FAQ : Lenses

But…but…I just don’t know how not to respond…

That was my response to my good friend DJ while we were eating sushi a couple weeks ago. I was expressing the hard time I had responding to every inquiry email from fellow photographers. I love helping people, but I’ve discovered that responding to email is a never-ending mountain to climb! 😉

So, while I’ll still try to respond to the best of my ability, I’m going to be answering FAQ’s on my blog. I’m going to try to do this as much as possible because blogs are the best way to transfer information and facilitate open communication within the wedding industry.

The most frequently asked question as of late is: What lenses do you shoot with? Well, I swap lenses ALL the time, so I don’t really think I use one particular lens more than any other. Here’s some of my favorite gear…

*The 70-200IS, 2.8…a ceremony favorite. This lens is buttery and when it locks into its focal point, it's just awesome!

Here's my dynamic duo…
*16-35, 2.8…This lens gets super wide angles and is an awesome story-telling lens…by this I mean it can truly capture an entire scene in a single snap.
*24-70, 2.8…This lens is pretty much a solve-all as it can be used pretty much in any capacity. It was my first lens and I truly love it as it's like an old teddy bear that I can't get rid of. When I first started, it was all I had and it was SO good to me! 🙂 It's only downfall is that since it's so great within its range, I found myself not walking–or getting involved–with what I was shooting. Now that I'm shooting with prime lenses more often, I'm getting a much different feel to my images because I'm physically more involved with the scene…

The Trifecta…these are my homeboys!
*85mm, 1.8…This is the perfect portrait lens. I can't fully express how much I love this lens…ugh…it produces the creamiest images ever! I often bring this lens out during the ceremony when I want to shoot wide open from a slight distance…I love it!
*50mm, 1.4…This is my rock. I use this lens ALL the time. It just has a way of hammering out consistently sharp images and an awesome background fall-off. However, if I had to choose between the 1.4 and the 1.2, I'd most definitely get the 1.2! I can't wait to upgrade (**hint: the 1.2 will make a great anniversary, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthday, or Groundhog's Day present!!**). Also, I shoot most my detail shots with this lens, so it's pretty much a gold mine!
*28mm, 1.8…My newest baby and oh how I love him!! This wide-angle lens is just the funnest and coolest lens ever…it doesn't have any edge distortion and can be shot with a glorious 1.8 aperture! I LOVE prime lenses!!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now…I also have a couple other lenses (like the fisheye), but since I hardly ever use them, it's really pointless to talk about them. I hope this kinda-sorta-helps out a bit…if not, my bad! When I first started, I wished someone wrote about their lenses and why they liked them, so I guess I hope this helps at least one person. If it does, then it was well worth it! 🙂

Happy Wednesday!