Digital SLR Wedding Lens Guide
Best Wedding Lens Buying Guide
The wedding day is one of the most pivotal moments of a young couple’s life, and it pays for them to be able to immortalize that day in all its glory. Many engaged couple would happily enlist the services of a professional photographer to document their wedding day. Some, however, may opt for the more affordable option of hiring an amateur photographer friend instead.
If you have recently been asked to shoot your first wedding, you may find yourself fretting over whether you have the right equipment for the job. Do you have the right camera body, the right lens, the right flash? Will you need a softbox or an umbrella? Should you have an assistant at your side while you are taking pictures on the scene?
It is true that there are many widely-observed conventions in wedding photography. As is the case with the field in general, though, no two photographers may have the same style or equipment preference when shooting weddings. If you have been working on your photography long enough, then chances are that you should already have built up a professional kit that is adequate for any special event. If not, it never hurts to invest in essential lens for the best possible wedding photos.
One of the most important things to remember about investing in any kind of photography equipment is that you must always buy items with longevity in mind. It is easy for many novices to fall into the trap of buying trendy equipment that will either produce subpar images or break down easily. Given the cost of camera equipment these days, you must make every piece in your kit count. Go for lenses that are durable and built for frequent use. Choose lens with settings that can be adaptable for almost any kind of shot or occasion, and don’t settle for impractical single-purpose equipment.
Every photographer will have his or her own favorite brand when it comes to high-quality lens. Familiar names you might hear along these lines today may include Nikon, Canon, Sigma, or Tamron. You can do some research on which lenses would work best for your style or camera. Experiment with the default settings in your kit, testing the capabilities of the prepackaged lens that came with your camera. It is highly important for you to gain a good feel for your camera’s ideal setting, as this knowledge can guide you in finding the right combination of focal length and aperture size.
You may also consult with your fellow photographers, who should be able to recommend good lenses for someone of your skill level. Some professional photographers recommend that you steer clear of low-quality zoom lenses that will lessen your control over aperture size. Rather, they would favor prime lenses which come at a fixed focal length. Compared to zoom lenses, these prime lenses provide the photographer with added stability while narrowing down a good shot angle. The question of prime or zoom lenses is typically a matter of personal preference for most photographers. It is also not uncommon for a photographer’s choices to be affected by their budget or choice visual aesthetic.
At the very least, one of your first investments should be a sturdy lens of up to f/2.8 aperture. Depending on your chosen focal length, this is a great multipurpose lens for taking portraits, macros and close-ups, of which you can expect a lot of at the average wedding. Some examples of commonly-recommended lenses in this range are the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L and the Nikon 105mm f/2.8.
If you would prefer more freedom to work the floor and take spur-of-the-moment wedding photos, a wide-angle zoom lens would work just fine for your purposes. Also known as standard zooms in photographer parlance, these lenses can save you the trouble of having to constantly fumble with your equipment every time you catch a perfect moment. Your f/2.8 portrait lens should also be suitable for these walk-around shots. For candid photos, many pros recommend lens such as the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. These kinds of lenses are designed with a variable focal length for added versatility.
Aside from a standard f/2.8 lens, you may also choose to invest in lenses with other aperture settings. You can find different lenses on the market, with f-numbers ranging from f/1.2 to f/4.5. The right aperture size to use for a given scenario may vary depending on the kind of photograph you are taking. The Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens is great for scenes with lower light levels, allowing you to use your flash less and bring out your backgrounds more. The Nikon 12-24mm f/4 lens is great for wide-angle shots such as a panoramic view of the altar or the reception venue.
You may also be given the option of working with a lens with more advanced or creative features. As always, the usefulness of these features will vary depending on how often you will take advantage of them. A fisheye lens such as the Nikon 16mm f/2.8 or the Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye can instantly add visual interest to your photos, whether they are taken from a wide or narrow angle. This kind of lens must be used very carefully, though; otherwise your shots will come off as looking odd or gimmicky.
Other kinds of lenses are designed for an adjustable depth of field that can give your photos that extra zing. The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L Zoom Lens can deliver great bokeh or blur, which can give your photos added impact. The Nikon 85mm f/1.4D/G is also the go-to bokeh lens for many professionals.
If you are still having trouble making up your mind on which lens to get, you can always find ways to “test run” your choices before committing to a purchase. There are several online sites where you can rent high-grade lenses for set periods of time. You can borrow these lenses long enough for you to get a feel for how they would work with your own personal shooting style.
What Is The Best Wedding Photography Lens?
Wedding photography is one of the most important aspects to be able to preserve captured memories of one of the most important events in our lives. It is, therefore, critically important to choose the best wedding photography lens during the photo shoot to make sure that you would come out with the best output with the perfect lighting and texture for your memories.
The best wedding lens would depend on the camera that you would be using. Others are quite partial with using Canon (wedding lens for Canon) saying they offer the best portraits while others who have been working with Nikon (wedding lens for Nikon) prefer them. The lens 80-200mm would be an ideal outdoor wedding photo lens as it would allow you to shoot within or outside shooting distance.
Another lens is 50mm lens, but the main problem with the lens 50mm is that it should be within a short distance with the couple as it is not a zooming lens. Still, it gives the best primes when one is up close and in a good shooting distance with beautiful bokeh. The lens 35 mm lens is also ideal for group pictures but like the 50mm, they are not great for those within a great distance. Professional wedding photographers, on the other hand, use a 16 mm to 85mm lens especially during the reception as it would cover a wider area allowing them to blend in and out of the event.
What is wedding photography?
Wedding photography refers to the photography of all wedding events taking place from the first day till the end. It covers all pre marriage functions like announcement, engagement, portrait displays along with wedding functions and reception event. Such long functions lists are the only reason that supports the wedding photography studios or soul photographers.
Wedding photography was not popular in its early times. There was no concept of taking pictures of the couple in their wedding dresses. Before or after marriage, couple hired a photographer to take a picture in their best suits.
Now days, two main methods of doing wedding photography are followed, traditional and photojournalistic. Traditional photography has some aesthetic and classical poses which highly need a best photography with the best wedding photography tips. While, photojournalistic photography has unposed pictures in it with acceptable photography tips.
These days, another form of photography is emerging, known as fashion based. It has both, traditional and unposed pictures. The pictures usually revolved around dramatic pose like the wedding pictures that appear in fashion magazines like Vogue. Another method, wedding studio, has also emerged from China where the couples has its photos in studio or a selected site with the help of hair stylist and makeup artist present with the photographer.
How to do wedding photography?
If you have opted wedding photography as career then you should know the best wedding photography tips too. First of all. Buying few types of equipment like high tech cameras is easy but the tips and tricks are highly needed too.
Wedding photography is not about holding a high mega pixel camera and few lights; it involves the art of handling camera basically. This career does not need any sort degree .People usually start making their portfolios by voluntarily taking pictures in close friends weddings.
First of all, you need a high quality camera and learn every mode or function it has, you should know everything beyond the shoot mode. Search for wedding poses online to get an idea about what is in and what is not. Through this search you’ll get an idea about lightning and backgrounds. Arrive at the location for marriage little early so that when the functions start, you are well prepared with set equipments.
Try capturing those events which the couple will miss due to side by side functions going on. Photographers usually hire an assistant for this. The assistant covers one side of the function completely while the other one covers the other one in the wedding ceremony.