Wedding using primes?

[steve.elliott]

Having sold some lenses and gone full frame with the Canon 5D I now have a 28mm

f1.8, a 50mm f1.4 and an 85mm f1.8.

 

I'm really having fun with these very fast lenses and know that some people do

take weddings with primes only. My question is, how do you find working with

primes at a fast moving wedding, and what advice would you give? I assume you

use 2 cameras.

 

Thanks in advance.

[ronald_moravec1]

My best friend had a wedding photography business he did as a side line to his

engineering job. It ran for 20 years and he had 5 photogs working for him. each did a

Fri, Sat, and Sunday wedding. His home darkroom processed 125 rolls a week. Film was

purchased in 100 foot rolls by the case and put into Leica cassettes.

 

Each was given two Leica cameras, 35, 50 90 mm lenses plus professional Braun flash

equipment.

 

Yea you can do weddings with primes.

[david_schilling___chicago_]

My first couple of years shooting weddings was with prime lenses and 35mm film, with a little experience you can simply anticipate your shots. A longer lens would be helpful for portraiture though. Most of the time I prefer the flexability of a good all-around zoom lens.

[William Michael]

>>> how do you find working with primes at a fast moving wedding, and what advice would you give? <<<

 

Even having had the break of a few years from two Weddings a week, and then, I was using a zoom on the main camera, I would be very confident that I could cover the whole gig with just these primes:

 

28mm f1.8, a 50mm f1.4 and an 85mm f1.8.

 

[With film, I always had three, 135 format bodies for a Wedding; usually the third is `spare` in the bag.]

 

For this arrangement, I would USE the three 135 format bodies, but most likely only two loaded with dedicated flashes. (on the 28 and the 50)

 

I would carry the three cameras on me, until the reception.

 

If I were limited to two bodies, the 85mm I would keep in my coat pocket, but have two dedicated flashes loaded.

 

WW

[randmcnatt]

I have a camera strap around here somewhere that hangs two cameras at the same time. Great for photojournalism, all the rage in the Air Force 25 years ago. Most guys kept an 80-200 on the lower body and swapped wides on the upper body, although there was one sergeant who kept two around his neck and one or two on his shoulder(s). He won a special Prima Dona Elite Bastard of the Year Award ;)

 

I've used the rig for a couple of weddings, with a fast lens on top and a zoom+strobe on the bottom (since a camera with a flash tends to turn sumersaults when you let it hang). Then I got used to just hanging one on the shoulder, basically resting on my camera bag, and one around the neck. The trick, if there is one, is to plan ahead and be swapping the lens you DON'T need for the one you WILL need while shooting with the one you need NOW. With film it was always exciting, trying to keep track of how much film is available in which body; it's probably better now with big media cards.

[markus maurer]

Hi Ronald

could you tell me what kind of Braun flashes they used? I'm interested because I often use Braun Ultrablitz 38M bounced in manual and auto mode off camera.

I did several private events now with 24mm, 50mm and 90mm manual Pentax/Tamron primes and 1.5 digital crop

factor on the Pentax K10D. I use one body with the 50mm and the second with the 24mm most of the time.

[shawngibson]

I've only shot few weddings (more like 2.5 and only for friends and one bride/groom who really needed some help $-wise), and one after-the-wedding-day reception. I used all Canon primes. For all these events, I would have given my left foot for a 70-200/24-70 combo on two 5D bodies. I don't know what that means, objectively, but for *me* to do weddings with confidence, I'll have to reconsider my own prime-only philosophy by the summer (or work with a second shooter). It was very slow changing lenses, and there was way too much cropping involved for my own tastes because I often seemed to be seeing some decent action anywhere but where I happened to be. Come to think of it, maybe I should have been wearing deodorant:)

 

Shawn

[ned1]

I always carried a 35mm (50mm on my Nikon) as a backup to my zoom. Good thing cause one day my strap broke and I shot the reception with the prime. One of the best I ever did and quite a relief from my heavy zoom. The bouquet toss was tricky but I stationed myself behind the bride and turned the camera vertical so I could catch the bouquet in the air. I'm not sure I would do it again but it was good to know it could be done.

