Happy Thursday, friends! I was so sad to skip our lessons for the past 2 weeks, but we had some serious business going on. Obviously, that means we were away for our bachelor and bachelorette parties!!! 🙂 Now Eli and I are back in action and have a great lesson to go over! We are going to review all the lenses I own, when I use them, and what my favorites are! When I first started photography, I was always searching blogs and googling the best lenses to invest in, so I thought it would be a good idea to do one of my own for first time photographers! Recently I have also been asked through private messages about the lenses I am using in specific photos. I’m so excited to share, but remember these are all for my Nikon! I am still waiting to purchase some other lenses once I am ready to invest, so I will also share those. Enjoy!

Nikon 20mm 2.8 

I use the 20mm the least of all my lenses, but it can definitely come in handy at desperate times! This image was taken my first time being a second shooter at a wedding. I pulled out this lens a few times when I really needed it. I used it first when the MASSIVE bridal party was in a tight space and the main photographer couldn’t fit them in the frame. The second time was when I realized we had zero space in front of this AWESOME dessert table and I couldn’t fit everything in the photo! So this is what I got, and it doesn’t look as great as it would with the other lenses, but it’s great to get the full shot anyways! The last time I pulled out this lens was when I wanted to get some fun shots of everyone on the dance floor later that night. It can create some awesome wide angle photos!!

Nikon 35mm 1.8

The 35mm is amazing. Whenever I find myself in a tight space or maybe just want to take portraits with more in frame, this is my go-to lens. The example below is from when this couple wanted photos on a porch swing and I didn’t have a ton of room to take them. My 35mm came in handy by allowing me to get more of the porch in the frame, rather than just the swing. I use this lens at weddings, portrait sessions, large group photos, and other times where I think it might look better with a wider angle, but not wide enough for the 20mm. 

Nikon 50mm 1.4

This lens is my #1 girl!!! I use my 50mm for anything and everything. If I don’t specifically need the wider lenses for anything, this is ALWAYS on my camera. It was almost like my whole world changed when I purchased the 50mm. I immediately became obsessed and it is  a 100% must-have. I use it for all portraits or even details and products. It creates the most beautiful images!! If you’re just starting out and want your first new lens, go for the 50mm- you will not regret it! 

Nikon 105mm 2.8

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this lens!!! From these images you can see that you can do quite a bit with it! It creates gorgeous macro photos that are perfect for ring shots, details, and close ups. I caught this ceremony shot while I was way back behind all of the guests, but I didn’t have a zoom lens, so I used this one. Look how gorgeous it turned out! I always have fun while using this lens because it means really pretty pictures are about to happen! 🙂 I highly recommend investing in this lens if you’re about to start engagement sessions or weddings! 

Lenses I plan to purchase next:

70-200mm: I am hoping to be able to purchase this zoom lens soon so that I can put it to use at weddings! Right now I am using my 105mm in place of a zoom for those close-up shots. I would love to have a nice zoom lens to get the shots I really want and are important to have!

85mm: I have heard great things about this lens for portrait sessions and also weddings! This might be a perfect lens for my second shooter (Eli 🙂 ) to use at specific times on wedding days. You can be far away from the subject and still get an amazing shot a little closer up and focused on their faces or other details. 

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Hopefully you enjoyed this lesson today! Soon enough Eli will be learning all about lighting and more of the fun stuff. Thanks for following along. We encourage anyone just starting out on their photography journey to ask us questions and follow along our adventure of Eli improving through each lesson! We are rooting for you as you continue to learn and grow in this industry!!

 

XO, Remy