By Robert Rodriguez 

This short book explores the art and craft of landscape photography from a holistic perspective. Based on real world experiences as a landscape photographer as well as an instructor, speaker, and blogger, I distill my basic approach to capturing evocative images in a series of essays based on the “Beyond the Lens” blog.
While many books focus on the gear and technology, the aim here is to look inside the motivation, passion, and vision involved in successful landscape photography.Go behind the scenes as I explain how several images were made, how I draw inspiration from the Hudson River School of painters, and what resources I recommend for further exploration.
If you have an iPad, enjoy the interactive iBooks edition multi-touch book. It contains full screen views of all the images (compatible with Retina display), interactive galleries, and two videos. You’ll need an iPad (any version) and the free iBooks app to download it from the iBook Store.

(Just click on the link below)

Insights from Beyond the Lens, by Robert Rodriguez Jr

A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 1 – Preparation and Rapport

By: Clinton Moore

#Older#Photographing#Clients

You often hear it said that outstanding photography is about storytelling. An image may not
have perfect lighting ratios or razor sharpness, but if it connects with you that can be all that
matters. Working with elderly clients can be the ultimate storytelling journey as these folks have
experience in spades!
In this first of a two-part series on working with elderly clients, we’ll explore the practical
and rapport building aspects of creating a story through the click of a shutter. Part two
focuses on lighting and posing techniques.

How old is old?

Remember that there is a spectrum of seniors. Most do not think of themselves as frail or 

grizzled. Get to know your stereotypes and your subject.

One place where your point of view can get in the way of a great image is generalizations
around age. You’ve fallen into this trap the minute you conceptualize your client as “old” or “elderly.”
They tend to hate these terms. Can you blame them?
It’s important to step back and remember that there is a spectrum of the elderly.
A 65-year-old is probably going to be at a different place in their life, both physically
and mentally, to a 90-year-old. This includes everything from their health and mobility to their attitude about what they desire in a portrait.
Just try getting a 90-year-old to go for a brisk walk down the beach at dusk as you do in your standard family portraits.
Step back and remember that you need to get to know where your client is at before you even
pick up your camera. After all, age is a state of mind.

Rapport building

Older clients tend to take a bit more time to photograph. They’ve been around the block a
few times, and they want to get to know you a bit first. Also, they’re generally not trained
models looking for a glamour shot for their Instagram feed.
For them, a photograph is an event, not an addiction.

Older generations may only have had one formal photograph in their lives. Don’t assume 

they will be comfortable around the camera just because they’re there.

Communicate their way

You may be used to connecting through a world of emails and social media, but this isn’t
always the case for older clients. For many older clients, their first instinct will be to pick
up the phone (and we’re not even talking about a cell/mobile half the time!).
So be sure to place your phone number prominently on your website and any other
form of marketing. This creates a sense of trust that you’re not going to just run off with
their money.
Of course, many older clients do have email but may likely hold you to a higher standard
of communication than you are used to on social media. Make sure you address them
formally (i.e. “Dear John”), don’t use modern abbreviations or slang, and please check your
spelling and grammar!

Creating comfort

When shooting a portrait, comfort should be your number one priority regardless of your
client’s age. However, for older clients, you may have to do a little more than just making
bad jokes from behind the lens.
Take the time to meet with your client before the shooting date. Sit down with them and
be willing to share a bit of your personal story. This means more than just your shooting
 style. Tell them about where you come from, your family, or your interests.
This old school type of business approach might seem a little strange if you’re used to more
modern online interactions. However, for older clients, it builds trust.
Try to keep in mind that older generations didn’t grow up with cameras being thrust in
their face every second of the day. So your first job is really to make them feel safe. It’s
entirely possible that the photo shoot was the idea of their children, and the client themselves
may not be entirely on board.
So be sure to make them feel comfortable. Communicate your process and timeline clearly,
and then stick to it!

Sitting down with your client can be the most interesting part of the whole process. Take the 

time to do it right.

