Photographers Guia Besana, Félicia Sisco, Helen Bartlett, James Musselwhite and Ilvy Njiokiktjien have worked with many great Canon lenses for portrait photography. Here we find out their favourites for different portrait situations. Taken on a Canon EOS R with a Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens at 1/160 sec, f/1.2 and ISO1000. © Félicia Sisco
Whether you're shooting traditional studio portraits, indoor environmental portraits by natural light or reportage-style street portraits, having the right lens for the job in your kitbag makes a huge difference. But what are the factors professional photographers must consider when choosing a lens for portraits?
"Traditionally, a portraiture lens is one that gives a flattering look to the face," says Canon Europe Senior Product Marketing Specialist Mike Burnhill. "A mid-telephoto lens, with a focal length from around 50mm to 100mm, has a natural compression that gives an attractive appearance to faces. However, for environmental portraits, where you want to show someone in their surroundings, focal lengths from 35mm to 50mm are quite common.