Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on the Lumix S5II: Backlit Portraits with Mia in William Land Park

After the Canon vs Nikon 50mm f/1.2 blind test, Mia (@xoxo.mia) changed into a second look and I switched to my favorite portrait lens, the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on the Panasonic Lumix S5II. We stayed in William Land Park in Sacramento and shot from about 5:20pm until the sun dropped behind the trees, a little over an hour before sunset.

Her second outfit was a white off-shoulder mini dress with puff sleeves, tall cognac knee-high boots, gold hoops, and a jade bangle with a matching green pendant. White fabric in strong backlight is a real test for any lens, and the warm boots and the green jade gave the frames a little color against the golden park light.

Every photo in this post is f/1.4, ISO 100, manual exposure, straight from the 135mm wide open.

Gear:

Gear & Settings

Camera: Panasonic Lumix S5II (24MP full frame, phase-detect AF)
Lens: Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art (L-Mount)
Aperture: f/1.4 for every frame
ISO: 100 the whole session
Shutter: 1/200s in the shade of the big tree up to 1/640s on the bright park road
Mode: Manual exposure, fixed (manual) white balance
Light: Low sun behind her, roughly an hour before sunset
Editing: VSCO and Facetune on iPhone

My full S5II menu setup for this lens (white balance, photo style, AF subject detection and more) is in Lumix S5II + Sigma 135mm F1.4: my camera settings for portraits.

By the Pond

We started on the open lawn near the pond, with the sun low behind the trees and the fountain spraying in the background. At 135mm the fountain, the parked cars across the water and the trees all compress into a soft, glowing wall of light, and the long shadows from the tree trunks give the full-length frames some shape on the ground.

This set is where the 135mm's backlight handling shows. The sun is right behind her, but her face and the white dress hold their contrast, and the rim light through her hair stays clean instead of turning into a hazy veil.

Mia in a white off-shoulder dress, half body with golden backlight through her hair by the pond in William Land Park, Sigma 135mm F1.4 on Lumix S5II

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/400s · ISO 100 · Model: @xoxo.mia

Mia backlit by the pond and fountain in William Land Park, full body and half body at f/1.4, Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on Lumix S5II 1 of 12

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The Big Tree

A few steps away was a huge old tree with deep, textured bark. Leaning against it gave Mia an easy, relaxed pose, and the dark trunk frames the white dress on one side of the image while the fountain and park melt into bokeh on the other.

The tree blocked part of the sun, so I slowed down to 1/200s–1/320s to keep her skin bright while staying at ISO 100. Look at the bark texture right next to her: at f/1.4 the plane of focus is thin, but the 135mm keeps the trunk beside her crisp and then falls off smoothly into the background.

Mia leaning against a large tree trunk in a white dress and cognac boots, fountain bokeh behind, Sigma 135mm F1.4 on Lumix S5II

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/200s · ISO 100 · Model: @xoxo.mia

Mia posing against a big tree trunk in William Land Park, backlit portraits at f/1.4, Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on Lumix S5II 1 of 5

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Park Road

Next we moved to the edge of a park road lined with trees that were just starting to turn yellow. The bright pavement acts like a giant reflector, bouncing warm light back up into her face, so this is the set with the cleanest skin tones and the brightest exposure at 1/640s.

A 135mm also makes busy backgrounds easy to deal with. There were parked cars, a road sign and a curb behind her, but at f/1.4 from this distance they turn into soft shapes and round yellow bokeh. The cover photo of this post is from this set.

Mia half body in a white off-shoulder dress on a bright park road with yellow fall bokeh, Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on Lumix S5II

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/640s · ISO 100 · Model: @xoxo.mia

Mia on a tree-lined park road in William Land Park with fall bokeh, f/1.4 portraits, Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on Lumix S5II 1 of 8

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Last Light Under the Trees

We finished around 5:50pm back under the big trees, with the sun almost gone and just a little warm light left on the leaves on the ground. A simple full-length pose with one boot forward was a nice way to close out the session.

Mia full length under tall trees at the end of golden hour in William Land Park, Sigma 135mm F1.4 on Lumix S5II

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/250s · ISO 100 · Model: @xoxo.mia

Mia in a white dress and cognac boots on fallen leaves at sunset, Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art on Lumix S5II

Why the Sigma 135mm F1.4 Works for Backlit Portraits

A few thoughts after this session:

Compression makes any park look good. At 135mm, a pond, a road and a few parked cars become a soft wall of color behind her. You get a clean, simple background without having to hunt for one.
Sharp wide open. Every frame here is f/1.4, and eyes, lashes and individual strands of backlit hair are crisp. I never felt the need to stop down.
Backlight and contrast. Shooting into a low sun, it gives a warm glow and clean rim light without washing out her face or the white dress.
Creamy, round bokeh. The yellow leaves and sparkling fountain turn into smooth round highlights with no harsh edges.
Comfortable working distance. For full-length frames I'm far enough back that the model can relax, and for half-body frames I just step in a few meters.
Base ISO all session. With f/1.4 and golden hour light, the S5II stayed at ISO 100 from start to finish.

If you're new to this lens, my Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art review on the Lumix S5II goes into more detail, and you can see it shooting into a late-summer sun in the EISA award shoot with Rosina. For Mia's first look from this same evening, see the Canon vs Nikon 50mm f/1.2 blind test.

Thanks to @xoxo.mia for another great session. Follow along on Instagram and YouTube for more.