Understand their goal

Who paid for the shoot? One of the tough parts about working with older people is that they
may not actually be the client!
If their children are footing the bill, understand what they want from the session in addition
to the older persons desired outcomes. Often this is going to be a case of compromise. This
highlights the importance of communication and preparation.
Now assuming the older person is your client, the first step is to determine how they want to
be portrayed. While this should be standard practice regardless of age, there are a few areas
here that can trip you up.
If they’re quite old, this portrait could be the photo destined for the tombstone. No one will
say it out loud, but people may be thinking it. As such, family members might have differing,
but strong opinions about how things should look.
Keep in mind that some clients might want to be photoshopped back into their 20s, whereas
others may proudly want their wrinkles on display. As always communication is vital!
Be careful about imposing your ideas of old age photography onto the session. Try to avoid
the cliché shots of the serious or delirious old person. Instead, let their personality shine.

Avoid the clichéd shots and post-processing that portray older subjects as worn or 

child-like. Let their personality lead your images.

Get out of their face

Want to make an 80+-year-old client feel immediately uncomfortable? Get right up in
their face with a lens. Aside from the fact that it’s probably not going to give a very
flattering look, it can feel intimidating.
They may also not be over the moon about being surrounded by multiple light stands,
softboxes, flags, and reflectors.
During your initial consultation, find out what level of gear will allow them to feel
comfortable. If that means just the natural light through a window, then work with that.

Posed versus candid photographs

One of the most important initial questions pre-shoot is whether the client wants
posed or candid shots.
While the client’s wishes should mostly steer this decision, you need to take a few
factors into account.
Client’s who are experiencing dementia, particularly frontal dementia, may struggle
with a posed photo shoot. Frontal dementia affects a person’s ability to plan and organize.
So your usually simple instructions such as “open your eyes and smile on the count of
three,” may quickly descend into chaos.
That said, if you’re doing a family shoot, a little bit of this chaos (provided no one gets too embarrassed) can be a great natural ice-breaker.
When in doubt ask yourself what style of shoot will best allow the client’s personality
to shine through. A shot of grandpa tinkering away in his workshop might be infinitely
more valuable than a stale headshot for the family.

Sometimes the best photograph won’t be the perfectly lit, composed and exposed image. 

A family snapshot can be infinitely more iconic if it captures your subject’s personality.

Length of sessions

When shooting significantly older clients, keep sessions as short as possible.
The process of having to concentrate on a range of different instructions can be quite
fatiguing. There’s also a good chance that their preparation for the shoot started well
before you arrived.
As mentioned before, clients suffering with dementia can also experience a phenomenon
called “sundowning” which is a tendency to become more confused towards the end of
the day.
See again the importance of making sure you know your client before you organize
anything?

Jot down everything you can during your pre-consultation to create a fleshed-out idea of 

your client and their needs.

Mobility and location of sessions

Although a 60-year-old client can probably go anywhere you can think of; a 90-year-old
client can’t. Something as small as a flight of stairs can pose a massive hurdle to a
significantly older client.
Plan where you are going beforehand and give your client plenty of time to get there.
Asking them to cross a park to get to a beautiful spot you usually take your clients
could end up taking more time than you had intended for the entire shoot.
As you can see, the minute you leave the client’s home, things get a bit more complicated.
However, don’t let that discourage you from venturing outdoors. Just do the groundwork
beforehand and make sure everyone involved is on the same page.

Be realistic about the areas an older person can access. A few steps may as well be a

mountain for some. It never hurts to send your assistant to check it out first.

Conclusion

Working with older clients is a delightful experience. Their sincerity is hard to miss.
To ensure you have the best chance at a successful shoot, take the time to prepare more
than just your lighting diagrams. Focus on understanding the client’s goals and
personality. Collaborate with the family where necessary, and make their comfort your
number one
priority.
Next time we’ll be looking at some ideas around lighting and posing older clients.
Do you have any other tips you’d like to share? If so, please do so in the comments
section.

