PORTRAIT

From the urban jungle to the great outdoors: unleashing creative portraiture in every environment

Sascha Hüttenhain shares how the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens helped bring his artistic portraits to life in two very different settings.
A woman wearing a green coat with her right hand in her pocket holds her left hand up to her green sunglasses while standing against a white architectural background. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

The Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens features 5.5-stops of optical image stabilisation (IS), which works in conjunction with the In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) in Canon EOS R System cameras, to deliver up to 8-stops of IS for brilliant handheld results. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/400 sec, f/1.8 and ISO50. © Sascha Hüttenhain

Fashion, dance and portrait photographer Sascha Hüttenhain is renowned for getting the killer shot. His ability to merge precision with creative flair, as well as a willingness to co-create visually with his models, has brought him great commercial success, while ensuring his artistic visions are consistently realised. He's also not afraid to experiment, regularly shooting in a range of environments.

To test the capabilities of the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens for shooting outdoor fashion portraits, Sascha chose two dramatically contrasting locations: a stark urban landscape of pillars, steps and concrete buildings; and an atmospheric forest near his home, which he discovered while walking his dog.

"I like contrast and also settings and subjects that complement each other and harmonise together, and this was the case with both locations. Although they were different, they were appropriate for the fashion theme," he explains.

Here, Sascha discusses his motivations behind the shoots, and how the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens, together with the Canon EOS R5, enabled him to achieve his goals, while Mark Fensome, Canon Europe Product Marketing Specialist, explains how the lens was developed and its many technical capabilities.

A woman in a brown coat with her arms wrapped around herself stands in a forest with trees blurred in the background. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

"Even though it's a light telephoto lens and it sits well in the hand, there's amazing depth in the photos, which I really liked," says fashion, dance and portrait photographer Sascha Hüttenhain about the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/1000 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

A woman in a brown coat with her hands in her pockets stands in a forest with wild grasses blurred in the foreground, while she looks directly at the camera. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

"I photographed both shoots with the aperture wide open and the optics were extremely sharp," says Sascha. "For me, photography is a game of focus and blur, and the RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM inspired me to use these two building blocks even more." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/1600 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

One lens, two shooting scenarios

The architectural setting for Sascha's first shoot was near the city of Frankfurt, Germany, where Sascha hoped the minimalist buildings and limited hues would offer the ideal backdrop for the bright block colours of his model's clothes.

"In order to accentuate the colours of the outfits, it was important for me that the architecture came across as reduced and drab," he explains. "This meant I was able to create a good contrast."

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The woodland setting, by comparison, was much softer and warmer, so Sascha's focus for this shoot was on depth and creating beautiful bokeh.

"Often in nature you can capture more depth because the background is further away from the subject," he says. "That's why these pictures have a slightly different feel. The conditions are also different in nature, especially in the forest where you have less light. So it's even nicer when you can shoot with an aperture of f/1.8."

The Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens, which is an upgrade of the classic Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM lens, performs excellently in low-light conditions, thanks to this wide aperture. "The f/1.8 aperture improves both on the bokeh and low-light performance of the EF 135mm f/2L USM lens, while the optical design – now using three UD elements instead of two – and modern lens coatings [ASC and Super Spectra] provide exceptional image quality and sharpness," elaborates Mark. "The use of a new Nano USM motor enables fast, smooth and quiet drive of the autofocus system, improving responsiveness and performance."

A woman in a brown coat with her hands in her pockets stands against a tree in a forest. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

"Canon was conscious of the popularity of the EF lens so the core benefits had to be maintained or improved upon," says Mark of the development process for the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM. "The most obvious improvement was to add optical IS, which is so useful in low-light situations, especially at this longer focal length." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/4000 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

135mm portrait photography

In comparison with the EF 135mm f/2L USM, the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM also adds the improved RF mount system, an optical Image Stabilizer and Lens Function buttons for even better handling and operation. Sascha was intrigued to experiment with its creative features for portraits.

"I was very excited about the lens as I love working with my L-series RF lenses so I was curious about the new 135mm," Sascha says. "I also like working with the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM and the RF 135mm is right in the middle of that focal length. It's an interesting focal length for portraits, but I find it lends itself to full body shots as well."

A portrait of a model in a white jacket in front of a busy but blurred street.

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The faster aperture combined with the longer focal length – 135mm as opposed to the more common 50mm and 85mm for portraits – enabled Sascha to separate his subject from the background and achieve further compression of the subject's features for more flattering portraits.

