User Manual

EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400 © Jörg Kyas, Canon Explorer.
People
What is it about people photography that you
like so much?
I think it’s the communication – getting to know
people and getting in close to them. It’s my approach
really; I am often curious about people and I like
getting to know them through taking pictures.
When I was working as an assistant, I was involved
in lots of shoots with bands and the music industry.
That continued when I went solo as a photographer,
and now I also shoot for advertising agencies and
magazines too.
What are your favoured lenses? What approach
do you take for portrait photography?
By far my two favourite lenses are the EF 85mm
f/1.2L II USM and the EF 50mm f/1.2L USM. I’d say
I shoot more 80 per cent of my work on these two.
And when they aren’t quite what I need, I use either
the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM or EF 70-200mm f/2.8L
IS USM. With these four lenses we do everything.
The two fixed focal length lenses are great not
only because of their sharpness, but also because
of their bokeh – the character of the out-of-focus
backgrounds. I like to shoot with a wide-open
aperture. I think it somehow simulates how we
see with our eyes. If I need more front-to-back
sharpness, I can stop down to get more depth
of field.
There is also a creative challenge that comes
with working with lenses that don’t zoom.
That concentrates my mind on the subject I’m
photographing. In a way, when a lens’ focal length
is fixed, there is one less thing to worry about.
Would you recommend that approach to a
less-experienced photographer?
I would, yes. When you are new to photography,
there are lot of things you need to have your mind
on. Shooting with a fixed focal length lens that
doesn’t zoom removes one of the things you have
to think about. Keep things as simple as possible
and concentrate on the picture you are making.
PERFECT PORTRAITS:
JÖRG KYAS
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