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A Beginners Guide to Taking Portraits of Elderly Clients: Part 2 – Lighting and Posing

By: Clinton Moore

#Older#Photographing#Clients

Welcome to part two in our series on photographing older clients. In part one, we looked
at rapport building and the practical aspects of preparing for your shoot. In this article,
you’ll learn about lighting and posing techniques to enhance your photos of elderly subjects.
Lighting older clients utilizes most of the same lighting principles that you apply to
younger clients, but there are a few extra tricks that will ensure a stress-free and flattering shoot.

Lighting practicalities

For this article, we’re going to assume that you are shooting at the subject’s home – often a requirement when shooting older clients. This means that you won’t have access to a full studio setup and will have to improvise based on space.

Lost in space

If you’re lucky, your older client may still be in the old family home with beautiful high
ceilings so you can set up and bounce light to your heart’s content. Unfortunately, many
will have downsized and are often in smaller apartments. Others may be in nursing homes
with less space than your average bathroom and have everything they own crammed within
this space.
In tight spaces, the best bet is to try and get outside. However, this is not always possible for
less mobile clients.
Also remember, if you’re doing a shoot in a nursing or retirement home, you’ll possibly
need to gain permission from the village manager. There’s a lot of protection around older
residents (and rightfully so), which means the home is not likely to take kindly to a stranger
turning up unannounced and taking photos of vulnerable people.
This is not one of those situations where it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get
permission first!

Flash versus continuous lighting

As a photographer, flash is probably your go-to for artificial lighting when outside the
studio, but take a moment to consider continuous lighting. While a strobe is more portable
and powerful than most affordable continuous lights, they can be quite disorienting for
older clients – particularly those with dementia. The last thing you want is to distress the
 person you’re hoping to make a smile.
With the affordable price of LED lighting these days, continuous lighting is now incredibly
accessible and has the added benefit of remaining cool for your client as opposed to older
lights. Advances in chip-on-board LED technology also means you don’t have to worry
about heavy and expensive HMI lights when you want that classic Fresnel look.

Soft versus hard light

The aim of the shoot will determine your lighting style.
It’s going to be rare to hear an older person say “please make me look old and grizzled,” so your aim is likely to create a flattering image of your subject by leaning towards soft, highly-diffused light. You can achieve this by using light from large light sources such as softboxes and umbrellas. The bigger the source, the better! You want that light to wrap around their face.
Unless it’s the desired look, contrast is your enemy when photographing elderly people as it accentuates their wrinkles and any other parts that are sagging. This might be great for gritty street photography, but it’s unlikely an older person wants you to portray them like that in a paid portrait.
Think less George Hurrell, more Anne Geddes (but leave the flower pot at home).
Of course, the final decision should always come from a mixture of trying to convey your client’s personality and meeting the brief agreed upon in your pre-shoot consultation.

Lighting setups

We’ll look at two classic lighting setups which aim to create a flattering portrait. While there are limitless portrait lighting options, not all will work with older clients due to wrinkles, sagging, and posture issues.

3-point lighting

The classic three-point lighting setup provides you with a huge amount of flexibility
to sculpt the subject’s face in a flattering light.
For older clients, aim to have your key light only a little stronger than your fill light.
This reduces contrast and provide a more flattering light that wraps around the face.
Fill light is your friend when it comes to older clients.

Short lighting (left) generally provides a more flattering photo for an elderly subject 

than broad lighting (right).

Although you’ll be using more fill than normal, it’s still important to be aware of the
effects of short and broad lighting, as aging isn’t always kind to the face shape. You
can use short lighting to make a wide face appear more slender. This is usually the
more flattering option for older faces.
Broad lighting can add some width to a skinnier face, but it tends also add more
emphasis on wrinkles.
For older clients, it can also pay to lower your lights a little more than you might with
a young client. The shadows cast by higher lights emphasize wrinkles and sagging skin.

Placing the lights higher as you might do with a younger client can create shadows that 

highlight  features such as wrinkles and crow’s feet.

By lowering the lights, the face softens, and you can fill in the eyes which tend to sink
with age. It never hurts to throw a reflector under the subject’s chin to lift the shadows.

