Josh heads out with a canon 6d and 85mm lens to attempt some street photography Order issue 05 of FRAMELINES magazine Http://frame-lines.com #streetphotography
I use 85 almost exclusively for street. It really came about about for a couple reasons. I live in a very quiet city so there aren’t many people out interacting with each other or the space. So an 85 let’s me shoot tight and keep a distance because it’s hard to get close to people when there’s nothing happening around them and it’s just you and them. It also allows me to layer shots, and use reflections to add interest to frames. Also the 85 is great for abstract shots
Using an 85 is best to capture the full body of a person where the background and edged become tastefully blurred. It's pretty easy to use in street photography because you already know roughly what distance to stand away from the person intuitively from shooting portraits
This sums up to me why we love you so much. Where other RU-vidrs use the 85mm lens as a tool to be deliberately antagonistic in order to gain extra comments (whilst simultaneously making photographers doubt their own personal vision of the street) you have openly encouraged people to try new things whilst helping to vindicate people's personal choices. Obviously having your own preference is fine but so called gatekeepers of the genre do hold others back in my opinion. In short, you're great haha.
Great video, really enjoyed your images. Having just bought a Lumix S 50mm myself on an aps-c sensor I’ve enjoyed the single subject focus of the images but find the shallow depth of field on most apertures when close tricky when you want something discernible in the background
Yes I agree, once you get within a certain distance it gets way too shallow for me! Find it very hard to get used to when switching from a wider angle lens
I've only really just started my photography journey with 24 & 35mm, but recently picked up an 85 and really enjoying it for street. Great shots though man, always look forward to these uploads!
First off, I need to say you've been such an inspiration to me that you are (partially) responsible for my buying both the GX85 (GX80) AND the Canon 6D (there are others preaching the love for the 6D like Martin Castein) - and I've loved your work in the past - especially the series in the Tube (subway?). But as I watched you take these shots, I felt the frustration I've felt here in NYC at big events - so many of your shots were hurt by either something blurry in the foreground, or too many people milling about. I got the sense (which may be totally wrong since it's a distillation of an entire day) that you didn't really work a scene - there was just so much going on that it was hard to sit and let something happen. The unicyclist was such a great opportunity, and you got some nice shots, but even with the background blurred there were so many bright colors (at 8:22 the red t-shirt on the right pulls our eyes right off the subject) that it becomes distracting. It's great that you show your process, but I would have loved to see some of these edited with the distracting elements cropped out. In terms of using the 85mm for street, Monaris (who I discovered thanks to you guys - yet again!) at least for her best known early works, she only used that focal length on her Sonys. I think she's moved onto other focal lengths but she did amazing work with her 85. I hope this doesn't come off as too snippy and judgmental - I love what you do and am just giving you some feedback. Feel free to ignore!
So this is essentially 6 hours distilled into 8 minutes, it’s interesting you pick up on the unicyclist in particular as I saw him with his unicycle leaned up against the fence and he kept gearing up to do something then stopping, I probably stood waiting for him to take it for a spin for about 20 minutes and then when he did and no one really batted an eyelid I was a bit disappointed , I also thought it was a bit let down by his plain outfit and the general lack of colour or interest in the scene…I’ve said it before re days out with a camera, it’s going to be mostly bad photos but I think it’s all cumulative practice towards getting something good. Also thanks for watching that far into the video 😅
@@frame-lines I will always watch to the end…I learn so much from you guys…and it’s great that you’re willing to share the frustrations as well as those rare moments when it all comes together. If you’ve ever seen Winogrand’s contact sheets, you know that he had plenty of “almost“ shots…and every lousy shot I take makes me a better photographer…or so I tell myself!
I use a variety of lenses, to include an 85 mm manual focus 1.8 lens that I picked up fairly recently. I generally focus in on specific pieces of a subject. I usually shoot old cars and churches and other items that would look good in black and white or color format. That way I can play around a bit with the contrasts, colors, etc. Since I am not a professional but instead just like to play with the camera and have fun doing something other than grading papers, the 85 just gives me one more way to play.
Used the 85mm for quite a few years. Definitely inspired to use it again after this. Love the compression and its up there with one of the best focal lengths. Recently I'm really enjoying the wider lenses but definitely going to have a go with the 85mm again soon. Love it.
These videos are very interesting to watch …for we as viewers get to see the general scene and in most cases time to see what shot/composition we might try…before we see what you actually went for which often is surprising and interesting. I use theMicro four thirds system ( olympus) and have experimented sometimes with a small entry level PL9 camera with a 40mm (80mm equiv) and looking back …actually got some of my best shots. Many thanks….. Latest Framelines magazine is definitely the best yet by the way!
