Need help to make "timeless" portrait photo's

Analogski · 2026-02-26T13:20:04-0500

Hi,

I want to make some nice, "timeless" portraits of my pragnent wife.

I'm thinking about using my ARAX/Kiev-60 camera with a monstrous Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm lens with 400TMAX film and Porta 160.

I'm also thinking about taking my Pentax 35mm camera with me for the shoot with the 85mm lens and the same film stock.

What lens is "better" fot the job? Or is it purely personal?

Also, all tips are welcome!

Thanks in advance

BrianShaw · 2026-02-26T13:33:23-0500

Yes, you do need timeless portraits! Been there; done that; Have the T-shirt to prove it (and a few great portraits). Those both sound like good choices. Reccomend that you use both and especially whichever you jave the most exerience with. If shooting outside in natural light, you may want to re-think the 400-speed B&W and consider something a bit slower to allow use of shallower DoF.

Don_ih · 2026-02-26T14:02:16-0500

Both options are very good choices for portraits, although you may need to be pretty far away if you want a hips-up photo (which is normal for pregnancy photos - you'll want to get the baby in the picture). So maybe bring a "normal" lens as well (80mm for 120 and 50mm for 135).

koraks · 2026-02-26T14:03:41-0500

Congrats on the family expansion!

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about timeless photos. All the photos we have that involve important family events are the polar opposite of timeless, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pieter12 · 2026-02-26T14:34:53-0500

Not sure what you mean by "timeless.: Cameras and lenses don't make portraits. Photographers and subjects do.

loccdor · 2026-02-26T14:58:57-0500

Analogski said:
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm

It's a great lens for portraits when you nail focus. Very shallow depth of field so you may want to practice with it for a while. The helicoid can be pretty stiff to turn if it's old. I've taken some portraits I've loved with it, but I've messed up more than I've gotten right. The Volna-3 80mm f/2.8 lens also works great for portraits and is easier. It has a nice glow wide open.

A 35mm lens is smaller and easier to use. Sometimes people want less detail in a portrait so the smaller format can be an advantage. It will also have more depth of field, making errors in focus less critical. Plus, you get more tries to take a good picture. This can go a long way. I don't find 85mm a very long focal length, I think it would be fine for including more of the body. 135mm would be more of a problem.

For B&W, if outdoor, I would shoot under the shade of trees (but not deep forest shade) and use a 100 speed film with not too high contrast. Green or yellow filters can help with skin tones. Acros would be a good choice, many others would work too including Kentmere 100. You ideally want some mix of directional and softbox light, a sunny f/11 with clouds only partially blocking the sun can be ideal. If full f/16 sun, go in the shade. If completely overcast, you might look into ways to add a little bit of directional light, but not too much.

For color, don't be afraid to overexpose Portra 160 to 100 or even 50 if necessary. A cross screen filter will lower contrast a little, as will many other kinds of filters.

Sonnar 180mm on a Kiev 6C (cropped to 6x4.5) and Provia 100F, shade under tree lighting

Volna-3 on a Mamiya 645 with yellow filter and Shanghai GP3, shade under tree again

Canon FD 135mm f/2.5 on Canon F-1 with Delta 100 (had to shout at this distance, not recommended) overcast conditions

Canon T90 with Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 on Kodak Ektachrome E100 (sunny conditions but made sure sun was behind her)

All of these were shot wide open.

MattKing · 2026-02-26T15:33:02-0500

What have you used in the past that gave you results that you were happy with?
That is what I would use.

Paul Howell · 2026-02-26T16:41:41-0500

I think it is less about gear and more about your vision. You have great lens, great film, now it's about how you put it all together.

cliveh · 2026-02-26T17:11:33-0500

In terms of timeless, whatever lens and camera you use, I would use black & white film and sepia tone the image. Such aphotograph will last a hundred years or more.

Dan Daniel · 2026-02-26T18:02:03-0500

What really matters for me in a portrait is the presence of the subject. I prefer people to not be 'posing' exactly. Most people will put on the expected photo face, but that's not the real person. Break through that. Make her pose, then don't snap the shutter for long periods. Yes, not fair but necessary. Ask her to think about looking in to the lens and having your child looking at this photo.

Well, as you can see, I am not that interested in the lens or camera. The photographer needs to be comfortable, so use he camera that you like more. And recognize the difference in 12 versus 36 frames at a time- each shot is a little more 'precious' in medium format, while each shot is a little more relaxed in 35mm (huge generalization).

Take your time. If the first shoot doesn't give you what you want, there's time for another try (I think- you didn't say how far along she is. Congrats to both of you!).

mshchem · 2026-02-26T18:51:26-0500

loccdor said:
It's a great lens for portraits when you nail focus. Very shallow depth of field so you may want to practice with it for a while. The helicoid can be pretty stiff to turn if it's old. I've taken some portraits I've loved with it, but I've messed up more than I've gotten right. The Volna-3 80mm f/2.8 lens also works great for portraits and is easier. It has a nice glow wide open.

A 35mm lens is smaller and easier to use. Sometimes people want less detail in a portrait so the smaller format can be an advantage. It will also have more depth of field, making errors in focus less critical. Plus, you get more tries to take a good picture. This can go a long way. I don't find 85mm a very long focal length, I think it would be fine for including more of the body. 135mm would be more of a problem.

