Best Wedding Photography Lens

I know that wedding photography can be extremely grueling, so I thought I would tell you my secret to simplifying a wedding shoot. It all starts with finding the right lens that lets you cover all your bases. Wedding photographers need to be able to combine a ton of different types of photography. Finding a lens that allows you to be extremely versatile will not only minimize your set up, but would also allow you to run and gun faster so you never miss those important moments.

When trying to find the perfect lens for your needs, you need to understand what those are first. Wedding photographers need to be able to shoot portraits, product/food, action, and much more. So, if it wasn’t obvious already, this eliminates prime lenses because having a fixed focal length is way too limiting. I understand that you may love your 50mm f/1.4, and trust me I love mine as well, but for what we’re trying to do, it doesn’t fit those requirements. How are you going to shoot a group shot of the wedding party on a 50mm? The answer is you aren’t, you need a wider focal length closer to 24mm. 

Now that you understand what types of shots you will be taking at a wedding, let's talk about the lens. A zoom lens with the focal range of 24-70mm will fit all your needs. You can find a 24-70mm lens from every different lens manufacturer, because it is part of the holy trinity of lenses. That is a topic I will cover in a later post. I personally shoot with a Tamron lens because after a ton of research their lenses checked all the boxes for me. That doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy the same one as me. I would say do some research on the different lens manufacturers, and pick the best 24-70mm that fits your needs, which may be Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma, etc. 

You might be wondering why not get even a larger focal range like 24-105mm or 28-300mm. The reason has to do with the f stop, you want the lens to have an aperture of f/2.8 or faster for the best low light performance. Lenses that surpass the holy trinity focal ranges, don’t come with a faster aperture then f/4 and that is way to slow for your needs as a wedding photographer. Now you might be saying to yourself, I can’t afford a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens the cheapest one is like 700 bucks. I completely understand, I only recently saved up enough money after working events to afford my lens. Trust me though once you get this lens you will see how easy your event coverage becomes. 

This focal range will allow you to zoom into 50mm for portraits, then go to 24mm for wide angle group shots, and even zoom all the way to 70mm to snipe shots with a bit of telephoto action. 24-70mm are the most all-round lenses you can find. Below I will have a few examples from my most recent wedding shoot with the 24-70mm f/2.8 Tamron lens, as well as links to lenses from different manufacturer to get you started on the right path.  

Different Lens Manufacturer Links

• Tamron - https://amzn.to/2LPvTvL

• Sigma - https://amzn.to/2Ms46kk

• Nikon - https://amzn.to/2YxgNku

• Sony - https://amzn.to/318RQcF

• Canon - https://amzn.to/31634yA

Best Budget Camera Accessories

You probably just spent a few hundred dollars on a new camera and are wonder why your photos look so bland and your video looks and sound like they were filmed on an early 2000s flip phone. It’s because getting that camera was just the first step, so I decided why not compile a short list of the 5 best budget camera accessories that will help you level up your set up without breaking the bank.

1. Rode VideoMicro

Microphones are in my opinion the most important accessory, and that is why I recommend the Rode VideoMicro. This microphone costs about 60 dollars, and it’s extremely compact and reliable, as well as being phantom powered.

2. Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Lenses provide the most visual difference when it comes to the image your camera creates, but I know that lenses can get extremely expensive. Knowing with brand provides the best bang for your buck is hard. That is why I recommend the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 lens, it cost less then 100 dollars, which is insane for the quality it can produce.

3. Joby GorillaPod 3K

Next up is a way to stand your camera up and for this I would recommend a Joby GorrilaPod. It’s a very versatile product, you can place it on counter tops, hang it on tree branches, and even use it as a way to stabilize your handheld footage.

4. Aputure AL-M9 Pocket Light

This is a must buy product, you can do so much with this little fella. You can directly mount it to your camera for better lighting at night, you can place it in the background on your videos or photos to provide a fill light to the scene. Just like the GorillaPod it’s extremely versatile and is a must have in your arsenal for both photo and video.

