After years of eyeing its razor-thin depth of field and swoon-worthy background blur, I finally pulled the trigger on a dream piece of gear: the legendary Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. For portrait photographers, this optic has an almost mythical status, known for melting away harsh backgrounds into a soft, painted canvas while keeping the subject’s eyes tack-sharp. Opening wide up to f/1.2 delivers unrivaled subject separation, ultra-smooth focus roll-off, and low-light dominance that allows me to shoot seamlessly in fading ambient light without sacrificing image quality.

Rounding out the new setup, I also picked up a fresh replacement beauty dish to replace my worn-out modifier for upcoming portrait sessions. Pairing the soft, sculpted light of a beauty dish—which wraps crisp definition and beautiful circular catchlights around a model's face—with the signature rendering of the 85mm f/1.2 opens up exciting new creative avenues for both studio and outdoor work. I cannot wait to put this lethal gear combination to the test in my upcoming shoots, so stay tuned for raw test shots, final image reveals, and a full hands-on review!