[mike_lotz]

I know that Jessica Claire said on a blog that she shot a whole wedding with either a 50mm or 85mm...can't remember which. Her work is amazing. You can definitely get away with primes. I use a 50mm, 85mm, and 70-200vr. My wife prefers some different lenses, but I get all I need with that setup. I would think much of it would matter upon how much you can move around at the location. --mike

[picturesque]

Learn to anticipate and learn to shoot whatever is in front of you (or away from you) with the lens you have on your camera. In other words, make the shot meaningful with the focal length you've got "on". You don't have to use two cameras at once. It helps only if you've figured out how you can conveniently do so. I would have problems remembering how I set one camera last when returning to it, so if I do this, and sometimes I do, I always set one camera to some automated setting. Luckily, I don't use automation as a crutch.

[William Michael]

>>> make the shot meaningful with the focal length you've got "on". You don't have to use two cameras at once. <<< (NO)

 

:)

 

ah, yes a wise balance to the equation.

 

Happy New Year Nadine.

 

>>> It helps ONLY if you've figured out how you can conveniently do so. <<< (NO) ? (my emphasis)

 

and ONLY if you have a method to do it accurately, and consistently accurately. (apropos exposure).

 

Three cameras looks fantastic, can be a solution, and also can be a mark of the Extravert Photographer, which has its advantages: but Pointless being Showman with Egg on Face.

 

WW

[steve george]

I've shot some weddings with a 35mm f1.4L and 85mm f1.2L as my only used lenses - these have resulted in some of my favourite photographs too.

 

My first few were shot on film rangefinders with a 35mm f1.7, 50mm f2 and 90mm f2 also.

 

I like the confidence having alternatives (such as 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8's) in the bag with me gives though just in case I need them :-)

 

I find it fine using primes at a fast moving wedding - a prime helps me "pre-frame" the shot before I raise the camera much better than a zoom does.

[fotografz]

I use a 24-105/4L zoom for processionals since I'm not after wide aperture work then. It

allows me to be "stuck" up front waiting for the couples to come down the aisle yet reach

out for detail shots, people in the crowd, or get the Mom's lighting a unity candle.

 

After that it rarely comes out of the bag. Primes are used for the remainder of the day ... I

use a Boda Lens bag to carry a couple of other primes with shades mounted and back caps

off ... so swapping lenses takes mere seconds.

 

As Nadine pointed out ... anticipation is the watchword. Experience really informs you of

what lenses will be the best for most situations.

[edrodgers]

My first two wedding years ago were shot entirely with an 80mm (normal) on a Mamiya 645.

 

You can do a wedding with anything, as long as you are prepared to use it, and know what must be done to create a little variety.

 

Some people don't like juggling bodies and lenses, and some people think the added light gathering and sharpness are worth it.

 

I carry both primes and zooms to a wedding, but I gravitate to the zooms until I want to do some low light without strobes.

 

The main reason I stick with the zooms is because of dust getting on the sensor. I did a few weddings a while back with primes, and by the end of the day I had all kinds of dust bunnies to clean out and all kinds of spots to Photoshop. With 2 5D bodies, a 16-35 and a 70-200, I'm set for the day. With film, I wouldn't mind the primes so much.

 

If I had 3 5Ds, I might go back to primes. I don't have too much problem with remembering which settings are on which body. I check ISO every time I pick up a camera, and I mostly stick with Program mode without flash and Manual mode with flash.

 

Rand: I gotta find one of those straps! I can't tell you how many times I've been strangled by criss-crossing two cameras around my neck when I'm in a hurry!

[eric merrill]

Marc:

 

Any idea where I can find more info on Boda bags? I've heard some good things about them. I found a website http://www.goboda.com/ but it doesn't seem to load.