"The presentation and perception of a photo taken with a light telephoto lens, such as the Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM, is different from that of a 35mm or 50mm, for example," says Sascha. "You have to have worked with it to recognise this. I was very enthusiastic about using this optic and working with sharpness and blur in the foreground and background. In addition, its aperture makes it very suitable for cropping subjects, but also under low-light conditions. For me, it is a great all-rounder with a very elegant bokeh."

The fixed focal length also inspired Sascha's way of shooting. "When you're used to working with zoom focal lenses, sometimes you don't think much about framing the image; you just turn the zoom ring," he explains. "With a fixed focal length, it's a different way of working, which has a positive effect on creativity."

A woman in a purple blazer holds her hand to her chest and stands against a grey architectural background. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

Architecture comes alive in Sascha's images, providing an ideal – simple yet visually interesting – background for his subjects. "The grey and dreary architecture with the straight columns and the play of light on the floor inspired me for this shot," he says. "The shadow gradients are repeated in the form of the vertical lines on the left side." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/1000 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

Tailoring the lens for fashion shoots

The L-series RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens is Canon's first non-super-telephoto lens to feature two Lens Function buttons for customisable control, alongside a custom control ring that can be assigned to change various settings, such as shutter speed, aperture or ISO.

"The buttons can be set to one of 47 functions to quickly access a commonly used feature," says Mark. "The control ring is useful for making quick and easy adjustments without taking your eye away from the image."

Sascha found the custom control ring was useful for speeding up his process. "I put the exposure correction on this feature," he explains. "It made my workflow easier because I could quickly and easily make small changes when shooting without having to call up a menu."

A woman wearing a red top, red bottoms and red heels sits on some steps and looks directly at the camera. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

Filling the frame with the lines of the steps, Sascha was able to create a clean yet dynamic background for his model. "I found the line of the steps very interesting," says Sascha. "It was curved and a little different from the background I used in the other photos in the series. This one was rather straight and running parallel from top to bottom." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/2500 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

A woman wearing a red top and red bottoms leans against a black pillar and looks down at the ground. Taken by Sascha Hüttenhain with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens.

"The combination of the colourful outfit and the black columns provides a fitting contrast," says Sascha. "In my opinion, the lowered gaze of the model makes the photo look even more intense." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens at 1/1000 sec, f/1.8 and ISO100. © Sascha Hüttenhain

For Sascha, pushing his creative boundaries with portraiture is part of him realising his own imagination and ideas. And with the best tools for the job in his kitbag, that can become a reality every time he picks up the camera.

"I've always loved working creatively," he says. "In photography, you can live this out optimally and realise your own ideas. As a photographer, I want to develop myself further. That's why I'm always thinking about new projects that often mature in my head for years until I implement them. For me, the location, model and idea have to fit together. Therefore, it can sometimes take longer until all the building blocks are found. Only when everything fits together do I realise my projects."

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Sascha Hüttenhain's kitbag

The key kit that the pros use to take their photographs

A smiling Sascha Hüttenhain extends his hand towards the camera used to photograph him in this black and white image.

Cameras

Canon EOS R5

This hybrid mirrorless camera can capture exceptional 45MP photos at 20fps and shoot 12-bit 8K RAW video. "The EOS R5 has a very high resolution, a great contrast ratio and autofocus tracking that works very accurately," says Sascha.

Canon EOS R6

The EOS R6 offers 20fps silent shooting, up to 8-stops of image stabilisation and super video recording at up to 4K 60fps and Full HD 120fps. "I always have a second camera in my camera bag as a backup," says Sascha. "This time, it was the Canon EOS R6, which is very good in low-light situations."

Lenses

Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

Capture more, even in low-light, with this fast f/2.8 L-series RF-series ultra-wide angle 15-35mm zoom with 5-stops of image stabilisation. "It is ideal for indoor and outdoor photography where you want to get a lot in the photo," says Sascha. "The f/2.8 aperture means you can still work handheld in low-light conditions without shaking, plus the zoom gives a little more flexibility."

Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM

This lens offers the kind of image quality you'd expect from a prime lens, and adds an f/2 maximum aperture for more creative control. A zoom lens that Sascha likes to use when on location, the lens with its large aperture comes in handy in low-light conditions and is "great for cropping".

Canon RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM

For razor sharp detail of portraits, fashion, weddings and sports, the RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM will push your style to the max.

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