Street photography with an 85mm, on a crop body, (125mm ish on full frame) is not a common thing to do but i wanted to give it a try anyway and see what the results could be ! Typically street photos are taken with much wider lenses such as a 35mm, this way you include the person and the environment around them, making an interesting photograph where you know what is happening and maybe have a few questions. The photos below were all taken on much wider lenses, for a comparison to yesterdays photos.
Yesterday i decided to go to Lincoln for a day of photography, i got up earlier than id like on a Saturday so thought id make an early start, after shuffling all the cars and a mini digger around in the garden to get my car out, i discovered it had a leak and the inside was like a swimming pool, and the dash had all sorts of warning lights on, so i then had to put that car away and get my other car out, swap the insurance over before i could finally get going. After a stressful start i wasn’t much looking forward to the day, once one thing goes wrong everything usually follows suit for the rest of the day. I arrived, parked up and get my camera gear out, i decided from the off to use the 85mm only for the day, i might get some really crap photos but it was a challenge, id been to Lincoln a lot of times and if they were bad i could always come back with my 35mm. I headed straight up to the Cathedral up some steep steps and through an old arch way id never seen before but been told about by the mother, so i thought id at least give it a look, it was quite nice but would be much nicer at night if the old street lights work! I took a couple of photos before moving on so i wasn’t in the way of a couple getting a wedding shoot done down there !
If you carry on up the hill you get to the back of the Cathedral where the real street photography can begin, i was busy with market stalls and lots and lots of people. With the 85mm i have to stand much further back to get a full person in the photo, making it much less intimidating if people see you, but on the down side, when you are taking a photo of somebody the lens is pointing directly at them and there is no mistaking what im doing, as with a wider one i can point slightly to the side and still get them in the edge 1/3 and they’re not sure they were in the photo. Most people don’t care even when they notice, i even had one guy pose for me, hand on hip and everything! I stood and watched the people go by for a few minutes, deciding what to capture, were they any interestingly dressed people or interactions. The only thing i noticed in this small area was two women with signs saying “free hugs”, most people were ignoring them, or going to lengths to avoid them, but the odd person decided to stop for a hug. I wanted to capture some photos of this, and with the 85 i was far enough back they didn’t know i was watching and waiting for a hug to happen or a person avoiding them. I managed to get a few photos i like, visually they are nice, but they also make you think. I particularity like the second one, with one looking so happy and hopeful for a hug and the other woman avoiding eye contact and not looking happy about it at all.
After this i moved into the castle grounds, looking for simple compositions, but unfortunately the light was flat so i wouldn’t be able to find nice contrasty light and work from there. I have been in the castle grounds many times but never come away with a good photo so not sure why i thought today would be any different, but i decided to go on the castle walls. You have to pay £8 to enter but it could be worth it for some good photos, but before i even got up i changed my lens back to my 17-50, i didn’t want to miss some of the wider shots i could get, not of people but of the castle and Lincoln its self, Street photography on the 85 will continue after! I will share a few photos form the wall in case you haven’t been, its well worth going! Some of these were actually taken on the 85mm as i did a few laps of the wall !
I finally left and headed down steep hill to get into some real street photography, the light was still flat and it was busy so getting a nice simple shot was going to be hard, but the shallow depth of field might help, but i would lose the environmental part of the photo, but i was going to see what i could do and look at the results later on. The first thing i noticed when leaving was a street performer playing a type of drum, from where i walked up i could only see his hands, and thought with the 85 i can capture details like this perfectly, without including the while person you still know what is happening. From the same exact spot i tried another detail shot, of an old mans hat who was having a rest on the other side of the hedge, id have liked the hat to be more interesting or Lincoln related but still a good display of what you can capture with the lens. I also photographed a woman on her phone waiting for somebody, not the most interesting but shows the distance from the lens to get a whole person. As i headed down the hill i did get a photo i like, i saw a man handing free cheese samples out, an alaready interesting interaction to try photograph, then when somebody moved i saw his sign “award winning cheese”. I got lower, and get the sign in focus, and waited for the man to cut some cheese and get him out of focus in the background interacting with customers.
I carried on down the hill into the much busier shopping area, keeping back but having a line of site was getting harder, the light was still flat, i wasn’t expecting many good photos from down here but was going to give it a try anyway, changing lens would be cheating. I stood and watched again for a few minutes, where was less busy, where were people sitting, were there any reflections, any street performers. Nothing very interesting was happening and i was getting very hungry at this point so probably wasn’t concentrating as much as i should. I headed back to my car and captured the shots below on the way.
My thoughts on street photography with the 85mm on a crop body.
Weird, its very weird, not being close to the subject is a strange feeling. It does feel much less intimidating unless you get caught, then it feels like you’re spying on them like a creep, but people still don’t mind. I like the subject separation and the depth of field, even though you lose some of the environment and what is happening around them, sometimes it doesn’t need it to capture a story. The lens is noticeable to people, its not a discrete little camera and lens combo, but it is still a light lens and carrying it around all day isn’t a problem. I like the longer reach and compression of background that this gives you, give your street subjects an almost portrait feel. Im not sure if i prefer it to the 35mm or not, its just different. If you are going somewhere for the first time or have limited time, use a 35mm, if you have been before or live local, try a longer lens, you might be pleased with the results! I will 100% be using this lens again for some street photography! On a side note, i stopped off at Woodside Wildlife Park on the way home and this lens does a very good job of blowing out fences completely, great for zoo photography. I will be sharing some of the photos i got from there of the animals on my Instagram soon!
Do you prefer my 35mm shots at the top or the following 85mm shots ? Leave a comment below, and which is your favorite photo !