 

 

Eric

[conraderb]

my experience is that primes are best for low light stuff, and for longer reaches.

 

if you have a lot of light, I don't find 1.4 very useful at wide angles except for some detail shots. that's just me. I like to stop down, anyway, to get a bit of sharpness, and I like to move around and enjoy the flexiblity of a zoom.

 

at longer focal lengths, having a 1.4 or 1.2 is great b/c it is useful for nice bokeh purposes, and to open up if things get really dark.

 

I think that the 85mm 1.2 is one of the best lenses out there for a wedding shooter - it can do the bokeh thing or the low light thing.

 

I have a 135mm 2.0 that is also nice, but it is only one stop faster than my 70-200 2.8, and lacks in IS, so doens't offer much more of an advantage, since I can usually shoot my 70-200 at 1/40th and get good results. my 135mm on a 1.6 crop body at 1/80th? a bit tougher :-) I sometimes get decent shots at 1/100th with the 135mm 2.0...

 

the 1.2, by contrast, is 2 + 1/3 stops faster than the 2.8, so sometimes when I'm getting 1/30th at 2.8 on my 70-200 and don't feel like my hands are very steady, I'll put on the 85mm 1.2, shoot it wide open and get a solid 1/125 at 1.2.

 

you can take that equivalent exposure to the bank.

 

just so you know, my default load out is 17-55 on body #1, 85mm 1.2 on body #2. for ceremony, 85mm 1.2 might go away, and 70-200 might come out.

 

the 17-55 is still my default lens. it can do just about anything reasonably well and I much prefer it to my olympus film days when I juggled a bunch of 28mm/50mm/135mm zuiko lenses around...

[steve.elliott]

Based on the focal lengths I've used in the past, the 24-105 f4 on a Canon 5D is a great match.

 

I would prefer to use a zoom for most things because they are so flexible as Conrad has said. For group shots either can be used, for portraits either my 85mm prime or longer end of the 24-105, for low light without flash either prime or 24-70 - but with the great high ISO performance of the 5D and IS, the 24-105 can again be used.

 

I think I may need to hire a 70-200 for a few shots, but with a 24-105 and some primes that should be fine for my new setup.

[tomweis]

I carry two cameras (5D & 1DmkIII), a 20mm f2.8, 28mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8 or

100mm f2 (depending on my mood) and a 135mm f2. For outdoor weddings, I'd also use a

200mm f2.8 and 300mm f4. I like the faster lenses better than zooms... smaller and lighter

too, and I think less intimidating to wedding guests. I prefer available light photography over

flash use. Most candlelight receptions require something like ISO 3200 @ 1/40 @ f2 or so. I

use a Kinesis waist pack to hold the extra lenses. I can change lenses quickly. No problems

with dust so far. Just my preference... I don't even own a zoom at this time.

[frolickingbits]

I shot this entire wedding with a 20 f1.8, 50 f1.8, and 85 f1.8, all on one 30D: http://davisphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/2663360#140921921

I had my Pentax *istD on standby in case anything happened, but I didn't end up using it. My flash was a Sunpak 555 handle mount. The simplicity of shooting with just three lenses was great, as was the lightweight setup. I found I could maneuver to just about any spot I wanted very easily.

I now shoot mostly with a 5D with a 24-85 f2.8, and a 30D with a 70-200 f2.8, a couple 430EX flashes, and a Qflash, which is also a great setup, but I sometimes miss shooting with just the primes and almost all natural light.

[steve.elliott]

Bought the 24-105L to go with my 28 f1.8, 50 f1.4 and 85 f1.8

[m_p2]

What Nadine said. Get a sense of what's going to happen next; this comes with experience. Then you can be ready for it zoom or prime.

Sometimes the whole wedding comes down to one shot; and it's not what happens at the alter. It's after the alter, coming down the ailse,

especially coming out of the church. Be ready when they come out, going to the car. That's when their faces will have the look of relief that the whole damm thing is over and they can actually be happy.