Shot a while ago with a poor's man Nikon 85/1.8G, high end gear sure has a reason to be and, in good hands, you can tell but generally speaking it takes good light, the ability to entertain the subject, portrait wise, and a good dose of luck
Good portrait photography is about people ... not gear, not lighting, not composition, etc.
Those other things have their place, but you can be amazing with all the other things, and if you aren't good with people, you can't ever be an excellent portrait photographer. Oh, sure, you can take excellent pictures of people, but bringing the best out of people is vastly more significant to portrait photography. Getting the best out of a sunset or a building doesn't incur the nuance of people, and their emotions.
Most folks don't naturally bring their best out in front of the lens. Your ability to help them with that ... gold.
Looks like you struck a nice nugget.
P.S. I suck as a portrait photographer, for this very reason.
Although, I do fine with kids, just not so much with adults.
