Which lens for Weddings

chriseve1979

chriseve1979

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I have been asked to do my first ever wedding shoot in August for a niece of a friend. I've never done a wedding before so need to know what would be the best lens to use. I currently have the Nikon kit 18-55mm lens and the Sigma 75-300AF with my D50. I plan to get a flash gun as I hate the way the in-built lens washes everything out, but which lens would you recommend?

I'm probably looking at hiring one as funds are very tight at the moment so buying one is realistically out of the question.

Thanks in advance.
 
Chris, you'll probably get people along here some time saying that:
(a) you shouldn't take on the responsibility of doing a wedding unless you know what you're doing; and
(b) the fact that you're asking this question is evidence that you don't.

But I'm not one of those people, and anyway August is a long way away.

At LensesForHire we hire out lenses to lots of wedding photographers, and there's no simple right answer. The lens that best fits your style of photography is the right one for you. I know people who shoot weddings exclusively using fast primes (e.g. 24mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.2, etc.). I know people who've used lenses that I would consider to be bizarrely impractical (200mm f/1.8, 120-300mm f/2.8, etc.). But it's worked for them.

Having said that, by far the most common setup is a fast telephoto zoom (70-200mm f/2.8 VR) on one camera, a fast mid-range zoom (17-55mm f/2.8 or 24-70mm f/2.8) on the other camera, and an ultra-fast prime (50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4, or 35mm f/1.4, or something like that) in the pocket in case the venue is really really gloomy. You will have two carera bodies, right? Otherwise you're really stuffed if it breaks and you don't get a second chance.

Hope this helps.
 
(a) you shouldn't take on the responsibility of doing a wedding unless you know what you're doing; and
(b) the fact that you're asking this question is evidence that you don't.
 
I recommend the sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM for weddings.
 
chriseve1979 said:
as I hate the way the in-built lens washes everything out, but which lens would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

i assume you mean flash ,,try turning the power down a bit ,see if that helps ,,,having said that an sb600/800 would be a lot better
 
You will still need at least one lens with a wider aperture than either of yours. The 18-55 is f3.5-f5.6 which means at 55mm you only have f5.6. Now compare that to the 24-70 at f2.8 or the 50mm at f1.8 or f1.4. Outside you will be fine but won't be able to do the nice shallow dof that couple like but inside you will be rather stuffed. I have had to shoot at f2 ISO 1600 just to get 1/60 at a venue in August before now and your current kit you would be well knackered!

Recommend a 50mm and a 70-200 f2.8.

And a heck of a lot of practice between now and then as you say you have never shot a wedding.
 
With perfect conditions and the kit you have you'll probably get acceptable results shooting the groups and the standard set-ups: groom's arrival; talk to the minister; bride's arrival; signing the register; maybe a shot of the service itself, if it's not too dark inside the church/hall.

For the groups and standard set-up shots, don't use flash at all if you can avoid it (i.e. if the service isn't actually happening at midnight).

What you probably won't get is all the stuff in-between that people now expect from wedding photographs: the candids, the reportage stuff etc.
If conditions aren't perfect you'll struggle.
With one camera you'll miss shots when changing lenses - it's a sorry fact of life that with one camera body, as soon as you see the perfect shot, you'll inevitably have the wrong lens attached to record it properly...

The reason Pros have all the kit is that they know that someday they'll have to use all the kit - maybe not at today's wedding, but sooner or later.
If you're just shooting the one, you might get lucky, you might not.
 
Chris,

I recently shot a wedding as a second. I primarily used my 24-70mm f/2.8.
Personally, I'd opt for the 50mm f/1.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 on the second body, as Stewart recommended.
I would suggest that you visit the venue as soon as you can and see all your vantage points so that you have some idea about the gear you'll need, but remember that your light will be hugely different on the day.
The next point is the style of photography - what you see as beautiful, the bride may see as horrid. Ask her to cut out some wedding photographs from magazines and give them to you. I'm sure you will see a pattern in the style she likes.
Decide on your timings, are you going to offer a pre-wedding shoot, bride getting ready, boys in the pub....that sort of thing.
I know it's a long way off, but remember the little things - batteries, CF cards (or whatever yours takes) etc.
Look at as many wedding photography sites between now and August as possible - there are some fantastic photographers on here and there advice will far exceed my own......just try and stay on the right side of them, otherwise you will undoubtedly encounter the criticism previously mentioned. Think about asking a friend to be your second, or if they are more experienced, you being their second.
The biggest fear I had prior to the big day was that I wouldn't enjoy it - this was a day that I had been building up to for 10 years and for me to be faced with that possibility was mind-opener! As it was, I loved every minute of it, and I hope you will too. Now - get researching!! ;)
 
Check you haven't got flash exposure compensation dialed in, unless your shooting really close up the auto built in flash should do a reasonable job, that said because it's "auto" there are other factors in play.
For a lens I'd look at someting like an 18-55 2.8 by Nikon or one of the well known makes like Sigma/Tamron etc.
I would also suggest you get a lot of practice before the wedding using any new kit, a wedding is a one shot deal, you can't afford to get it wrong on the day.
 
Hi and thanks for all the advice. :thumbs:

I was basically asked to do the photos as I'm the only one attending who has an SLR camera, and the couple getting married are doing so on a shoestring budget. They aren't expecting top-of-the-class photos so to speak, and I don't intend asking them to pay me for the photos, but me being me I wanted to do my best at getting them some really nice pics anyway. Going pro is a long way off, if indeed it ever happens at all.

I do only have the one camera body at the moment so a second one will be required. This is something I've been considering for a while in any event as I currently end up having to swap lenses when on walkabouts at nature reserves to get any landscape shots as I usually have the Sigma lens fitted. My aim is to get the D90 so I have video capability for my day-to-day use but that's another story.

I find even with the flash turned down in the menu it still seems too bright. Admittedly I've not tried it on objects or people a long way from the camera but I would still like to get a flash gun anyway.

Stewart thanks for the advice and I'll contact you separately a little nearer the time if I end up going down the hiring route, depending on how things go in the meantime. It's funny you mention the 70-200 as the photographer at my cousin's wedding used one of those. I've yet to see the results though.
 
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