Street photography with an 85mm lens

Reading books and various discourses online, it's pretty clear that there's a lot of disagreement about the best type of focal length for street photography. Some say you need a wide-angle lens, some say you need a prime lens, some say you'll need to have a lot of separation, and others might say you need to have a minimum of f/8 so that you can have everything in clear focus.

I think most people are well-intentioned, and certainly the more open-minded ones are willing to say, "Just shoot with the camera and lens that you like, and enjoy the images you take."

I typically enjoy shooting street photography with lenses that go from around 35mm and up, and recently I've been interested in taking my Sony 85mm f/1.8 out onto the streets and seeing what images I can get from it.

Fair warning: this blog post is less of a "review" of the lens and more about my experience with the focal length in this medium.

As someone who lives in a culture different than the one I was born in, I prefer to stand a bit back and observe what's going on from a distance. Some might say that's playing it safe, but I don't mind.

It's also helpful in cities like Vienna on the days when the crowds aren't that large, and photography of the people around tends to be a bit less discreet. With the 85mm, I can casually stop, snap a shot, and move along without disturbing the subject.

Many of the famed street photographers over the years tend to gravitate to lenses and a focal length that get you right up into the action, but I like that the 85mm gives you a moment to stand and compose.

I never feel like I have to hurry with this lens.

Ultimately it just gives you a different style of shot. In my view, the classic 35mm focal length (and gaining traction over the last few decades in the wider 24mm or even 20mm lengths) gives a real sense of presence and action, or even pulling back to give a feeling of width and space.

The 85mm, especially wide open at 1.8, brings a bit more of a slower and calculated shot. I never feel like I have to hurry with this lens.

With street photography specifically, the options for shots tighten down a bit, which is either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. You can't always get that wide looming shot you see across the street like you can with a 35mm.

I mostly keep the lens stopped wide open when I'm out and about. I'm not too worried about sharpness or and I have no interest in pixel peeping, so it might not work for everyone.

I've yet to experiment with maybe f/4 or f/8, which would maybe bring some of that image clarity up, but the images I'm getting from this setup feel excellent to me.

In the image above you can tell there's a bit of sharpness loss, but I think this had to do more with a bit of movement in my body as I was trying to stand out of the way of passersby and not attract attention.

Even still, this image is one of my favorite shots from that outing. There's such a sense of love and happiness from the two people on the bench, and of course the contrast of the three ages represented.

In my opinion, the true quality of a photography should be judged on the emotion or feeling it evokes, not the sharpness or technical nature of the image.

I also like using the 85mm on a full frame sensor which gives a lot of cropping benefits. I had seen this ridiculous mascot/character and thought it contrasted really well with the style of the woman sitting there.

Here's the same image but cropped in, which in my view gives a much more focused and interesting photo.

The lens I took all of these photos with is one of the "lower end" standard Sony lenses, not a G Master nor an Art lens, but I feel like it really holds its own quite well.

I remember hearing a photographer say that the best lens is the one that inspires you to get out and take photos. I don't need to spend thousands on a massive lens that will feel like a chore to take out and about. The 85mm f/1.8 lens is an excellent value for money.

I'm curious about trying this lens out at different apertures and possibly even during lower light.

Until then, if you've got an 85mm lens lying around and you haven't given it a shot out on the street, I highly recommend it.