Nikon Z6III + Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S: Coffee Shop Window Portraits with Yasmina in Downtown Roseville

The second half of my two-camera session with Yasmina (@minashakirovaa) in downtown Roseville, this time on the Nikon Z6III with the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S. The Fujifilm X-H2 + XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR set from the same day was all golden hour backlight on the main street. This one started earlier in the afternoon and moved through more kinds of light: hard sun in an alley, warm tungsten inside Fourscore Coffee, soft light through the coffee shop window, then open shade under the covered sidewalks.

Same outfit as the Fuji set (cream fleece bomber, dark brown scarf, black mini skirt, black slingback heels, cat-eye sunglasses and an iced coffee), but for the window and bench sets she took the scarf off and let her hair down, which gave us a second, softer look without a change of clothes.

Every frame is wide open at f/1.2. The 50mm keeps more of the street and the coffee shop in the frame than an 85mm, so the location becomes part of each portrait, while f/1.2 still separates her cleanly from the background.

Gear:

• Nikon Z6III
• Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S

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Gear & Settings

• Camera: Nikon Z6III
• Lens: Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S
• Aperture: f/1.2 for every frame
• Mode: Manual. ISO 100 and 1/2000–1/2500s in the sunny alley, ISO 400 and 1/320s inside the coffee shop, ISO 125–250 everywhere else
• Location: Fourscore Coffee and the surrounding streets, downtown Roseville
• Editing: VSCO and Facetune on iPhone

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Alley Backlight

We started in the alley next to the coffee shop with the sun behind her. The bright alley floor, red brick walls and the red pole make a strong, simple frame, and the backlight outlines her hair and the white jacket. Shooting straight into the sun like this, the 50mm f/1.2 S keeps its contrast on her face with no milky haze.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/2000s · ISO 100 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Inside Fourscore Coffee

Inside the coffee shop, the light changes completely: warm tungsten lamps, wood shelves and a dark, cozy background. I bumped ISO to 400 and dropped the shutter to 1/320s, still at f/1.2. The warm tones on her skin and the cream jacket make these feel like a different shoot from the bright alley a few minutes earlier.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/320s · ISO 400 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Through the Coffee Shop Window

This is my favorite set of the day. Yasmina sat inside at the window table with her coffee while I shot from the sidewalk, straight through the glass.

Shooting through a window gives you layers for free. A plant leaf in the foreground, soft reflections from the street on the glass, and the warm lights of the coffee shop behind her all melt into bokeh at f/1.2, while her eyes stay sharp. A few tips if you want to try this:

• Get close to the glass so you don't pick up your own reflection, and angle slightly if you see yourself.
• Use the reflections on purpose. A little street reflection across the frame adds a dreamy, cinematic layer; too much hides her face, so move until it sits on the edge of the frame.
• Focus on the eye, not the glass. Eye-detection AF on the Z6III locked on through the window without hunting.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/800s · ISO 250 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Bench Poses Outside the Coffee Shop

Back outside, the wooden bench under the covered walkway was perfect for sitting poses. With the scarf off and hair down, we worked through a few easy ones: legs crossed at the ankle with heels angled to the camera, hands resting on the knee, leaning one elbow on the bench, and looking down or away instead of at the lens.

The covered walkway gives soft open shade on her face, and the row of columns behind her makes natural leading lines down the sidewalk. The cover photo of this post is from this set. At 50mm you can include the whole bench and walkway and still get a clean, blurred background.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/400s · ISO 125 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Scarf & Sunglasses on the Bench

Further down the storefronts there's a second bench, and here the scarf and sunglasses came back on. The crossed-leg pose with the heels pointed toward the camera stretches the legs at 50mm, and the iced coffee gives her hands something natural to do.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/800s · ISO 125 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Standing Poses Outside the Coffee Shop

Then a few standing poses on the same sidewalk: weight on one leg, coffee up near the chest, a hand in her hair. The storefront windows and the bench on the left frame her, and the sunny street at the end of the walkway gives the background a bright, airy glow.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/800s · ISO 125 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Sidewalk Framing Under the Arcade

We finished under a long covered sidewalk with cream columns and storefronts. The columns repeat into the distance, so placing her between them gives the frame depth and strong vertical lines. I started wide for full-length frames, then moved in for half-body shots with the columns falling into soft bokeh behind her. Her scarf caught the breeze in the last few frames, which added a nice bit of motion.

NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S · f/1.2 · 1/500s · ISO 125 · Model: @minashakirovaa

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Thoughts on the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S

After a few sessions with this lens, here's what stood out on this one:

• One lens for every kind of light. Hard backlight in the alley, dim tungsten inside, glass and reflections at the window, open shade on the sidewalk. It handled all of it wide open.
• Through glass, still sharp. Shooting through the coffee shop window at f/1.2, her eyes stayed crisp while the reflections and plant leaves turned into soft layers.
• 50mm tells the location story. You see the bench, the columns and the coffee shop, and she still separates cleanly from the background.
• Fast, reliable eye AF on the Z6III. Eye detection held through the glass and on sitting and walking poses, so I could focus on directing.
• Pairs well with an 85mm-equivalent. Comparing this set to the Fujifilm XF 56mm (85mm equivalent) frames from the same day, the 50mm shows more environment and the 56mm compresses more. Both work, they just tell different stories.

For more from this lens, see Sofia's fall street portraits in Roseville and Rosina's first fall portraits in Midtown Sacramento, and my earlier senior portrait session with Yasmina on the Z6III and 85mm f/1.2 S.

Thanks to @minashakirovaa for a great session. Follow along on Instagram and YouTube for more.

Shop the Gear

• Nikon Z6III
• Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S