Capturing Elegant Family Moments: Mamiya 645AFD and the Legendary 80mm f/1.9

There is something deeply intentional about capturing family moments on medium format film. For this session, I brought out the heavy hitters: the Mamiya 645AFD paired with the legendary Sekor 80mm f/1.9 lens, loaded with Kodak Tri-X 400.

The Mamiya 645AFD is a workhorse for family photography. Unlike fully manual vintage cameras, its autofocus and reliable metering allow me to stay present with the family rather than getting buried in settings. It gives you that massive medium format negative with the speed of a modern system. The star of the show, however, is the Sekor 80mm f/1.9. As the fastest focal plane shutter lens in medium format, it creates a fall-off and bokeh that is purely magical. When shot wide open, the subject separation is razor-sharp yet dreamy—perfect for intimate portraits where you want the world to melt away behind the subject. Choosing Kodak Tri-X for a family shoot is about embracing soul over perfection. The high contrast and iconic grain of Tri-X add a timeless, documentary feel to the images. It handles the highlights of an Irish afternoon beautifully while keeping the shadows rich and punchy. In a world of clinical digital perfection, these frames feel like real memories. They aren’t just photos; they are heirlooms with texture, depth, and a bit of grit.