To me, the 35mm focal length is a bit too wide. As someone that was so used to shooting at 85, I only ever had to think about a small section of a background. For the 35, I have to be a bit more conscious of my surroundings to make the picture a bit more interesting. With that being said, because it includes so much in the frame, it forces me to be closer to my subject. The resulting perspective makes the picture feel more… intimate. The viewer feels closer to the subject, almost as if you’re right in front of them.
In comparison, 85mm forces me to be much more distant. It is also exceptionally good at blurring the background, so much so that you wouldn’t be able to tell if the picture was taken in a dingy alley or my apartment. The background is a lot more compressed, giving the picture a more ‘flatter’ look, as opposed to the 35mm which gives a few perspective cues that makes them pop a bit more.
Take a quick glance and see if you can tell which pictures from my recent shoots were done with the 35 or 85mm.
Because I have both wide and telephoto options, I don’t really see the point of getting hold of a nice 50mm in between. At this point, I’ve retired my old 50mm f1.8 to save space in my camera bag, and I’m in no rush to replace it.
Turns out, every picture on the left was shot with my 85mm and the right hand side are all 35mm. How did you do?
Andy Chen Photography 