Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII First Impressions with Yuya Sugimoto

Meet Yuya Sugimoto - a known portrait photographer based in Japan whose main subject is his wife. They often travel around Japan in search of the perfect scene for portraiture. In this article, we find out more about him and his first impressions with the Petzval 55 mm MKII Bokeh Control.

Hello Yuya! Tell us a bit about your photography background.

Before I started shooting photos I was into surfing and skateboarding. But at one point I got injured and had to take a rest for a while. One day I visited one exhibition and got fascinated with photography. And now I had an exhibition with the photographer I met at that exhibition and sometimes we go out for shooting together!

I really like photos taken by foreign photographers, their photo editing process influenced me a lot. They don't try to be too realistic, instead, they edit photos as they want to. I like editing but at the same time, I simply enjoy shooting without caring about an outcome too much. When I shoot with a digital camera I enjoy its editing process as well. On the other hand, when I shoot with a film camera I don't edit photos. So I enjoy both in different ways.

What would you call your photography style?

Simply enjoy shooting - this is the only tip I have. I mainly shoot my wife and I created the hashtag #yomegraphie, Yome means wife in Japanese. But I shoot architecture, landscape, and snapshot too.

Could you tell us your experience using the Petzval 55 MKII lens?

Petzval 55 MKII was an extremely unique lens so I enjoyed the shooting very much. After trying this lens I felt so unsatisfied with other lenses, so I used it all along. The lens has a characteristic bokeh and sharpness in a centre of photo. I am so happy about the lens is Sony E mount, it has a good compatibility with Sony's EVF. The lens is 55mm and easy to focus manually, which means it would be fun to use in a daily scenes.

Also the lens shows its maximum ability in a place like a forest and a flower field. The photo of waving skirt in cherry blossoms is my favorite because it captured the movement and the swirly bokeh very well. It attracts a great attention and makes the photo really unique.

Any tips for a portraitist that is using the Petzval 55 MKII lens for the first time?

The lens works well in a messy background. Maybe it would be very interesting with trees or neon signs. And we normally try to avoid a colorful messy background for composing an image, but you don't need to avoid it with this lens. It turns the situation more unique. Once you get the lens, try shooting in a sunlight and you will see the world differently through the lens.

Check out more of Yuya's work on his Instagram.

The Petzval 55 mm f/1.7 MKII is created with discerning photographers and filmmakers in mind. This versatile 55mm art lens brings the unique look of Joseph Petzval’s original lens to full frame mirrorless cameras. This art lens is designed to allow full creative flexibility, with its 7 levels of Bokeh Control and Dual Aperture system. Its optics are optimized to retain the signature swirly bokeh without compromising image sharpness where it counts. It is an indispensable addition to your creative arsenal. Pre-order yours now in our online store.

written by refallinsasaki on 2019-06-15