weddings and lenses

William M Porter

I have experience with event photography (lots of sports, and formal events like banquets, graduations, etc.). I'm moving into wedding photography and considering my strategy and tactics. Which leads me to wondering what lenses experienced wedding photographers find themselves using and -- equally important -- at what points in the day.

I'm especially interested in things like photos before the wedding (dressing rooms, church vestibule), photos during the wedding (the vows especially, but also the processions in and out), and photos at the reception.

Just so you know, I'll be shooting mostly with a Pentax K10D, whose sensor has a "crop factor" of roughly 1.5x. All my focal length specs here are actual numbers, not 35mm translations (which I think simply confuses things).

For the pre-ceremony shots, especially as the bride and groom are getting dressed, I'm thinking wide is good. I have a lovely Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6. Does a nice job and down at 10-12mm can really take in most of a room, even a small one. Minimal perspectival distortion (it's not a fish-eye). The 10-20 is also a pretty good lens for taking stealth candids, where I seem to be shooting past somebody without them realizing that they're actually quite nicely in the picture. But otherwise, this lens is really just for wide-angle shots, perhaps best suited to an interior shot of the church. Which makes me think I might be better off using the really lovely Pentax 16-45 f/4 instead. There's a difference between 10mm and 16mm, but 16mm is still pretty wide -- and if I need to I can go to 45 to capture a face up close and still have that f/4. But NOTE: Max aperture for both of these lenses is f/4....

I reckon I can use the same lens for the vestibule before the bride enters.

I'm not sure about the ceremony. Shooting a Catholic school graduation in May in the parish church, I alternated between a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 and a Pentax 50mm f/1.4. At that time, as the official photog I was able to get right into the aisle as the faculty and students processed in, and more important, was able to shoot fairly close (about 12ft) to the students as they received their diplomas from the priest. No flash then, of course, and I'm sure I won't be using flash at an upcoming wedding during the Mass. In general, I think the 28-75 f/2.8 is the more useful lens here. But I'm not sure where I'm going to be positioned. It's possible I'll be far enough away from the action that even the 75mm end of that Tamron zoom will be inadequate.

The challenge that I'm really unsure about is the reception. I can see wanting the 10mm at times, and at other times wanting to be able to reach across the room with my Tamron 18-250 set around 150mm to get a nice candid without the subject being aware of me at all. The 18-250 is f/3.5-6.3 -- at 150mm it's down to about f/5 at best but I'll be using flash at that point and I'm not so worried about the speed of the lens here.

I have occasionally found myself switching lenses back and forth but that's really impractical, not to mention the risk that I'll end up with dust on the lens. (I am a careful changer and the K10D's dust reduction system works pretty well, but still...)

If I had to pick just one lens for the whole day, I guess I'd pick the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 as the most versatile tool for the assignment. But I don't have to have just one lens, and I might have a second camera body with me not just as a backup but with a lens attached. (Still thinking about that.)

Anyway, be grateful to hear any thoughts you have.

Will

dangin

i shoot a wedding a weekend and can get by with just 2 lenses and 1 flash if i absolutely had to:
tamron 17-50mm f/2.8
tamron 28-75mm f/2.8

seriously. but i've got a bit more gear than that. if you're concerned about switching lenses, it's inevitable. i lug 2 camera bodies and about 6 lenses to each wedding...

i think a better answer to your question is what focal lengths need covering and when?

getting ready
18mm & 28mm is king here. is your shot too wide? take 3 steps forward. if you do decide to get the tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, it's close focusing (not a true macro lens) is great for close ups of rings, flowers, etc.

ceremony
most catholic (and lutheran) churches have crappy shooting restrictions. no flash, have to be so many rows back, can't go down aisles, etc. 18mm, 75mm, and 200mm focal lengths cover most of the action here. your 18-250mm is a great lens but the small aperture will hurt you here. accept that 400 ISO and shoot with a tripod so you can pull off that 1/15 shutter speed if you're shooting at f/5.6 - you'll need the extra light. wait for the shots where people aren't moving (i.e. prayers, readings, etc.)

post ceremony indoor group shots
18mm and 50mm are key here. if your flash has a wide angle diffuser on it, use it. if you've got a big group and the big aperture but shallow depth of field is killing you, take a step back, go a little wide on your length, crank the iso back up to close to 400 again and focus a smidgen past the couple. make the best of it...

reception
28mm, 50mm, and 75mm are pretty much going to cover this. a good bounce card on your flash is vital. going wider than 28mm might be useless if it's really dark and you don't have off camera lights.

my 2 suggestions about shooting weddings:
1) exposure control & white balance - don't shoot auto anything; know thy camera and lenses' nuances and you'll be fine.
2) not sure about your shoot? shoot twice.

have fun and good luck!

