Top 3 Best Value Lens for Wedding Photography
There are numerous of lens you can choose for wedding photography, from compatible Zoom lens to high quality performance prime lens.
As a wedding photographer, you don’t want to waste your money to buy some lens you don’t use that very often.
I have been a wedding photographer in Melbourne in the past 7 years. I did buy some lens that I sold them one months later because I realised that I won’t have chance to use them on wedding day.
So, I list the most value and practical lens for wedding photography to capture the cheerful moments in people’s life.
List of Contents
Bride and groom preparation
There are many great emotional moments can be pictured before the bride and groom seeing each other. All wedding related accessories have especial meaning for the bride
- Bridal wedding dress
- Letter or gift from groom
- Wedding Bouquet
- Jewellery and rings
- Shoes
and groom
- letter or gift from bride
- Groom Suit or Tuxedo
- tie
- shoes
- cufflink
- buttonhole
- watch
Moments like parents first seeing bride and groom in their wedding suit and gown. Mom helping put the veil on etc.
Here, I would show you my lens option for wedding photography in Melbourne.
50mm f 1.4 prime lens
50mm f1.4 is always my favourite lens. It has standard perspective view like human eyes. With f1.4 bright aperture it delivers creamy and sharp image. I also like the beautiful bokeh to isolate the subject and bring out the background. I have a 50mm mount on one of my cameras all day to photograph everything like accessories, dress up and family portrait.
35mm f1.4 prime lens
35mm is wide angle lens perfect for capturing moments with a bit more background than 50mm. which make 35mm is the best wedding lens for documentary photography. With more background interact with the subject in the photo 35 is perfect of capturing candid wedding photography.
16-35mm f2.8 zoom lens
An ultra-wild lens helps to capture the environment like where the bride and groom start.Sometimes it can be useful photography the extreme long gown or big family group in a tight space.
Wedding Ceremony
Wedding may be full of fun and excitement but wedding ceremony has the most moments and happen in a short non-stop period of time. We need a group of compatible lenses to take the timeless wedding photography.
First look at each other from the bride and groom, exchanging vows, rings and first kiss. There is nothing like these moments to evoke all the feels.
85mm f1.4 prime lens
As a wedding photographer we definitely don’t want to draw any attention during a wedding ceremony. We always trying to keep a comfortable distance from bride and groom. 85mm lens can have a close look from the big moments without standing next to the front seat.
35mm f1.4 prime lens
Although bride and groom are the key element of wedding ceremony. Happiness and tears can often find on families’ face.
There are plenty of rememberable moment like groom watching his bride walking down the aisle, mom watching dad passing the daughter’s hand to groom and the whole bridal party watching the first kiss of the bride and groom.
35mm is wide enough to capture all these moments to make our wedding album a story telling style.
16-35mm zoom lens
Every wedding ceremony site is a place carefully chosen by couple. It always the heart of a wedding venue. A landscape photo of ceremony site and surrounding environment also can be the background of the love story of the day.
Also, ultra-wide angle zoom lens can be useful the take group photo includes all guest after ceremony. Especially when the wedding has more than 100 people or happened in a small place.
Location photo
50mm f1.4 prime lens
This is always my first choice of the bridal location shoot. I love the versatile of this lens. It can make a close-up wedding portrait with incredible nice bokeh. It also able to include the backdrop of the couple when I take a few steps back.
With f1.4 wide open aperture this lens is fast enough to capture the high-quality image by only using natural light during sunset.
16-35mm zoom lens
Sometimes couple would like to have their photo combining architecture, a wide-angle lens can make this task easier especially for indoor shooting.
I always look for lines and backdrop from the building to pop out my couple. My goal is to make them to be apart of the environment instead of take a photo of wedding couple in front of the backdrop.
Reception venue
16-35mm f2.8 zoom lens
A wide-angle lens must be the first lens I taking out from my camera bag when I arrived at the reception venue. Photo of the bridal table and entire environment finished wedding decoration and waiting for its guests is a must have. It will be wise the take this shot before wedding guest entered.
50mm f 1.4
Once I done the wedding venue photography I will focus on the detail of the decoration of the table and cake. The wedding couple has spent a lot of effort to present them to everyone attending the wedding.
Wedding Party
35mm f1.4
A fast 35mm is allrounder during night. I always have it walk around to take photo of people mingling, some small group photo when guests having cocktail.
It’s a great lens the show the atmosphere when bride and groom make their entrance, cut their cake and hit the dance floor to have their first dance.
85mm f1.4
This is the lens when I want to focus on a certain people or small amount people like speech or first dance. I will minimise walking cross the bridal table by using a tele-photo lens to capture the true reaction without interrupt guests from a bit distance.
Each wedding is unique, it’s hard to have one set of lenses to cover all the situation. So, preparation is the best way to avoid the chaotic moments! Choose your top 3 wedding photography lens wisely by consider the lighting, space, weather and the people then enjoy your wedding photography!
If you have any recommend lens for wedding photography, you could contact me here.
