Many people treat a 35mm lens and an 85mm lens like the two ends of a 24-70mm zoom. That habit costs photographers rich, varied storytelling and leaves a lot of strong frames on the table.
Coming to you from Martin Castein, this practical video shows how to stop swapping 35mm and 85mm lenses like a human zoom ring and start composing with intent. You see why standing still and “using 85mm as a crop” flattens your options. Castein frames 35mm as “organized chaos,” a way to keep the world in the picture while still keeping it readable. He treats 85mm as simplification, not just isolation, which lets you build scenes with two or three meaningful elements instead of a single floating head.
Castein pushes you to work each focal length on its own so your eye learns what it can do. With 35mm, fill the frame with your subject, then add up to five or six supporting details that place the scene, like signage, edges of doorways, or overlapping light shapes. With 85mm, add only what matters, up to three anchors such as a path, a house line, or a single palm to imply place and direction. You get the idea of moving closer than feels comfortable with 35mm and backing up farther than you expect with 85mm to let the composition breathe.
If you’ve been treating prime lenses like lazy zooms, the fix is simple practice. Do short sessions using only 35mm so your brain starts spotting “organized chaos” that still reads clearly. Then run sessions using only 85mm so you build the instinct to simplify without stripping the frame bare. Switch later, once each look feels natural. You’ll start pairing a scene-setting 35mm with a tighter 85mm that keeps two to three story clues, which makes a set feel like chapters from the same day rather than random singles.
A few working cues help you move with purpose. With 35mm, let the subject occupy a big slice of the frame so the extra bits buzz around them without stealing the point. Watch corners, because they become magnets for clutter at this width. With 85mm, think in lines and shapes that connect to the subject, like a boardwalk leading from a figure or a roofline echoing a pose. Use foreground interruptions sparingly to frame without choking the composition. The video also touches on editing as the last step, distinguishing quick preset clicks from learning to guide tone and color so the mood matches the story you built in-camera.
You won’t get every trick here, and that’s on purpose. The video walks through concrete examples, shows how Castein positions himself, and compares an isolating portrait with a simplified scene. It also shows how to build a small set from one location by alternating 35mm and 85mm with intention. You’ll pick up placement habits that make your next shoot faster and cleaner without needing to lug more glass or chase exotic focal lengths. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Castein.
If you would like to continue learning about the art of portraiture, be sure to check out our range of tutorials on the subject in the Fstoppers store.
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