashley in white sweater 85mm portrait looking left
Shot on Sony a7ii | Sony 85mm f1.4 GM Lens | @1.4 | ISO 100 | 1/800 sec

Photo Editing

All final photos were culled using my iMac and final photos were edited using Photoshop. If you’re interested in learning more about my editing process make sure to check out the article below.

What did I learn from this shoot

I really learned to slow down for this shoot. Normally I approach all portrait shoots with only one camera and one lens. I spend more time moving around and shooting fast.

For this session, I knew I was using different prime lens focal lengths so I wanted to really play to the strength of each lens.

I composed my shots and made sure to check and double check all my settings multiple times. Keeping the aperture wide open the whole time was a beginner mistake.

I kept the aperture wide open and new touched it again, but I wish I had stopped down to f2.8 or even f4.0 to get more in focus.

Which lens did I prefer

Switching lenses is never ideal when you are in a hurry, but if you have the time, you can get some great results from the diversity of each lens.

Of the three prime lenses I used for this shoot, I will say that the 35mm was my favorite for this particular session. I was able to get full body shots and wider shots due to the wider focal range.

I wanted to keep some of the background in the shot to help sell the casual nature of the shoot. Each lens performed great but overall I like the outcome of the Sony 35mm lens.

Conclusion

The shoot was a success. I got some amazing shots of Ashley and I know she loved the results. Once all editing was completed, I sent her a Dropbox link for her to download the final files.

Gear Mentioned In This Article

Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens

Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss Lens

Sony 85mm f1.4 GMaster Lens

Sony a7ii Mirrorless Camera

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