Dropping your key light by just a small amount can have a dramatic difference to
the final image.You will then get a final shot that creates a warm and inviting portrait.

Combining all the changes and tossing in a reflector under the subject’s chin creates a
final image that presents them in favorable light.

Clamshell lighting

Clamshell lighting can create a very dramatic look, but with large diffused light sources it 

can also light an older face in a flattering way while still providing a dynamic effect.
In this setup, we have a large softbox angled at 45-degrees acting as the key and an umbrella as the fill. You may also want to experiment with a beauty dish as the key light for a more striking look.

The clamshell is a simple setup and can be achieved with just one key light and a reflector
to act as fill if need be.

While exposing correctly is a no-brainer no matter how you’re lighting, it goes double for 

a clamshell setup as excessive underlighting creates a ghoulish look like something out of 

a horror movie. A safe way to avoid this can be to use a simple reflector or bounce board as 

your fill if you’re not comfortable with setting exposure on artificial lights.

Failing to set your fill light correctly will result in underlighting that creates a scary look
unlikely to be desired by your client.As you can see, by reducing the fill light to a little more
than half the exposure of the key light, you get a more balanced look.

Ensuring that you have your fill light set lower than your key light will create the classic
clamshell look. 

Combined with good posing, this lighting setup can provide a great option for taking a 

square-on image of an older person. The resulting shot can convey an introspective, but 

intimate feel.

By exposing correctly and positioning your client beautifully you will get a final shot that
has a great introspective feel.

Elderly portrait idiosyncrasies

Although having a couple of basic lighting setups will get you 80% of the way to 

photographing elderly clients, there are still a few little hurdles to be aware of that may 

otherwise cause chaos on your shoot.

Glasses and reflections

Glasses are the bane of your existence when working with elderly clients. A pair of 

spectacles loves nothing more than to capture the reflection of your lights. And God 

help you if you’re dealing with bifocals!

Glasses! Guaranteed to destroy any portrait without some planning.

You can always ask your subject to remove their glasses completely, but many will feel that 

they look wrong without their glasses after having worn them for so many years.  Managing glasses always requires a bit of compromise to bring your client’s eyes back into the image, but three of the best options are:
1. Tilt Down – Ask you subject to tilt their glasses down just a little. This can be combined with tilting their head down as well. Don’t go overboard with this unless you want them to look like 

Santa or a librarian.

You will largely remove the reflections by asking your subject to lower their chin and tilt their
glasses down. However, be careful not to overdo it!

2. Raise Your Lights – Raising your lights a little higher reduces the chance of picking up a reflection. Of course, the trade-off here is that you will get more shadows. It can help to 

balance the change with a reflector.

Raising the lights resolves the reflections issue, but creates a new dilemma due to the
heavy shadows that now appear.

3. Lensless Glasses – Possibly the best solution. Bring along a pair of glasses with the 

lenses removed. Hey presto, no more reflections to worry about. The issue here, of course, 

is that they may not be the style of glasses that work with your subject’s face.

Managing baldness

Sure it happens to younger folks as well, but if you’re photographing older clients, you’re going to encounter a lot of bald heads. The issue here is that a bald head will act like a big reflective surface and create a hot spot.
To resolve this:
1. Lower Your Lights – by lowering the height of your lights you reduce the reflections on their head. Of course, the problem here becomes the balancing act that has to take place if your subject also happens to be wearing glasses!
2. Remove Rim Lights – When dealing with baldness it’s worth considering doing away with your rim light entirely. Find alternate ways to separate your subject from the background.
3. Powder – Having some neutral powder on hand is always handy to reduce the shine of a bald head. If you’ve got a particularly proud male that won’t wear “makeup,” take a photo without any powder applied and show them the attention drawn to their head.

Exposing hair

Jumping back to the 3-point lighting setup, this all comes down to the rim light. As mentioned above, the rim light is the enemy of the bald head. However, it also wreaks havoc with grey hair. Be extra careful not to overexpose with grey hair as you will quickly blow the highlights much more easily than you would with colored hair.

