Lenses For Wedding Photography

Lenses For Wedding Photography will clarify the ideas on the choice of lens during shooting. In fact we have to keep in mind that, a wedding photographer never means the professional photographer, but the other peoples present in the wedding ceremony with various kinds of cameras – from mobile phone cameras might not of even the quality of iPhone 5 to pro grade DSLR. We published many many articles on all of the things we are writing within this article but possibly the most important and relevant previous article is – Wedding Photography Tips. Another good article is Quick Guide to DSLR Photography of All Niche in this context. There are lot of complains for lesser posts per day for past few week – unfortunately, writing books is consuming a huge time, the regular readers have to tolerate a bit. It is understandable that not all loves all the topics of this website and we usually publish 4-6 posts per day to cover everyone’s choice, do not worry, this is a temporary issue. So, with this small introduction, let us start what we were going to speak about – Lenses For Wedding Photography.

Lenses For Wedding Photography : Preparedness

Now imagine that the groom is getting ready to become the bride. Since this is a special dress up, we must load our bags for smaller lenses with the equipment we need to document this part of the day.

We need to be sure to have a wide range of lenses and the first thing we must opt for fixed focal lens so you can shoot with wide apertures in low lighting situations (most of the hotel rooms come with limited light) without the need of flash. Lenses that we usually carry  is a 35 mm f/1.4 wide-angle lens, which is ideal to capture the entirety of the room while the bride is getting ready, as well as to take pictures during the preparation of the bridesmaids in small groups; 85 mm f/1.2 is traditionally used to capture portraits of the bride and the bridesmaids while getting ready, from a distance. 85 mm L has a nice photojournalistic yield, so we like to stand at the farthest point in the dressing room and shoot at an aperture so that the bride is in focus and objects / people in the foreground are blurred very nicely; 50 mm f/1.2 is the most versatile our my opinion.

Using the 50 mm to photograph covers everything – from preparation to spontaneous shots to the bride as she dresses and do other details; 100 mm f/2.8 macro is the ideal lens for catching small (but important) details such as wedding rings, beads on a dress or small sparkling details (such as a crystal on a wedding invitation).

Lenses For Wedding Photography : The Ceremony

Arrival at the ceremony location should be about 30 minutes before the schedule time of starting, so that we can document the unobstructed locations, clothing, or bags which can sometimes weaken the photograph. During this time, we will load our my small bag with the lenses we will need to document this part of the day.

Lenses that we will with us is a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS Lens – this is our favorite lens for weddings with more than 75 guests. The lens itself always go unnoticed by the guests of the wedding, so we will try to stay at a safe distance from the bride and groom for the most out of the ceremony.

This zoom is great for close-ups, as well as for fast focusing, for situations such as the bridal party or the bride walk down the aisle ; 35mm f/1.4 lens is ideal for a panoramic photo of the ceremony and guests seating during the promises. It helps to describe the scene of the ceremony and help to tell the story; 50 mm f/1.2 lens is need in some case like someone asks a portrait. It is common for guests to be photographed or that a family member calling for a quick group photo, so in these cases, we should be prepared with a lens that is perfect for this kind of requests.

Lenses For Wedding Photography : Portraits

The lenses for us during this part of the day is a myriad of lenses that can give us the ability to change the angle quickly depending on the size of the group that we are photographing. For example, family photos may vary between 35 people in one click and in the next only 4. We do not want to use the same lens in this situation, then we will take the lenses that will offer more variety.

When it comes to photographing the bride and groom, we will use the 50mm, 35mm, and 85 mm lenses. Lenses that we will always carry with us is a 35mm f/1.4. You will love the breadth of purpose (it almost captures what our eyes can see) and it works well for groups ranging from 2 to 9 people; 24mm f/1.4 is awesome for large groups. Any group with more than 10 people is largely filmed on 24mm, although we must warn you leave room at the edges of the photo, because lens distorts the edges.

You do not want Aunt Mae complain later that her back profile is looking twice larger than normal because of your photograph, right ?!

A 50mm f/1.2 is occasionally used for portraits ranging from 1 to 2 people. It is great for the bride and parents, as well as the groom and witnesses and it is a good goal to portray the bride and groom; 85mm f/1.2 is definitely a lens for portraits because you can capture spontaneous moments. This lens is ideal to capture that stolen glance that a bride gives her groom.

Lenses For Wedding Photography : Reception

Fixed focal lens for reception is the best because they offer a lot of flexibility in low-light situations. We usually shot using a mix of flash and ambient light, but personally I prefer the photographs with natural light. It gives a more natural charm and a touch of authenticity to the party, but I also use the flash when the creative team prefers the photos to be traditionally lit.

Lenses that you will carry are a 35mm f/1.4 – this lens is ideal for an overview of receiption (when we can have an unobstructed view and no one in the background), as well as for the grand entrance. When the bridal party began, we will love to focus on the subject, but we will also like the story told around their entrance, which usually covers guests that receive them smiling.

We also use this lens for a portion of the first dance which is commonly practiced in many religions, to capture a large part of people watching the couple and the history that surrounds the beginning moments of their lives as husband and wife a 50mm f/1.2 is the lens for detail as well as candid shots during cocktails, when the weather permits. 24mm f/1.4 is a good lens to capture the party and dance. Yes, the photos of people dancing is important, the history that surrounds guests is as important as the dancers themselves. The reactions tell a very different picture and 24 millimeters is so broad as to capture them really well.