Mastering Street Photography with the 85mm Prime Lens: A Guide to Using the 85mm Lens for Stunning Shots

Street photography is an exciting way to spend an afternoon with your camera, learning new skills and capturing the world around you. In this guide, we’ll look at how the Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens and the Canon R5 can be a great combination for street photography. All the photos here were taken in Leeds, West Yorkshire, a city full of character and interesting scenes.

The 85mm prime lens is compact, sharp, and perfect for focusing on one subject, making it ideal for street shots. Whether you’re photographing busy markets or quiet back streets, this lens helps you get clear, detailed images. We’ll talk about why the 85mm focal length works well for street photography, show how easy it is to edit your shots in Lightroom, and give you tips on creating a cool vintage look with Dehancer in Photoshop.

Why Choose an 85mm Lens for Street Photography?

When it comes to street photography, choosing the right lens can make all the difference. The 85mm lens might not be the first choice that comes to mind—most photographers often start with wider lenses like 35mm or 50mm—but the 85mm offers some unique advantages, especially for capturing candid moments without getting too close.

Here’s why the Canon 85mm f/1.8 is perfect for street photography:

• Focal Length: The 85mm gives you a bit more distance between you and your subject. This is great if you’re trying to capture moments without people noticing, which helps keep your shots natural and unstaged.
• Isolating the Subject: With the 85mm, you can easily focus on a single subject, making it stand out even in a busy scene. This is really useful in places like the bustling streets of Leeds, where there’s a lot happening around you.
• Bokeh: Thanks to the wide f/1.8 aperture, you can create a nice, soft blur in the background, also known as bokeh. This helps your subject pop out of the shot, and is especially useful when there’s a lot of visual clutter in the background, like shop signs or people passing by.

With this lens, you don’t need to be right up in someone’s face to get a good shot. You can capture people going about their day, market stalls, or street performers, all while blending into the background.

Tips for Shooting Street Photography with the 85mm Prime Lens

Using the Canon 85mm f/1.8 for street photography requires a bit of a different approach than shooting with a wide-angle lens, but with a few simple tips, you can capture stunning street scenes.

• Keep Your Distance: One of the benefits of the 85mm lens is that you can stand further away from your subject and still get a tightly composed shot. This makes it easier to photograph people or street activities without being too intrusive. In a busy place like Leeds city centre, this helps you blend into the background and capture natural moments.
• Focus on Details: The longer focal length of the 85mm means you can zoom in on interesting details without physically moving closer. Look for small, unique features—like the texture of old brick walls, a single person in a crowd, or the reflections in shop windows—that help tell a story.
• Use the Aperture to Your Advantage: With its wide f/1.8 aperture, you can achieve a shallow depth of field, creating a beautiful bokeh in the background. This is perfect for isolating subjects like street performers or market stalls and blurring out the busy backdrop. All of the shots here were shot at F1.8
• Work with Lighting: The Canon R5 paired with the 85mm lens performs well in low light, but it’s still important to watch the light around you. Shoot with light falling onto your subjects faces if you can, or maybe go for driatic silhouettes. This shoot was totally grey with no directional light from the sky at all, these cloudy days can offer a soft, even light that reduces harsh shadows.
• Be Mindful of Composition: With the narrower field of view that the 85mm lens provides, you’ll need to think carefully about framing. Focus on one main subject and avoid overcrowding the frame. This lens is perfect for capturing single-subject portraits in the street, but you can also experiment with layering elements, such as people in the foreground and interesting architecture in the background.

Using the 85mm prime lens opens up creative possibilities, allowing you to shoot from a distance while still getting close-up, detailed shots. The next time you’re wandering through the streets of Leeds, experiment with different angles, distances, and lighting conditions to see how versatile this lens can be.

Using the Canon 85mm Lens for Street Photography and Editing Tips

The Canon 85mm f/1.8 pairs perfectly with the Canon R5 for street photography, giving you both the flexibility and image quality you need to capture stunning shots. But the magic doesn’t stop when you take the photo—it continues in the editing process, where you can enhance and fine-tune your images.

