Up next for the model portraits is Izzy, the second of three available models during the Fujifilm + Luminar Photo Walk back in March. While I only brought my Sony 24mm f2.4 — not a classic portrait lens — we determined yesterday that it worked out for the best, allowing me to make environmental portraits with the Austin skyline.

We were on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, which is my favorite spot to shoot the downtown skyline. However, this is the first time I’ve made portraits from this location.

If you position the subject in the right place, you get a good mix of skyscrapers in the background, whether it’s captured in portrait or landscape orientation. I shot several in this vertical orientation but had Izzy closer than I should’ve to the top edge, which created unwanted wide-angle distortion. This picture looks pretty good. Her head was far from the top edge, but I cropped it in post to better frame the subject.

With the 24mm, it’s best to keep the subject in the middle unless you purposely want to create that smartphone selfie look. Many of the top-end smartphones use a 24mm equivalent, so this lens actually mimics its look if you want to. Believe it or not, I heard the younger set even prefers portraits with that slightly elongated look near the edge of the frame. I take a more traditional approach.

Izzy is a model who specializes in fitness, which makes sense given her trim appearance and her wearing of athletic clothing. She wanted pictures of herself working out on the bench. I had compositions that showed both of her hands on the bench, but I preferred these closeups.

As we made our way through the central business district, we stopped again at the Butterly Bridge on 2nd Street. The background is a bit busier than I like shot at f2.8. I should have framed her tighter, which would have softened the background architecture.

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