One of the most difficult areas in photography is portraiture and developing the ability to capture beautiful portraits during weddings.  I get so many emails about this sort of thing these days that I’ve created a short primer starting from equipment up to the basics in portrait positioning.  This is the first lesson in a series of tutorials on the matter.

Equipment Checklist

Best lenses and accessories for portrait work
Generally, the lenses that give the best results are short (50-90) to long (100-300) telephoto lenses.  The reason is that these lenses usually have excellent bokeh and sharpness with primes in that range being quite fast.  There is always a compromise between optimal quality and convenience, and as a professional it’s important that you know when to make minor compromises.  Let’s discuss the different choices in lenses.

Primes
A prime lens simply means it’s a lens that has just one focal length and usually has a fixed aperture.  Prime lenses for any system almost always offer the very best quality in IQ, color, noise, weight and speed over zoom lenses.  But, the trade-off lies in their lack of versatility in comparison to zooms.  Bokeh, or the creamy blurry effect you get outside of the main subject when shooting, is also something that is usually more pleasing to the eye when displayed with most prime lenses against their zoom counterparts.

Now let’s take a look lens by lens:

24/1.2 and 2.8 – These lenses can be used for portraiture because they are fast and have pleasing bokeh in some aperture ranges but this is a tedious task because you’d constantly need to be aware of your distance to maintain the level of IQ needed.  It’s not ideal because the focal length is short and would require you to get uncomfortably close to your subject. This focal length is much useful for group shots rather than single subject portraits.

35/1.2 – 2.0 – These lenses can be used for portraiture because they are fast and have pleasing bokeh in some aperture ranges.  In most mounts this is somewhat of an all purpose lens and is great for portraits, especially on non full frame cameras.  It’s not the absolute best choice for portrait photography because it’s a bit short, but it’s a solid street and candid lens that is inexpensive from 1.4-2.0 in all mounts.

50/1.2 – 1.8 – If your on a budget the slower end of these very fast lenses are almost always under $150 for any mount.  You get a good range and excellent IQ.  The fastest versions of these lenses are ideal for portraiture due to focal length and IQ quality.

85/1.4 – 1.8 – This is one of the best ranges for portrait photography and most mounts design this lens just for that purpose.  Excellent range and excellent IQ.

100 – 135/1.8 – 2.8 – The non macro versions of these lenses are excellent for portrait work.  135 is an ideal range on full frame in systems that make that range, it is usually the best portrait lens one can buy.

200/2 – 2.8 – Depending on your style of shooting this could be the best option for portraiture but it’s length could be a drawback on non full frame cameras.

Zooms
Nowadays the IQ advantage of prime lenses over zooms is not as noticeable.  In many cases the next generation pro zooms out perform there prime counterparts in there focal lengths and all the important ranges can be found at fixed 2.8 aperture.  For weddings the added speed of 2.8 is essential and as such lens that are slower than that are not ideal so we won’t focus on any of them.

16-35/2.8 – This is one of the most important lenses that you will need when shooting group shots. While you may see some distortion at the widest aperture up close it is usually just fine a few focal lengths upwards.

24-70/2.8 or 17-50/2.8 – This is an ideal lens for portraiture and weddings due to it’s useful range and speed.  Stabilized versions of this lens make it even more useful as you’ll be able to shoot in the sub 100 shutter speeds handheld without camera shake visible in shots.

70-200/2.8 – This is the most ideal range for portraiture since it covers the spectrum of ideal focal lengths.  On full frame it is an even more appealing range and can be used as your general purpose lens for portraiture and weddings.  It’s biggest drawback is the weight as it will be quite heavy on any mount.  This is a lens you really need to get with IS because it will be harder to keep it steady hand held while indoors at 2.8.

The portrait photographers kit
If you have complete control of the photography session with no rush on time, then it’s best to carry the lenses that you feel most comfortable with for portraiture.  For me, that means I’m not really looking for convenience as much as which lenses will do the best job for my shot selections.  In my bag, I’m carrying a 24-70/2.8, 85/1.4, 135/1.8, 70-200/2.8 and/or 70-300/4.5-5.6 (just in case I want to do a extremely far away close up shot in good light).  I am carrying (2) strobes with my Honl light accessories kit, Litedome Softbox attachment, Radiopopper wireless system, light stands, reflector, and sand bags (if I don’t have an assistant).

1/125 – F5.6 -ISO 160

The wedding photographers kit
Not too long ago, the medium-format film camera was the wedding photographer’s chief tool.  Nowadays, the 35 mm DSLR camera has taken over the industry and, with a range of lenses  and accessories, it copes with most situations perfectly.  Coming from the film era, my preference is for full frame DSLR’s as I’ve never quite gotten used to crop factored sensors.  I carry a 24-70/2.8  and it is generally the most useful lens at a wedding.  On a crop factored camera I’d suggest the 17-50/2.8 or 16-80.  Also recommended is something wide like a 12-24 or 16-35.

1/200 – F4 -ISO 160

The most indispensable range just might a 70-200/2.8 (with a tele converter for added range).   On full frame this range is ideal as it allows you to shoot from a comfortable range and zoom in quite close.  Fortunately, in the last year, all the major 35 mm camera developers and 3rd party lens makers have released f 2.8 lenses in this range, so there is a lens for any budget in this range.