Posing older clients

Posing older clients is tricky because, as we discussed in part one, there is a range of what constitutes being “elderly.” People around 65 years of age will probably be able to do many of your standard poses with great results. However, significantly older clients may have restricted mobility and health issues that prevent them from standing for long periods.

Stools are for fools

Assuming you are working with a client over the age of 80, it’s best to consider basing your shoot around them sitting down. The first thing to do is turf that stool that you use with your younger clients.
Older clients need the back support of a chair and could fall off something as unstable as a stool. They also may not have the core strength to support themselves on a stool leading to some very bad slumping.
Clients over the age of 80 with mobility issues are also likely to have recliner style chairs that they can easily disappear into.

Shooting front-on with your client in a large chair or recliner will tend to make them look
small and wider if they are allowed to sink back.

Shooting this image, particularly front-on, will make the client appear small and can have an unflattering effect on their thighs (which will spread when seated in this manner).
To remedy this issue prop your client up with some pillows to create a better posture. If the 

client is quite frail, ask a family member to do this so that you don’t cause any harm.

Place pillows behind the client or ask them to sit towards the edge of the chair to shift
their posture.By bringing the client forward and focusing on the head and shoulders
framing, the resulting image is more flattering.

By moving the client forward they will be less likely to slump resulting in a more
flattering image.

Safe and secured gear

One of the major causes of injury in elderly people is falling over. Often they will be 

very used to everything being set up in their home a particular way. As such, moving 

furniture around and bringing in big gear can pose problems.
Firstly, only move furniture with their permission and, of course, put it back when 

you’re done! Ensure that you’ve left a clear path to the front door and the toilet in 

case of emergencies.
Secondly, secure your gear! At the very least put sandbags on your light stands and 

tripod. If you’re using anything that has cords, pull out that gaffer tape and stick it down.

Sandbag those lights and gaffer those cords so that you don’t end up responsible for
a trip to the E.R. 

An uninjured client is a happy client, so take those extra few minutes to make sure the 

area is safe.

Flattering posing angles

Great, you’ve got everything setup safely, now it’s time to pose your client.
Again, assuming you are dealing with a client who is older than 75, posing is about 

compromises.
Few people look great square-on, so start by asking your client to turn their body 

slightly away from the camera. Next, ask the client to turn their head back to the 

camera with their body facing the key light.
It’s often best to avoid having older clients tilt their head as this can cause bunching 

of the skin under the neck. Instead, keep the head perpendicular to the body and focus 

on asking them to push their jaw slightly forward to stretch their neck.
If your client is really concerned about their neck wrinkles, it will be best to shoot 

from slightly above the client and ask them to angle their chin down. Similarly, if a 

male client is worried about baldness, shooting from slightly lower than eye level 

reduces the focus on their head.
For clients who are unable to shift their neck or body due to age, a front-on shot can 

still be flattering, but you will want to try and shift the weight forward.

Move your subject as close to the edge of the chair as is safe while supporting their
back. Clients who struggle to support their weight may benefit from placing their
hands on their thighsrop the client up with pillows behind their back and ask if they are
able to place their hands on their knees to support their weight while leaning forward a tad.
Experiment with placement on the knees and thighs to find the position that allows for the
most natural shoulder alignment.

Photographing elderly clients is a great way to bring together all of your 

basic lighting and posing principles with a few extra challenges thrown in to boot!
Experimentation is always key as you will have to work with the physical restrictions 

of your client’s age and the practical limitations of their home. By having a clear idea 

of your client’s expectations, the two of you can find a way to achieve an image that 

makes everyone happy.
Moreover, remember that sometimes they’ve earned those wrinkles and are darn proud of it!

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Tips From a Pro to Help You Know Which Lens to Choose

By: Lily Sawyer

When I first started out as a photographer, my memory of researching which lens to get was one of absolute overwhelm. The market is inundated with hundreds of choices for any budget. Where do I start? What do I choose? How do I choose? Why should I spend that much on that lens even though it’s over my budget?

