Every wedding photographer has their favorite lens for photographing the couple. Some swear that shooting at 200mm produces the most flattering portraits, while others love the sweeping view of the surrounding environment that is showcased when composing with a wide-angle lens. In this video, Pye Jirsa of Lin and Jirsa Photography reveals his most frequently used lenses from over 10,000 wedding photos.
When selecting a go-to focal length for portraits, many photographers will think of something around 85mm, so it may come as a surprise how many of these wedding portraits were created with a wide-angle lens. As wedding photographers, one of our jobs is to be able to illustrate both the couple and the location in which they chose to be photographed on their wedding day. Photographing at a wide angle can be the most effective way to feature the environment in the composition, as the details of the surroundings are often lost at longer focal lengths.
The video is also provides a great overview to how different focal lengths generate different looks. I know that I photograph weddings using mostly telephoto lenses, but after seeing a few examples of some beautiful wide angle environmental portraits, I think I’m going to starting whipping out my 17-40mm a little more frequently.
Lens selection for wedding photography is a matter of personal preference; there’s no right or wrong answer. If you photograph weddings, take a second to think about the lenses that you use the most. How does your list compare to this one?
I really enjoyed the video, very informative. Thank you for posting!
You're welcome Jonathan : )
Nice to see someone shooting in the wide angle spectrum of things. I'm shooting on a Canon crop sensor with the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 and loving it. I'm not shooting weddings yet, but any of the parties and get-togethers that I've shot have come out great.
Me too, thats my go-to lens for any event photography!
I recently shot a wedding and almost used my 24-70 100% of the time. Mixed in a little 85, and 70-200.
I've gotten my wedding kit down to just two lenses the Sigma 35mm Art and the Nikon 105mm f/1.4. The 35mm does 95% of my shots on the day.
For me my 24-105 is the real work horse and takes 95% of the photos, the 70 -200 comes out in the church / ceremony room when lighting and space are constraints.