For B&W, if outdoor, I would shoot under the shade of trees (but not deep forest shade) and use a 100 speed film with not too high contrast. Green or yellow filters can help with skin tones. Acros would be a good choice, many others would work too including Kentmere 100. You ideally want some mix of directional and softbox light, a sunny f/11 with clouds only partially blocking the sun can be ideal. If full f/16 sun, go in the shade. If completely overcast, you might look into ways to add a little bit of directional light, but not too much.

For color, don't be afraid to overexpose Portra 160 to 100 or even 50 if necessary. A cross screen filter will lower contrast a little, as will many other kinds of filters.

Sonnar 180mm on a Kiev 6C (cropped to 6x4.5) and Provia 100F, shade under tree lighting

View attachment 419098

Volna-3 on a Mamiya 645 with yellow filter and Shanghai GP3, shade under tree again

View attachment 419099

Canon FD 135mm f/2.5 on Canon F-1 with Delta 100 (had to shout at this distance, not recommended) overcast conditions

View attachment 419100

Canon T90 with Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 on Kodak Ektachrome E100 (sunny conditions but made sure sun was behind her)

View attachment 419103

All of these were shot wide open.

Nicely done!

Alexander6x6 · 2026-02-27T02:26:09-0500

My best portraits of my family members I shot with Telear 250mm using Ilford HP5+.

By the way, with the special 10mm extension tube for Pentacon Six you can shoot close-up portraits with your Sonnar 180. I would also recommend to always use a tripod or at least a monopod.

Bitte entschuldigen Sie die Störung...

Analogski · 2026-02-27T04:27:23-0500

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll try to upload some pictures as example of what I'm going to want to try

Alan Edward Klein · 2026-02-27T08:03:33-0500

Hurry up and shoot before she has the baby. By the way, good luck to you both.

Alexander6x6 · 2026-02-27T08:31:48-0500

Alan Edward Klein said:
Hurry up and shoot before she has the baby. By the way, good luck to you both.

OP is already in a hurry for quite long time purchasing as much photo gear as possible. He knows he has run out of time.

Analogski · 2026-02-27T09:23:14-0500

Alexander6x6 said:
OP is already in a hurry for quite long time purchasing as much photo gear as possible. He knows he has run out of time.

Spot on brother

Analogski · 2026-02-27T09:24:08-0500

loccdor said:
It's a great lens for portraits when you nail focus. Very shallow depth of field so you may want to practice with it for a while. The helicoid can be pretty stiff to turn if it's old. I've taken some portraits I've loved with it, but I've messed up more than I've gotten right. The Volna-3 80mm f/2.8 lens also works great for portraits and is easier. It has a nice glow wide open.

A 35mm lens is smaller and easier to use. Sometimes people want less detail in a portrait so the smaller format can be an advantage. It will also have more depth of field, making errors in focus less critical. Plus, you get more tries to take a good picture. This can go a long way. I don't find 85mm a very long focal length, I think it would be fine for including more of the body. 135mm would be more of a problem.

For B&W, if outdoor, I would shoot under the shade of trees (but not deep forest shade) and use a 100 speed film with not too high contrast. Green or yellow filters can help with skin tones. Acros would be a good choice, many others would work too including Kentmere 100. You ideally want some mix of directional and softbox light, a sunny f/11 with clouds only partially blocking the sun can be ideal. If full f/16 sun, go in the shade. If completely overcast, you might look into ways to add a little bit of directional light, but not too much.

For color, don't be afraid to overexpose Portra 160 to 100 or even 50 if necessary. A cross screen filter will lower contrast a little, as will many other kinds of filters.

Sonnar 180mm on a Kiev 6C (cropped to 6x4.5) and Provia 100F, shade under tree lighting

View attachment 419098

Volna-3 on a Mamiya 645 with yellow filter and Shanghai GP3, shade under tree again

View attachment 419099

Canon FD 135mm f/2.5 on Canon F-1 with Delta 100 (had to shout at this distance, not recommended) overcast conditions

View attachment 419100

Canon T90 with Jupiter-9 85mm f/2 on Kodak Ektachrome E100 (sunny conditions but made sure sun was behind her)

View attachment 419103

All of these were shot wide open.

Thanks for the great advice! And showing your beautiful pictures

Analogski · 2026-02-27T09:27:23-0500

Dan Daniel said:
What really matters for me in a portrait is the presence of the subject. I prefer people to not be 'posing' exactly. Most people will put on the expected photo face, but that's not the real person. Break through that. Make her pose, then don't snap the shutter for long periods. Yes, not fair but necessary. Ask her to think about looking in to the lens and having your child looking at this photo.

Well, as you can see, I am not that interested in the lens or camera. The photographer needs to be comfortable, so use he camera that you like more. And recognize the difference in 12 versus 36 frames at a time- each shot is a little more 'precious' in medium format, while each shot is a little more relaxed in 35mm (huge generalization).

Take your time. If the first shoot doesn't give you what you want, there's time for another try (I think- you didn't say how far along she is. Congrats to both of you!).

Didn't thought about that. Great advice, thanks! My wife is 26 weeks now...

I just bought for a 100 euro's of film.... Let's hope there will be a couple of beautiful portraits to print.

Need help to make "timeless" portrait photo's

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Need help to make "timeless" portrait photo's

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