Fujifilm X-H2 + XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR: Golden Hour Portraits with Rosina, Rooftop to Redwoods

A golden hour session with Rosina (@rosinashakirova), shot on the Fujifilm X-H2 with the XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR. This is the same afternoon as our Fuji 56mm vs Sony 85mm GM II blind test. This post is just the Fuji side: the best frames from all seven spots, from a sunny rooftop at 4:30pm to the redwoods just before sunset.

Rosina wore a camel cape-sleeve jacket with a tied scarf collar, dark flared trousers, black heeled boots and a small quilted bag. For the lawn set she switched to a sleeveless plum turtleneck. The camel jacket is a great color for golden hour: it picks up the warm light without going orange, and it reads well against both the white rooftop wall and the dark redwood bark.

Every frame here is wide open at f/1.2 and ISO 125. The XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR is an 85mm full-frame equivalent, and this session put it through almost every kind of light, from hard midafternoon sun to backlight straight into the garage lights.

Gear:

The video shows the photos with the exposure settings for each one, plus behind-the-scenes clips from the X-H2.

Gear & Settings

Camera: Fujifilm X-H2 (40MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR)
Lens: XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR (85mm full-frame equivalent)
Aperture: f/1.2 for every frame, full body and half body
Mode: Manual, ISO 125, shutter from 1/10000s on the sunny deck down to 1/250s in the shade
Film Simulation: Provia, white balance 5900K
Editing: light edits in VSCO on iPhone

At f/1.2 and base ISO in bright sun, the shutter needs to go far past 1/4000s. The X-H2's electronic shutter goes up to 1/180000s, so I could stay wide open on the rooftop and the open deck without an ND filter. My full Provia and Classic Chrome recipes and autofocus setup are in the Fujifilm X-H2 camera settings guide.

Rooftop Wall

We started on the rooftop against a long white wall, with trees and the sun behind her. The white wall works like a giant reflector, so even with the sun behind her, her face stays bright and clean without any fill.

I alternated between half-body frames, with the scarf and her long hair filling the frame, and full-length frames that show the whole outfit. At 85mm equivalent the full-length shots need some distance, but the 56mm stays sharp from her face to her boots at f/1.2.

Rosina with long hair over the camel cape jacket on a sunny rooftop, half-body portrait at f/1.2 on the Fujifilm X-H2

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/2500s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina rooftop portraits against a white wall, half body and full length, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 15

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Golden Hour Lot

Next we moved down to an open lot next to an office building, with the low sun coming in from the side. Rosina brought the quilted bag into the frame, which gave her hands something to do in the half-body shots.

The over-the-shoulder frames are my favorites from this spot. The light was strong enough that I was at 1/8000s, and the sun skims across the jacket and her hair, while the lot and the building behind her fall into soft blur.

Rosina looking back over her shoulder in warm golden light, the cape jacket and long hair lit from the side, Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/8000s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina golden hour portraits with a quilted bag in an open lot, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 11

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Walking Through the Garage

Inside the parking garage, the rows of ceiling lights and parked cars make a strong pattern behind her. I had Rosina walk across the frame with the bag while I shot full length, then stop for a hand-in-hair pose.

This frame was shot at 1/10000s, the fastest of the day. Even at f/1.2, the 56mm keeps the full-length frames crisp, and the ceiling lights turn into a soft graphic pattern instead of a busy background.

Rosina posing full length with a hand in her hair inside a parking garage with rows of ceiling lights, Fujifilm X-H2 at f/1.2

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/10000s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina walking with a quilted bag through a parking garage, full-length portraits on the Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 4

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Backlit Garage Wall

This was the most interesting light of the session. We put Rosina against a low wall inside the garage, with the open side and the bright sky behind her. The light came through her hair and the edges of the jacket as a soft rim, and the ceiling lights turned into rows of bright bokeh above her.

Shooting into that much light is where a fast lens can turn milky. The WR version of the 56mm holds its contrast here: her face stays clear, the dark top under the jacket stays black, and the glow stays around the edges where it belongs. I went with half-body framing for this whole set, with poses built around the scarf and her hands.

Rosina with her hands at her chest against a backlit garage wall, soft rim light through her hair, half-body portrait at f/1.2

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/640s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina backlit half-body portraits against a parking garage wall with ceiling-light bokeh, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 10

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Backlit Garage Floor

Then we stepped out onto the open garage floor, facing straight into the light. The sun came in low through the open side, so it threw long shadows toward the camera and lit the haze in the air. For the full-length frames she crossed one leg over and leaned into the pose. In the half-body frames the haze softens everything into a dreamy glow.

This is a good example of why I like the 56mm for backlit portraits. The haze adds atmosphere but her face is still sharp and her skin tones still look natural on Provia.

Rosina smiling in hazy backlight on an open parking garage floor, half-body portrait on the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/640s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina full-length and half-body backlit portraits on a parking garage floor with long shadows, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 10

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Plum Top on the Lawn

For the second look Rosina changed into a sleeveless plum turtleneck, and we moved to a sidewalk and lawn with trees all around. The sun was lower now and coming through the trees, which gave the green grass and leaves a warm glow.

The plum top and dark hair stand out nicely against the green, and the trees and parked buses behind her blur into soft shapes at f/1.2. The light was softer here, so the shutter came down to 1/250s–1/400s.

Rosina in a sleeveless plum turtleneck with a hand at her neck on a sunlit lawn, half-body portrait at f/1.2

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/320s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina in a plum turtleneck on a sidewalk and lawn at golden hour, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 7

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Redwood Grove

We finished among the redwoods just before sunset, with the camel jacket back on. The sun was low behind the trees, so the bright gaps between the trunks turned into big, warm bokeh balls, and the bark gave a deep red-brown frame on one side of her.

I started with full-length frames of her leaning against the trunk, then moved in close for half-body portraits. The cover photo of this post is from this set, and it is also the YouTube thumbnail. The fine texture of the bark next to the creamy background is a great way to show how sharp the 56mm is at f/1.2 and how smoothly it falls off.

Rosina leaning on a redwood trunk with her hands in her pockets, warm bokeh behind her, half-body portrait on the Fujifilm X-H2

XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR · f/1.2 · 1/320s · ISO 125 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina redwood grove portraits at sunset, full length and half body, Fujifilm X-H2 XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR 1 of 9

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Why the XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR Works for Golden Hour

A few thoughts after this session:

One lens, seven locations. Rooftop, open lot, garage, lawn and redwoods, full length and half body. I never changed lenses or stopped down.
Contrast in backlight. The garage wall and garage floor sets were shot straight into bright light, and the WR version keeps faces clear instead of washing out into haze.
Sharp full length at f/1.2. At 85mm equivalent, the full-length frames are where a fast lens usually falls apart. This one stays sharp from her face down to her boots.
Bokeh that flatters busy backgrounds. Parking garage lights, buses and parked cars all melt into soft shapes, so the location never competes with her.
Base ISO all day. ISO 125 for every frame, from 1/10000s in the sun to 1/250s in the shade, so the X-H2's 40MP sensor stays clean.

Want to see how it compares with full frame? In the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 WR vs Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II blind test from this same session, you can guess which camera took each photo. For more from this lens with Rosina, see our summer garden portraits on the X-H2 and XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR, and for a street session, my golden hour street portraits with Yasmina in Roseville.

Thanks to @rosinashakirova for a great golden hour session. Follow along on Instagram and YouTube for more.