Here’s how I approached both shooting and editing with this setup:

• Canon R5 and 85mm Lens: The Canon R5‘s full-frame sensor complements the 85mm focal length, allowing you to capture sharp, high-resolution images even in busy environments like the streets of Leeds. With the camera’s advanced autofocus system, you can lock onto subjects quickly and accurately, even when they’re in motion.
• Basic Editing in Lightroom: After shooting, I started by importing the images into Lightroom for basic adjustments. This included tweaking exposure, contrast, and sharpness to make sure each shot had the right balance.
• Adding a Vintage Film Look with Dehancer in Photoshop: To give the photos a unique, nostalgic vibe, I ran them through a Photoshop batch process using Dehancer. This plugin is great for creating a vintage film effect with its grain, halation, and colour shift features. The effect worked beautifully in the streets of Leeds, giving my photos an old-school, cinematic feel, which contrasts nicely with the modern setting. Note that you can use many other filters like NIK EFEX or ON-One to do a similar effect – even lightroom can add grain and colour. I just like the effect of Dehancer.

 

The combination of the Canon R5, the 85mm lens, and smart post-processing allows you to transform street scenes into something more than just a record of the day—they become carefully crafted pieces of art, each telling its own story.

Bringing It All Together: Capture Your Own Street Photos using an 85mm Lens

If you’re looking for a way to get started with your street photography, the 85mm f/1.8 lens is a fantastic option. Its compact size, sharpness, and ability to isolate subjects make it ideal for capturing the rich street life in cities like Leeds. Whether you’re photographing a bustling market, quiet alleyways, or unique architectural details, this lens gives you the versatility to capture it all with ease.

Remember, the key to great street photography isn’t just about the gear—it’s about your ability to observe, anticipate, and capture moments as they unfold. The Canon R5 and 85mm lens are powerful tools, but they work best when you take the time to explore your surroundings, get creative with your shots, and experiment with editing techniques like the vintage film effect using Dehancer.

So, grab your Canon 85mm, head out into the streets of your city—whether it’s Leeds or anywhere else—and start creating your own portfolio of unique and vibrant street photography. With a bit of practice, you’ll be amazed at the shots you can achieve with this setup.

FAQ: 85mm Street Photography

1. Is the 85mm lens only for portraits?
No, while the 85mm lens is often considered a portrait lens because of its focal length and subject isolation abilities, it is also a fantastic choice for street photography. The longer focal length allows you to shoot from a comfortable distance, making it perfect for capturing candid street scenes without disturbing the moment.

2. Can I use the 85mm lens for low-light street photography?
Yes, the Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens performs well in low-light situations, especially when paired with the Canon R5. The wide f/1.8 aperture lets in plenty of light, meaning you can shoot in the evening or on overcast days without sacrificing image quality.

3. What’s the advantage of using an 85mm over a wider lens like a 35mm for street photography?
The 85mm gives you a tighter field of view compared to wider lenses like the 35mm. This means you can focus more on isolating your subject and capturing details without needing to be too close to the action. The 85mm also produces a beautiful bokeh, helping your subject stand out from the background.

4. How do you edit street photos taken with the 85mm lens?
For basic edits, I use Lightroom to adjust exposure, contrast, and color grading. To add a unique style, I apply a vintage film effect using Dehancer in Photoshop. This combination allows for a clean, polished look with a touch of nostalgia that works beautifully with street photography.

5. What are some tips for using the 85mm lens for street photography?

• Keep a bit of distance from your subject to capture natural, candid moments.
• Use the wide aperture to blur out distracting backgrounds.
• Pay attention to light, especially when shooting on cloudy days or in the evening.
• Look for unique details in your surroundings—like textures, patterns, or interesting people—that can be brought to life with the lens’s sharpness and clarity.

6. Is the 85mm lens too big to carry around for a day of street photography?
The Canon 85mm f/1.8 is relatively compact and lightweight, making it a great choice for street photography. It’s small enough to carry around for a full day of shooting without weighing you down, especially if you’re using a full-frame camera like the Canon R5.