A guide to choosing the best lenses for portrait photography
As wedding photographers, we constantly think about how we can make our images better. Giving our couples the best memories of their wedding makes us super happy. There’s no better motivation for us than a happy bride who loves her wedding day portrait!
Do you even need one?
What is a portrait lens? What can it do that your existing gear can’t? Portrait lenses are simply those that produce a more pleasing effect on people photographs, whether it has to do with image compression, depth of field, beautiful bokeh etc. We reiterate that you can easily take people portraits with any lens you have – the best lenses in the world can’t help you if your creativity, vision and commitment are limited. But if you’ve exhausted the capabilities of your existing gear and have the extra cash, lenses are definitely a fabulous long term investment in your business. Personally, we love our portrait lenses and can’t imagine a time before we had them.
We’ve put together some things for you to think about before investing in new portrait lenses and also some of our favourites.
Things to consider while choosing a portrait lens
We often get asked about which lenses we think are the best for portraits. The answer is a bit precarious because it’s a subjective one for every photographer. Even us! What works for us may not work for you and vice-versa. For most professional photographers, choosing gear is a decision based on what kind of images they want to make. So, it’s not a question of right or wrong but what suits your needs and best reproduces your vision. You can make good pictures in almost any kind of lens that you pick up, provided that you know your basics, can handle manual mode and are willing to get creative. Having said that, a good lens will certainly enhance your skills. So let’s talk about a few factors you need to consider to arrive at a decision.
- Prime vs Zoom lens
- Focal Length and Aperture Control
- Number of people and available space
We know that the options available in the market can make it difficult to make a decision. But for every photographer, the choice is a personal one. If you don’t want to invest in buying a lens yet because you’re not sure, why not rent them? You can get a few different ones for rent, shoot with them for a few days or weeks and then decide which one you like best. Hands-on experience with a lens will make your decision much easier.
Did we miss out on any questions you might have about lenses? Ask away! Need our help with making a decision? We’re here for you!