Counterintuitively I think telephoto lenses work well in busy & crowded situations. It makes it easier to pick a subject or compose a frame as you have more control. Love the consistency of colour that you get Josh.
I do agree, at the coronation on Saturday I took two cameras, one with a 40mm and one with then85 and found myself reaching for the 85 the most to cut through all the hectic visual busyness…
I just think you've got a knack for this thing Josh. Just go with it without overthinking it. It's fun to talk about, I know, but we're all individuals as Brian said on `Life of Brian.'
First nice video, I’d like to visit London one day before I get too damn old to go.. 85 I’ve been using very long probably one of my go-to staples. So it limits your clutter, less information in the frame, sometimes I just don’t want so much distraction in the frame. When I go to the local parks it’s always 85, but in the city I would probably use 35, or even 20. Cheers!
I bought 85mm for portraits and car photography cause research told me that’s what it was for, and then I just started shooting whatever I could with it and loved that it looked so different than what I was used to (wider stuff with a phone). Around that time, the pandemic had made it so being close to people wasn’t really an option. The reach on 85mm worked. It’s still my fav lens to use as long as I have the room for it.
awesome video and pov..god save the king and congrats on the new king...i am also from a common wealth country...85 is awesome esp for isolattion,,,love these shots.. btw what aperature u shot these at,,,i also enjoy your colours...
I very much like your content. 👌 Never tried 85 for street, it delivers a bit too less context for my liking. I've always been a 50mm guy, but recently fell in love with 28 and 24mm.
Another great video. I like to go out with an 85mm and get some Street portraits and then keep it on to get general Street shots. It is a challenging focal length to use fir Street but that makes it all the more interesting!
I love the 85 for layering my images while being much further back from subjects. I can still get multiple people/elements in I’m just standing further back than my 35.
Yes for my first shot in this video I tried that and it’s probably the one I’m most happy with tbh - a more interesting way to use it vs blowing out the background potentially
Really struggle to use anything above a 40mm but you managed to get some lovely shots here. Seems great for isolating subjects when there’s a lot going on. By the way what metering mode do you use on the 6D? I bought one but have been blowing out the highlights on a lot of my shots. I like to use manual with auto iso but the 6D doesn’t allow for exposure compensation in this mode (I believe?) so have been shooting on aperture priority and compensating down by a stop but it’s metering is inconsistent. Any tips?
Light a candle. Make a wish. Nice!😊 Vid conveys good sense of crowd build up and restrained enthusiasm. Image numbers a plus; much appreciated. Favs are 8 (flag hat) and 25 (flag in hat) - saw that one coming. Narrower field of view for 85mm, IMO, helps to isolate subjects, especially when in crowded venues as illustrated in vid, and when you can’t get up close as in wide angle lenses. Cheers!
Like Kylie, that was short and sweet. I don't mind the 85mm. Obviously you can't get the big picture but you did get some cracking detail shots that summed up the Royalist fervour.
this is so fascinating... i am currently using a 35mm because i have used "too much" 85mm for street. I think 85 is actually my way of seeing thing. I "think" in 85mm, or maybe even 135, but i like the immersion of wider angles (i wish i was brave enough to get close to people and shoot at 24-28 but i'm not there yet). Therefore i moved to 35mm to see something different than my "normal" way of looking at things. 85mm for me is the reign of minimal, simple and isolated. The telephoto "squeezes" the planes, therefore,, in my idea, too many things in the frames make the pic flat. The opposite happens with wide lenses.
Hey Josh another really interesting video thanks. I’ve got the same lens and I love it. But I don’t shoot street… However for my kind of stuff I tend to shoot about f2, quite close, and blur the hell out of foreground elements so they become smudges of colour. I like the effect. I also really struggle to make any photos in landscape at a focal length > 40mm. That said I could visualise the couple looking at the lake (frame 26) in landscape but that’s about it. I’d have pretty much taken everything in portrait too.
Those files have to be quite edited? Never seen 6d photos with that vivid and punchy colors! The 6d is pretty similar to the 5d classic with those creamy colors and are much more “film like” the way a photo should look imo.
Obviously it is great for portraits but I loved it as “across the street” lens. You can get across the road and create interesting composition from afar
For me 85mm and a crop sensor camera excels at posed street portraits, a sub-genre of street photography. Apart from that I have rarely seen a 85mm street photo that has really captured my attention. Go out on a '50 strangers in a day' project (posed not candid) with your 85mm wide open and most of the photos will be keepers.
