Prime time

Cheap glass

Prisms can be found for just a few pounds on popular online stores, making them an affordable way to spice up your portraits. We used a triangular prism, but you can experiment with other shapes and sizes.

A 35mm focal length is a good choice for cameras with an APS-C sensor, while 50mm is better for tight portraits on a full-frame body. The wide apertures of these primes make it easy to blur out the prism and create a pleasing, ethereal look. That said, if you only have a kit lens, don’t let that deter you from trying out this supercreative technique.