If you're a new photographer, you may be thrown by the choices of lenses out there for you to use. If you're aiming to be a wedding photographer, this episode will be advantageous for you because we'll be discussing lens suggestions for weddings and events.
KEH
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Nikon S Series 20mm 1.8, 24mm 1.8, 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, 24-70mm 2.8, 70-200mm 2.8
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If you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner will guide you along your journey with us.
Transcript
Welcome to the 19th episode of The Richard J Nieves Photography Podcast!
I’m Richard J Nieves, portrait and wedding photographer, and owner of Richard J Nieves Photography located in The Bronx in New York City.
We'll start with the widest focal length, and move into the tightest. I also am an advocate for prime lenses because of the image quality you'll get from a fixed perspective. However, I will also suggest some zooms at the end.
Most of my suggestions will have f-stops of 1.8. 1.8 primes tend to be much more affordable than their 1.4 and 1.2 counterparts. The wide open depth of field is also a great creative choice like 1.4 or 1.2. The differences in aperture, to me, are minimal.
My first suggestion is a 20mm 1.8. That's wide enough to capture family photos and groups. You'll be able to photograph story and context with wider lenses. Shots of venues and other locations during the wedding day will require a lens this wide. You can also use a 24mm, which will have less distortion, but you'll have to step back if you need the wider view.
My next suggestion is a 50mm 1.8. Known in our industry as a "nifty fifty," it is a fantastic focal length for portraits and story telling. With most 50mm lenses having minimal distortion, you can easily use this to photograph scenery, your clients and their guests while still giving them room to breath. A 35mm is also a good choice, but, for me, it's still a little too wide for most portraits i'd like to take and not wide enough for scenery. But again, that's my opinion and it may suit your style of photography.
Before we get to my last suggestion, please do me a huge favor by following me on Instagram @rich_photog, that r-i-c-h-underscore-p-h-o-t-o-g
If you’d like to schedule your next portrait session or give us the honor of photographing your wedding, visit my website www.richardjnphoto.com or email katherine@richardjnphoto.com where my partner will guide you along your journey with us.
Lastly, it would mean a lot if you left a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to support what we're doing here on the podcast and get it out to more photographers who may benefit from this information. Let's get back to the show.
Alongside those is the 85mm 1.8. My go to for portraits. This lenses focal length compresses and renders photos so beautifully, my clients end up loving the look it provides. You can capture candid moments while giving those moments space to happen.
Now if you'd prefer having one lens with which you can have the convenience of zooming in or out, I'd recommend the 24-70 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 lenses. They'll cover the ranges I just discussed while allowing you to not have to worry about constant movement and lens switching.
I'm not suggesting you get these to be lazy during your work, but rather to minimize the amount of lenses you're carrying, to save time when having to switch lenses when the moments calls for a wider focal length over a tighter one, and for situations when you can't get very close to your subject like during a ceremony or a speech.
I'll leave links to suggested lenses for most camera systems and to some of my favorite lenses for the Nikon Z6 in the show notes.
Thank you so much for listening to my wedding photography lens suggestions. I hope you find some value in these suggestions, and if you do get any of these lenses, I hope they serve you well.
Don’t forget to keep creating, stay humble, and enjoy the journey. Catch you later.