Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens Sample Pictures

The 85mm focal length, f/1.2 aperture and rather short focus distance allow the Canon EOS 6D to capture a thin slice of in-focus piano keyboard along with highly-blurred Christmas lights and reflections of such.

It is hard to go wrong with a Savage gray rolled paper background for studio portraits. The gray color matches a wide palette of wardrobe colors and looks classy. Gray also works well for formal corporate portraits.
 
The brightness of the gray background can be controlled with the background lights. Gray can range from black to nearly white depending on how much light you hit it with.
 
Lighting for this portrait is from Elinchrom studio strobes fired into softboxes.

This vantage point is at the top of Cadillac Mountain. And this scene was as fun to watch as it was to photograph.
 
Champlain Mountain forms the base for this photo. Heavy but not solid clouds passing over the ocean allowed rays of sunlight to move across the ocean.

If you want the subject to be recognized in your photo, the eyes (minimally the front-most eye), must be in sharp focus. When shooting with depth of field this shallow, Careful attention must be paid by both the subject and the photographer - neither can move after focusing.
 
Using a comfortable pose helps your subject remain still - and it helps them look relaxed.
 
Want to emphasize the subject's eye color? Shoot them in a bright environment. Ambient window light was used for this senior portrait.

The primary subject, Adam, is nicely separated from one of his still-recognizable but out of focus passions - a drag car. Working props special to your subject into your senior portraits will make your results more personal to them.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II Lens is not highly regarded for its autofocus speed, but it can work fine in some sports action photography. And the look this lens can create is matched by few other lenses - a relatively close perspective with a strong background blur. The subject will pop from the image.
 
Of course, keeping the thin f/1.2 DOF placed on your subject can be a challenge to both the photographer and the camera. Keeping the image dark enough is another challenge when shooting under full sunlight. Plan on needing 1/8000 and ISO 50 - or plan on using a neutral density filter.

Sometimes, it is OK to let portions of an image become blown (pure white, RGB pixel values of 256,256,256). An image with a straight line near the border of the frame begs for a low distortion lens (or distortion-corrective post processing). Holding the camera level is another key - as is perfectly centering the frame from an also-centered shooting position. The purple wall is optional.

Lighting is from studio monolights in large softboxes. The main light is high enough to avoid most of the reflection in their eyeglasses. A little clone stamping could remove the remaining reflection. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens is a very good studio portrait lens.

The Somesville Arched Bridge is a favorite stop for photographers in the Acadia National Park/Mt Dessert Island, Maine area. Even lighting of this scene is the biggest challenge for bringing home a great shot. This picture was taken in perfect near-raining conditions. Fall color in the trees enhance the shot.

The warm setting sun lights the wind-tattered Maiden Grass from behind, giving it a warm glow. The shallow DOF from the short telephoto lens set to its widest aperture thows much of the image OOF (Out of Focus).

A successful picture of people usually requires the eye to be in focus. This is where the viewer's eye will be drawn to. When the picture is of a young artist drawing a horse, try to keep that horse's eye in focus also.
 
This 85mm Lens' ultra-wide f/1.2 aperture combined with the great low light image quality of the 6D means few lighting conditions are inadequate for good image quality. This photo utilized only mid-day ambient indoor light.
 
But, this setup provides only a very thin slice of sharp focus to lay across your subjects. Be very aware of what will be sharp and adjust if necessary.

Senior Ashley is looking good as she relxes on outfit-color-complementing rocks. Have your female subjects get curvy to look their best. Try to have their hands positioned so that the pinky side and/or back side of the hand is facing the camera.

A muscle car goes far in making a senior portrait manly. This particular car is a Barracuda drag car.

This is a single-light portrait. A monolight was fired through a large softbox on camera-right. A reflector was used to fill the shadows. The background is white rolled paper hanging from a background stand.

Look Dad, no hands!

A garden of red and white tulips glows in the late day sun.