William M Porter

dangin wrote:

...if you do decide to get the tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, it's close focusing (not a true macro lens) is great for close ups of rings, flowers, etc.

Just for the record -- I'm not asking for buying advice. Lenses I have right now include:

1. Tamron 28-75 f/2.8
2. Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.3
3. Tamron 18-250 f/3.5-6.3
4. Pentax 16-45 f/4
5. Pentax 50 f/1.4

Plus a couple others I doubt I'll use (manual focus 50mm, Tamron 70-300 zoom, etc.). I expect I too will lug all five of the lenses listed above with me. I am pretty sure I can do the job with these lenses, and from my experience with other events, I have a reasonably good idea how to use them, once I see what I'm faced with. I'm trying simply to get a better idea of what I'm going to be faced with. In other words, I'd like to get a feel for what to expect in terms of actual usage in specific situations.

ceremony
most catholic (and lutheran) churches have crappy shooting restrictions. no flash, have to be so many rows back, can't go down aisles, etc. 18mm, 75mm, and 200mm focal lengths cover most of the action here. your 18-250mm is a great lens but the small aperture will hurt you here. accept that 400 ISO and shoot with a tripod so you can pull off that 1/15 shutter speed if you're shooting at f/5.6 - you'll need the extra light. wait for the shots where people aren't moving (i.e. prayers, readings, etc.)

The Pentax K10D has excellent shake reduction -- gives me at least one or two stops to work with. But I will of course have a tripod with me, too. And if I have no choice during the Mass but to be off to the side some good ways, well, I'll put the camera on the tripod and do my best.

Helpful answers, Dan. Thanks,

Will

dangin

you're fine with the lenses you've got there. in fact, your two tamrons will probably be all you really need. i've forgotten one of my camera bags before and ended up shooting an entire wedding with my nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 vr lens. definitely bring extra batteries; you'll especially need them if you're constantly bouncing 1/2 power flash pops at a dark reception venue.

Scott_Quier

First, I shoot Canon (20D and 30D) and do about 2 weddings/month.

I have found the Tammy 28-75 to be just a touch long for a lot of work and the AF to be too hit or miss in darker venues (like the reception, where it can be dark as a cave), even with the focus assist from a Canon 580EX. But, the f/2.8 is a life saver for those situations where flash is not allowed, like most wedding ceremonies.

The 50 f/1.4 will save you in a lot of the darker places.

I can shoot just about any wedding/reception with my 17-55 f/2.8 IS and 70-200 f/2.8 IS. For situations where there isn't enough light for the f/2.8, I have the Canon 50 f/1.4 and the Canon 85 f/1.8.

You said you weren't looking for a shopping list, but for a "when to use what lens" kind of idea:

• 17-55 and/or 10-22 for the getting ready.
• 17-55 and 70-200 for the ceremony. The 17-55 for the wider views of things. The 70-200 allows me to get the close-ups (ring exchange for example) without being the center of attention.
• 10-22 during the ceremony if there is a balcony. This allows for a shot of the entire congregation and the wedding party. Great shot for the album.
• 17-55, 50, 85, 70-200 - all can and are used for the portraits after the ceremony, though I do use the first the most as a large number of these are larger groups.
• 17-55, 70-200, 10-22 at the reception. The first for most of the shots. The second for when I don't want to be "in their face". The last for things like the bouquet toss, where getting the entire room is needed.

Usually, I would have to say that most of your lenses are too slow to do a credible job - but, like you say, the K10D does have the shake reduction technology giving you a couple of stops. For those who are reading and my not completely understand, Pentax shake reduction, Canon IS, and Nikon VR do a good job of compensating for camera movement. They do nothing to help stop the action. In those situations, all you can do is supply more light to the scene or use faster lenses.

I might have a second camera body with me not just as a backup but with a lens attached. (Still thinking about that.)

Stop thinking about it and do something about it. Cameras fail. And, at the worst possible time - like during the recession at a ceremony. If you don't have one, you need to either buy or hire a backup camera. And, having the second camera with a second lens on it is a huge life saver. Really helps get different perspectives of events that happen quickly.

The 18-250 is f/3.5-6.3 -- at 150mm it's down to about f/5 at best but I'll be using flash at that point and I'm not so worried about the speed of the lens here.

That's a heap of flash, especially from across the room. You can do it, but it's going to bleed you dry on battery power. A faster lens will save you if you really want to be shooting/flashing from across the room.

Oh, and there is not such thing as too many batteries or too many memory cards.