No matter what tool, what technique or what challenge you give yourself, it always comes back to light. That one simple thing that we can’t avoid and must always abide by. Shooting at f/1.8 was a lot of fun in part because you can really maximize light. So much more light is coming in that you start to see things a little differently. It can get to the point where the light itself becomes the subject and the rest just falls away to the background.
This was taken with the same setup, Nikon D5, 85 f/1.8 at 1.8. No finishing needed. Just a simple click to capture the moment.