PROJECT PEAK: Anushka Menon x GF80mmF1.7 R WR

My Name is Anushka Nadia Menon and I have been a professional photographer for over 15 years now, specialising primarily in Fashion and Beauty photography.

My style of photography is constantly evolving, mostly influenced by current trends but also can be inspired by past traditions. I love the art of being able to create a different reality through my work and the tools that I use to do this play such a vital part.

Most of my work is to share stories around makeup, skincare, hair, jewelry & a lot of patterns. This fascination alone has been fueling my love for Beauty photography for years.

In all my years of shooting with various lenses, there are very few that I have used which stand out in all aspects making it the perfect design. I thoroughly enjoyed using this lens and was completely mesmerised by the quality and depth of each capture.

The shoot was inspired by the location which I have been too many times and at this time of year, the colour of the grass turns into this sea of gold and is just the perfect backdrop for a fashion shoot!

Based on this we then decided that colour blocking and minimal prints and textures for styling would work best and accordingly we casted the model. Casting is very important in for such shoot and the key is to select not only good-looking face that fit the concept of the shoot but also experienced one as we had limited time to complete the project, The hair and makeup were also kept more natural in order to complement and highlight the skin and texture – we didn’t want to distract from the overall look and feel of the shoot with anything over the top!

The New GF80mmF1.7 is going to be an iconic lens and a staple in my kit. It will definitely be a favourite amongst other photographers as well.

With a wide F stop at 1.7 it makes it the largest aperture with AF in a medium format (large) today. It also is a unique focal length sitting nicely between the GF63mm & GF110mm fitting perfectly for the kind of images I like to shoot!

I wanted to explore the versatility of the lens by shooting various compositions. So I used it as it should be at a portrait focal length and then I came closer and used it as I would a beauty lens and lastly pulled back and used it as I would a fashion lens.

I shot against the natural light with reflector and alongside the natural light to see how well the lens would perform and also wanted to freeze movement so I had the model constantly free-flowing and each shot was captured at the moment and not planned.

It delivers impressive image quality. While maintaining sharpness, contrast and aberration control is stellar. Using a lens wide open for really nice bokeh and a razor-thin depth of field is game-changing in a Medium format camera, The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart & this Fujifilm system has been wonderful, rewarding & taken my work to the next level of imagery.

Weighing in less than 800g it’s easy to handhold with the GFX100 body. I am just blown away by the lightness of the lens – how fast it allows for autofocusing and the bokeh falls off. It’s the dreamiest I have ever seen!

The Aperture just outshines in low light situations and allows me to shoot at much higher shutter speeds during the day. Shooting with the GFX100 – in terms of quality output along with the Clarity and easeful operation of the lens just makes for a faster shooting experience as well. 

I am delighted by the outcome of the images – I’m in love with the bokeh fall off and the sharpness of the photos and excited to add this incredible prime lens to my kit!