5. Tiffen 82mm Circular Polarizing Filter

The last product I want to recommend is a Circular Polarizer for your lenses, this will basically makes a blue sky bluer, enhance clouds, and eliminate reflections. There are a ton of different filter brands out there but I personally trust Tiffen, I have been using there products for years and it never let me down.

Hope this helped you all out with improving your set up without going broke. I know that Photography can be a very scary hobby to get into, and I wish I had easily accessible videos and articles about all this stuff when I was first starting out.

View fullsize

Full Frame vs Crop Sensor

Full Frame vs Crop Sensor cameras is a topic that has been around for years. Recently though I have seen a ton of videos and articles on the argument. They often end with the claim that despite the pros and cons, the differences boil down to personal preferences. As an experienced photographer, I know for a fact that Full Frame is the way to go; keep reading to find out why.

Cameras with Full Frame sensors provide a broader dynamic range and have superior low light/high ISO performance. Therefore yielding a higher quality image in comparison to a Crop Sensor. Also when it comes to aesthetics Full Frame cameras will have a shallower depth of field than a Crop Sensor, which is considered favorable in professional environments. The last difference has to do with focal length. If you buy a 50mm lens you are actually getting a 80mm when you add the crop factor. Some photographers believe that’s phenomenal, because your lens has more throw. They are not taking into account the opposite effect happens when you want to go wide.

I don’t want to discourage people from pursuing photography. I also don’t want people to be fooled with what people say on videos and articles. Full Frames sensors are better then Crop Sensors, which is why they are the industry standard for professional photographer. I personally use a Crop Sensor camera, because I can’t afford Full Frame. I work with my restriction and produce the best quality image I can, because at the end of the day creativity holds more importance over the gear. Let me know what you think in the comments section of this post.

Perfect Your Grid

When it comes to growing on Instagram it can be a grind, personally I could tell you to do a bunch of different things to do to get quick fake followers and likes, but that is not what this post is for. Today I want to talk about your “Grid“, and before I get into the tips I want to say right now that I don’t have the best grid on Instagram, but I do strive for greatness. So, I did a ton of research for the best way to perfect my grid.

My first tip for improving your grid is to keep your images in groups of at least three. An example would be if I go to the beach to take some pictures for my Instagram I will go out with the mindset that I need to get at least three pictures that I can post that have a similar vibe, because nothing looks weirder on a grid then a photo of the beach, then randomly after that a picture of your dog at a park. You want to present your grid similar to how someone curates an art exhibit.

My second tip is to choose a theme, this is really similar to the last tip, but it relates to your entire Instagram feed. The theme is the overall look of your brand as a photographer, and this all depends on how you want to present yourself as an artist. Do you want to white grid with images that are slightly overexposed or a dark grid with underexposed images, or maybe you want to go with a more orange vintage vibe. Like I said earlier this is all a personal choice that you will make as an artist.

My third and final tip will be to pick a type of photography that you are passionate about and try to stick to it as best as you can. I will use myself as an example, I live in South Florida so I am surrounded by beaches and nature trails. So my Instagram feed features a ton of nature and landscape photography. I am not saying to completely stay within those sections of photography, because you don’t want to get bored, but it does help when building a brand to keep everything as uniform as possible.

Example Grid - https://www.instagram.com/petermckinnon/

Just Start Already

Listen just get out there and start, I have met so many people that make excuses or set barriers for themselves. All this does is delay you from ever reaching your goal, never let your equipment limit you from achieving your vision. Yes, amazing lenses, expensive cameras, and lighting setups can make your job easier, but they are not required.

I shoot all my pictures on a Canon T6i which is a budget DSLR with a crop sensor. All my lenses cost less then 500 hundred dollars, some even less then 50. I don’t let my equipment dictate whether I can get the shot. I recently went out to shoot some landscapes, and I set myself a challenge to see if could take professional looking pictures with my cellphone. Honestly, it wasn’t very hard to produce some high quality images with my phone. The Images you see here was taking and edited completely on my phone.

So to end my first post on my blog and new website, never let your situation limit you and just go, let your creativity and passion drive you to greatness.