Many weddings don’t allow flashes to be used during the ceremony so this is an important reason to invest in fast lenses (f 1.2 – f 2.8).  On the occasions that call for on-camera flash, such as the signing of the register in a room with low light, I carry Sony 58AMs / SB800 Speedlights / or the equivalent in other systems.  Only a few years ago, studio lighting was needed for winter weddings, where available daylight is markedly shorter, but now wireless triggers using portable strobes mentioned above work just fine and save on space.

Primes are a favorite of mine so I carry the 135/1.8 and 85/1.4 for the extra speed in natural light shooting.  The 50/1.8, 50/1.7, 50/1.4, and 50/1.2 are very good options as well especially on APS-C.

1/80 – F2.0 -ISO 640

Also in my bag, is extra storage for my photos.  I usually have 2 cards from 8-16 GB’s in the bodies and a portable storage device for backup.  I also carry 2 more cards as backup to those, so that’s 6 memory cards in total along with extra storage.

A camera support, either tripod or monopod, is advisable in many situations.  It doesn’t matter how good the ISO performance of a given body is, you will want to bring some sort of support so you can get very sharp photos at fast shutter speeds in many situations.  During the ceremony, where you should have plenty of time to setup, this is an ideal tool and highly recommended. Shooting in low light or to help accurate composition when photographing groups of people are also very important reasons to carry at least some form of support.

1/200 – F7 -ISO 200

For back-up, take an additional DSLR, fitted with an all-around lens such as a 24-105 or you could use this body actively during the day.  My favorite combo is a 24-70/2.8 on one body and a 70-200/2.8 on the other.  It would be foolish to attend a wedding without some form of reserve camera should the unexpected happen.  Camera failure is extremely rare and hasn’t happened to me at a wedding, but experience has taught me that back-up equipment is essential for peace of mind.

Directing Poses

Shooting in Natural Light and Artificial Lighting

Choosing when to use artificial light is mostly about creativity these days, as the current DSLR’s allow for very sharp high ISO shoots.  But, certain styles can only be replicated with artificial lighting, notably via a portable strobe.

When the available light is perfect, there is no need to try and enhance it or control it with light from a strobe. And then there are times when using flash would destroy great ambient light.

Many times during a wedding, the ambient is simply not enough and even if it is, there still might be some harsh shadowing that can ruin or “dull down” and otherwise spectacular photographing opportunity.

It is important that you understand how shutter speed, aperture and ISO inter-relate.

There are two primary ways of using on-camera flash outside: (speaking broadly here):

- A fill flash that gently lifts the shadows (near sunset or on a very cloudy day)

- An overpowering light source to lift the shadows of a subject by matching the sunlights intensity. (think high noon or a very bright cloudless day)

Of course there are exceptions but as a rule keep what I mentioned in mind while shooting.

In the above photo, I added just enough fill flash to lesson the shadow of the pole.  Even though the sun was rather intense, the bride angle her body into the shadow of the poll so there was no need drown out all the natural light.

Even though the couple was slightly in the shade, I had to use quite a bit of flash to bring out the shadows without burning white tones of skin and clothing.  The nice thing about shooting in RAW and digital is that if done correctly you can lift a bit more light out of the image with just a little bit of post processing.

I often get asked why the images displayed here that were taken at slow shutter speeds, still appear sharp.  First, you have to take care of keeping your camera steady while your shooting.  It doesn’t matter if your using a stabilized lens or body, camera shake can ruin a photographing experience.  But besides that there is more at work going on here.  When using flash, even a dialed downed glimmer, it is pretty much an instantaneous burst of light, it will freeze action and camera shake even at very slow shutter speeds like 1/15 – 1/60.

Natural Posing
In setting up a natural pose the key is to make sure that the subject is relaxed.  With a model this is not a problem for the most part, but with everyday people it means that you’ll have to talk to the subject and reassure them that they are doing a good job.  After a short time, you’ll find that they’ll naturally flow into comfortable poses.

When shooting indoors using natural or ambient light only, you’ll need a fast lens, so primes are preferred in these situations.  Dragging the shutter, which simply means shooting at a slower shutter speed to gather in more ambient light, is a technique that you’ll find most useful when shooting with ambient light only.

Romantic Posing
The best way to shoot a romantic pose is to allow the subjects to interact with each other in an intimate manner.  You must encourage/coax hugging, kissing, hand holding, longing gazes, and genuine emotion.  It is not as hard as it sounds when your dealing with 2 people that want to be married, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Outdoor Posing
Posing a model outdoors depends mostly on the environment and time of day.  In a crowded area, it may be necessary to use a flash to help isolate and freeze the action.  If it is a very bright day and your shooting mid day, then you may need a flash to help combat the harsh shadows created by the sun.  For weddings, when dealing just with the bride and groom, using some sort of prop is ideal, like a gazebo, nearby tree, walkways, etc…

When dealing with groups, you may want to consider using two flashes on stands, with diffusers as a way to help control the quality of the light.

Dramatic Posing
Dramatic posing is all about the angles and expression.  It doesn’t mean it has to be a close up shot, it just means that it has to evoke some sort of emotional response.  In weddings, this could be the groom dipping the bride, the bride with her veil blowing in the wind, or the groomsmen all jumping at the same time.

Directing Groups
If you have a large group to direct, there is nothing more beneficial than an assistant.  But if you must do it alone, the best thing to do is maintain order and pay attention to details.  Try to place smaller people in the front and taller ones in the backs and ends.  Make sure everyone’s doing the expressions asked for in the shot.  If not take it again until you’ve got it.  Above all else, don’t let party members pressure you into working so fast that you don’t get any “well shot” photographs.

1/160 – F8 -ISO 400