I made it to the end and really enjoyed this. I haven’t done much street photography… but now I want to. I like the 85mm perspective… shallow DOF and single subject. I can see how you may need to go to 50mm if you want to get two people in the frame as subject. The color and depth here was awesome. I’m just curious if you were wearing a GoPro to film the video.
Light a candle, make a wish, better than the usual like, subscribe, leave a comment, comment! I haven't used 85mm for a few years, I liked it, but only really for night photography in London for some reason. It was great to watch through, I couldn't get up there for the coronation (or the Matt Stuart talk tomorrow 😔), but it was really interesting to see the public and what they were wearing.
I shot a lot with a 50mm on Fuji, so not really 85mm but close enough. I find it really easy to get nice photos in comparison to a 35mm because the photos feel more simplistic. i feel like there are always a lot of distraction in a wide angle shot. also i kinda naturally frame 85mm shots in my head better than wider frames
Used to love 135mm but since I changed to Sony, I got the 90mm Macro FF lens and found it much better as it is a great portrait lens and lighter then a 135mm. Enjoyed this video very much thanks.
I've not used an 85mm before but i can't imagine I'd get along with it too much. I prefer to get more in a frame and capture scense over single subjects. However, there's a lot of work I enjoy out there that's been made with a longer lens. Saul Leiter for example!
Yes exactly - it can be used so well , I think it’s actually a harder lens to get good shots with than people think , case in point being my mediocre shots in this video 😅 Thanks for watching Alex ❤️
The 60D is a crop sensor so irl he's getting a 136mm full frame equivalent. He would need a lens with a focal length of 53mm on his c60D if he really wanted a true 85mm full frame view.
I really like your videos, yet one thing puzzles me with this: Why do you insist on shooting with your camera in portrait mode rather than landscape? In general, I believe we orientate ourselves in landscape and especially so when hitting the streets and parks and all..Some of the shots definitiely deserve to be shot in portrait mode though and gain from it. I think that 85 or 90 mm could be the cautious street photographer's choice of lens, as you can distance yourself somewhat from the subject while intensifying the experience. When it comes to depth of field though, we get into trouble with the more spontaneous shots - even at F8
I find it very difficult shooting Street with more than 50mm. I do use a longer lense for parades - a 76mm equivalent (Fujinon 50mm F2) - but for normal Street I end up being to close to the subject 😂 More than 50mm will be a crappy picture. But brave of you using the 85mm. I like all the different hats shots👍🤩
For while, my only lens was a Yahsica 50mm f1.2 that I adapted to my Fuji body. That worked out to about an 85mm equivalent and it was all I knew for a long time. I would use foreground elements, implied framing, and tight shots on the subject. I would step back a few feet if I needed/wanted more of the scene in frame. This was a grat video showing that is no one focal length that is "best" for street photogpraphy. The approach should be the same as it is for the camera body one uses, which is that of the lens being as much of a tool as the body. No one tool is wrong, just different.
I am between 35mm to 42mm for street photography so 85mm is way too long for me, I was never tempted to try it, I usually space around the subject, 85mm would not give me that
Yes I felt the same for a while but have been enjoying it - recently I’ve been out with two cameras, one with a 40mm and one with an 85mm , it’s been quite liberating
I love my 85mm 1.8 for street photography when the people are more interesting than the location. I slow down and wait longer in one place for an interesting person or people to ‘walk into’ my frame. I also shoot at a higher frame rate to capture people in motion. With my 24mm - 35mm I move through the streets faster. The 85mm takes more patience.
85mm wouldn't be my first choice for street, but I think you utilized it quite well. It certainly let you feature subjects without isolating them. Prime examples were the unicyclist and the couple holding their Frenchie. 28/50/85mm primes were in my bag for years for a reason! Interesting you can't compose horizontally. Just thankful this video isn't vertical...😂
I live in the 35-50mm focal length zone for my street photography. Occasionally I will pull out the Fuji 56mm lens. I shoot in color and make believe I’m Saul Leiter. A pleasant delusion. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)
People have all these rules like you can’t use a long lens for street or whatever and they treat them like rules to be obeyed without thinking about the source of the rules. Truth is 85 is often harder to make work on the street and so the rule was probably just an observation or preference early on but then people who like absolutes and don’t like experimenting turned it into a “rule” which they perceive you as somehow ignorant or stupid for not obeying. If you can make the longer lenses work for street then use them. You just might find it harder or have to explore a very different type of street photography.
Dare I say, the photos looked like you weren't comfortable using an 85mm..? I've never shot street with an 85mm, so you've prompted me to give it a go. And it worked out for Saul Leiter...