If portraiture is simple as hollering ‘cheese’ at your subjects, or is as quick as taking a selfie, everyone would be doing it.

But it’s not.

Portrait photography comprises a wide spectrum of intricacies that requires a certain level of experience and expertise to master. From tweaking a camera’s settings to possessing some ‘people’ skills, there are so many things to keep track of.

Honing one’s portraiture prowess will require a considerable amount of elbow grease and time. And it doesn’t hurt to be equipped with the best to nail this unique subgenre easily.

Sony’s range of G Master lenses, namely the FE 135mm F1.8 GM (SEL135F18GM), FE 85mm F1.4 GM (SEL85F14GM) and FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS (SEL100F28GM), brings to the plate for the makings of a stunning portrait.

SEL135F18GM – Capturing the drama in fashion shoots

Professional photographer Nicky Loh counts on the SEL135F18GM in accomplishing visual feats in a fashion shoot.

For portraiture, the lens, the photographer explained, is able to isolate the background from the subject seamlessly. It even performs undeterred in busy environments, which prompted him to fittingly describe the lens as a ‘lifesaver’ for challenging assignments.

The aperture prime telephoto lens has incredible bokeh with an 11-blade aperture to ensure circular out-of-focus highlights even at F4 and beyond. Plus, Nano AR coating immensely reduces flaring and ghosting.

When it comes to chromatic aberration, the lens possesses stellar XA (Extreme Aspherical) and Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements to remove blur and noticeable colored edges (red, green, blue, yellow, purple, magenta) the appear around objects in photos.

Furthermore, the lens’ dual front and rear XD (Extreme Dynamic) linear motors achieve fast, precise and quiet AF even in low light situations.

“It’s a joy to be able to not worry about focus during shoots when the lens does all the work for you,” he said.

Watch the video below to witness Nicky’s performance at a fashion shoot with the help of the SEL135F18GM.

SEL85F14GM – The ultimate portrait prime

For the all-rounded portrait lens, look to the fast, short telephoto lens of the SEL85F14GM.

The fantastic FE 85mm F1.4GM offers a whole new dimension of portrait performance, boasting the most advanced tech in the G Master series.

Expect to achieve impressive dimensionality in photos with the lens. It is built with an 11-blade circular diaphragm for smooth, soft-edged bokeh in stunning resolution. Furthermore, the bokeh dissolves into the backdrop with natural coloration and highlights, thanks to the new XA element.

Where chromatic aberration is concerned, the lens’ three ED glass elements keep this occurrence at bay, while contributing to its optical performance of outstanding sharpness and clarity. Nano AR coating also limits ghosting and lens flare, and instead maximises the natural highlights of its breath-taking bokeh. The SEL85F14GM also possesses this deterrence to ensure moments captured are always picture perfect.

With high-resolution potential comes high level of focus precision. The lens possesses two position sensors that enhance the accuracy of the SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor). Furthermore, it sports a dust- and moisture-resistant design for demanding shooting situations, plus a dedicated focus bold button and aperture ring with switchable click stops for further control while shooting.

SEL100F28GM – Rediscover bokeh in portraits

A fitting addition to the G Master series, the SEL100F28GM stands out in its own right with the innovative STF™ (Smooth Trans Focus) technology, which uses an apodisation filter to achieve extraordinary smooth bokeh with rounded depth-of-field highlights in both foreground and background like no other lenses.

The extreme resolution and sharpness of the FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS lens are attributed to its ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass, and aspherical elements, supressing both spherical and chromatic aberrations as well. Nano coating also minimises lens flare and ghosting for beautiful contrast and colour fidelity in harsh lighting conditions.

With a dust- and moisture-sealed built, the lens performs fantastically in any shooting situation with a Direct Drive SSM for quick and quiet autofocusing, and Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation to ensure blur-free imagery.