Lenses have a huge impact on photography. Most wedding photographers rely on four main types of lens, so let’s take a look at what makes each one stand out.
Types of Lenses:
• Wide-Angle Zoom
• Wide-to-Telephoto Zoom
• Image-Stabilized Telephoto Zoom
• Prime/Portrait Lenses
Wide-angle Zoom:
The wide-angle zoom is the most common lens, and one every photographer should own. It typically ranges from 17mm to 35mm with a fixed aperture of f/2.8. This lens gives you a large depth of field, making it easy to keep both foreground and background in focus.
Wide-to-telephoto Zoom:
This type of lens covers roughly the 20–70mm focal length range with an aperture of f/2.8. It lets you go wide enough to capture a group photograph, while still getting close enough to catch facial expressions in candid shots, or a three-quarter portrait of a couple, without the distortion effects of a wide-angle lens.
Image-stabilised Telephoto Zoom:
The 70–200mm focal length range is an important one for wedding and other ceremony photography. It gives your subjects more space in situations where you’d rather not get in the way. This lens extends to 200mm, which is more than enough to capture precise three-quarter length shots with ease.
Prime Lenses:
A prime lens has a fixed focal length, unlike zoom lenses, which vary between ranges such as 24–70mm or 17–55mm. Prime lenses generally offer better optical quality than zoom lenses, and typically come with wider maximum apertures, such as f/2.8 or f/1.8.
As a photographer, making a well-informed choice about which lens to use will genuinely elevate your wedding photography to a more professional level.