I love the primes. Maybe a little too much, but I always love the imagery they produce.
The primes……
Nikon 35mm f/2.0: I’ve had this lens for three years, but only started to really use it six months ago. After my brief venture into Canon, when I came back to Nikon, I most missed the 35mm f/1.4, which is a lens Nikon doesn’t make (yet). I started using this little lens to fill that void, and while I don’t like it as much as the 1.4 Canon version, it is an amazing lens, and I use it often, especially when I need something a little wider than the 50mm will allow for. Nikon 50mm f/1.4: What can I say about this lens? It’s the greatest! I use it more than any other lens. It’s great for portraits, and it’s low light capabilities make it great for getting ready shots as well. Sometimes, I even use it for family formals and bridal party images, as long there is enough room to move to get wide when I need to! This was the first quality lens that I invested in, and it was a great purchase. If you can’t swing it, the 50mm 1.8 is also great, for only $125 or so.
Nikon 85mm f/1.4: When I have room, I love to shoot with the 85mm. If I want amazing, crazy bokeh, it’s my go-to lens. It’s buttery and beautiful. It’s also the most expensive prime we own, and a little tougher to shoot with than the 50, but you just can’t beat the shots you can get with the 85mm 1.4! I use it at every single wedding, and for every single portrait session that I shoot.
Another reason I use the 85mm a lot during the couple’s portraits on the wedding day….it gets me a little further away from the couple, and allows my second shooter to get more angles, without me being in his/her way. I didn’t always do this, but after hearing Wes complain over and over that I would ruin his best shots, I finally got the idea to move away from the couple, and this helped….
Nikon 105mm Macro f/2.8: For ring and small detail shots, nothing beats the macro! I don’t take this lens to portrait sessions, unless it’s a situation where I know I will be shooting close ups of rings or other small detail items, but it always sees it’s fifteen minutes of fame at each and every wedding.
When I photographed babies and little kiddos, the macro was great for close up shots of their little faces and eyelashes. I’ve been asked several times….Is the macro lens really worth the cost? (it’s pretty expensive) I guess that is just a personal decision, as I truly only use it for a few shots every wedding and only very occasionally, for portrait sessions, but for me, the answer is yes, it is absolutely worth the cost.
The first three primes are the lenses I keep on me, in my Shootsac, most of the time. They are my go-to lenses, along with the 70-200mm zoom lens, which I will talk about next time. I try to use at least three different lenses at every portrait session, as it lends a bit of variety to the portfolio of image I am able to give my clients. Hope someone out there has found this helpful!
