Best Lens for Wedding Photography

Photography Tips  •  Wedding Photography

Wedding photography puts you in a variety of situations. Some require you to be placed at a good distance while in some situations you need to be up-close taking detail shots. Of course, there’s also everything in between. This is why we often see wedding photographers walking around with at least two camera bodies with different lenses. But is there a way you can shoot weddings on a budget? Professional wedding photographer Taylor Jackson thinks a 50mm lens on a full-frame body should be able to cut it and decides to try it out. Let’s see how things work out:

For demonstration purposes in the video, Jackson uses a Canon 50mm f/1.2L lens. However, all his feedback can be applied to any 50mm prime with a decent aperture, like f/1.8. There will be a slight difference in the quality of the background blur and low light performance, of course.

Jackson puts the lens to the test in various situations that a wedding photographer has to shoot. He also shares his experience in the process. He believes a 50mm lens performs quite well in quite a lot of circumstances. The focal length is indeed versatile.

In situations where you need to photograph the bride and the groom getting ready, a 50mm works perfectly. Even in the case of shooting other scenarios, like group shots and portraits, the lens performs very well. It is only when shooting detail shots that the 50mm falls short. And that’s due to the fact that 50mm lenses have a slightly longer minimum focusing distance. But if you have a camera with a high megapixel count, in the range of 40-50MP, then even details shots are possible with a 50mm lens, as you can easily crop in post.

When it comes to shooting the reception, a 50mm does just fine. You will simply find yourself moving closer toward subjects more often. And keep in mind that a 50mm with a wider aperture will really come handy, especially during the reception, when lighting is far from ideal.

To see the 50mm lens in action and check out the results, be sure to watch the complete video. If you’re trying to shoot a wedding on a budget using one lens, this may be the lens for you.