20
Technique
Julia Trotti
Julia is a portrait, fashion and wedding
photographer from Sydney, Australia. She
makes use of natural light for her work as
well as prime lenses. She is well known for her
YouTube Channel where she creates tutorials
and compares kit. See http://www.youtube.com/
user/juliatrottiand Instagram@juliatrotti.A
s a portrait photographer, I have a vast array
of prime lenses in my kit bag. This includes
wideangle focal lengths such as the 35mm
f/1.4 to be able to incorporate more of the
background with my portraits, and telephoto primes
such as the 135mm f/2, which completely diminishes
the background to help my subject stand out. One
of my first prime lens purchases was a 50mm, and
it’s a lens that I keep coming back to. Whether I’m
photographing a studio lookbook, an outdoor fashion
editorial or capturing portraits of a couple at their
wedding, the 50mm has consistently proved itself to be
a versatile focal length, giving me the ability to capture
a wide variety of creative portraits in various locations
and lighting situations. For that reason, it’s one of the
lenses I find myself reaching for the most in my bag.
ALL P CTURES ON PAGES 20-21 © JUL A TROTT
Portraiture
Show the background
If lots of bokeh isn’t really your style, a
50mm is a great in-between portrait lens.
It gives you just enough bokeh to make
your photographs dreamy, but doesn’t
blur out your background so much
that you can’t tell what location you’re
photographing in. I’m a big fan of
incorporating my locations into my
portrait photoshoots, so being able to see
parts of the background is important in
my work, which the 50mm focal length
helps me to achieve.Boost creativity
If you feel like you’re in a creative rut, or want to try
capturing something different, one of the best ways to do
that is by setting limitations on yourself. If you’re used to
heading to a photoshoot with a bag of lenses, try starting off
the shoot with a 50mm to see how creative you can be. The
50mm is such a versatile lens, you can capture high-quality
full body shots, close-up portraits and just about everything
in between. So try taking as many photos, compositions and
angles as you can before you switch lenses.Play down distractions
The 50mm focal length is great to use
when you’re in a busy location. Whether
there are a lot of people around or the
background is distracting, with a prime
50mm you can shoot with wide
apertures to blur all that out. Shooting
with a wide aperture is a great way to
bring all the attention in an image to
your subject, which is one of the most
important things in portrait photography.Flatter subjects
The 50mm is a fl attering focal
length for portraits. Because it’s
in between wider primes such
as the 35mm which can distort
faces, and more telephoto primes
such as the 135mm which can
fl atten faces too much in a photo,
the 50mm is a great option for
capturing a realistic portrait of
someone without changing the
way their face looks.Whether shooting in a tight space, playing
down distractions, or capturing movement
Julia Trotti loves her 50mm lens