Where to find help

So many questions rushed through my head that I shut down and decided to ask a couple of photographer friends instead, thinking that was the surefire way of getting quick and right answers that would aid my decision. I was wrong. They each had different things to say for different reasons. So I was back to the drawing board and had to ask myself what was right for me. At that point, I had my kit lenses that came with the camera and a 50mm f/1.8. I already knew then that it was wiser to invest in good lenses than to keep upgrading cameras and I wanted to take the first step in owning a professional lens for long term investment.

#PrimeLens#Wedding#Photography


This article is about helping you decide which lens to buy next or which to use for a particular subject. It comes from my eight-year journey (going on nine) as a professional photographer. This may not be what other photographers will say if you ask them, as we all have different needs and priorities. But these are my answers and I hope will help you find your own answers too.

Questions to ask yourself

The first important question to ask yourself (regardless of whether you are a hobbyist or professional) is what is right for you as a photographer in terms of subject, style, usage and frequency? The second important question is how much use will that lens get? That is probably the best litmus test as to whether or not you have made your investment work for you.

Going back to my story above, I had upgraded my cropped sensor to a full sensor professional-grade camera and wanted to start building a professional lens collection. Photographing families was my primary focus but I wanted to expand and do more weddings. I needed a workhorse that would cater to both. As I knew I would be investing a fair amount, I wanted the lens to be worth the money in terms of usage rather than just gathering dust in the cupboard.
With weddings, it’s difficult to have just one lens because in an ideal world you need several lenses for the variety of situations that a wedding day entails. Read this article for more on that subject: 5 must have lenses for wedding photography and why. Having said that, I have shot a wedding with only one lens, the 85mm, and had to work around many limitations of having just one lens, but it is totally possible.
Before I list the different lenses and their uses, according to what I found my requirements were, here are a few things to note on prime and zoom lenses.

Prime Lenses

You will notice above that my first lenses were all primes. They are fast and great in low light. They are also smaller than zooms, though not necessarily lighter as the quality of the glass really adds to the weight. I wanted prime lenses as I knew my shoots were mostly on location. The downside of prime lenses is that you have to zoom with your feet – physically adjusting your distance continually, as these lenses have a fixed focal length. However, moving closer to the subject is NOT the same as zooming in with a zoom lens because there you are not changing your distance but rather the focal length of your lens. To read more about the intricacies of this difference, check out this excellent article; Prime Lenses: Can you really zoom with your feet?

Zoom Lenses

In contrast to prime lenses, zooms allow you to stay in place and get closer to your subject by changing the focal length without sacrificing pixels or changing the sensor mode. Depending on the lens, some zooms have an aperture range while others have a fixed maximum aperture. The latter is usually in the professional range of lenses, which is reflected by a hefty price tag as well.
The fixed maximum aperture means that regardless of the focal length you are using, the lens remains at that aperture (obviously you can adjust the actual aperture you want to shoot with). So if your lens is an f/2.8, then it can go to that aperture whether you shoot at 70mm or at 200mm. Bear in mind that when dealing with macro lenses, you have to take into consideration the focusing distances and effective apertures so that the closer you get to 1:1 magnification, the effective aperture decreases. This is due to the nature of optics and is normal with macro lenses.
Zoom lenses with an aperture range, on the other hand, automatically decrease the aperture as you zoom in. For example, on a lens with an aperture range of f/3.5-5.6, the maximum aperture (widest you can use) changes automatically as you zoom in, forcing you to stop down. So when shooting at 18mm, your lens allows you to open up to f/3.5 but when you zoom in to 55mm, that lens will only let you go as far as f/5.6 at that focal length. This is a disadvantage shooting in low light conditions.

I acquired the following Nikkor lenses in this order; 50mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 105mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, and 60mm f/2.8. If you shoot with a different camera, you can look up their Nikkor equivalents easily. I previous tried Sigma lenses but sold them and switched to Nikkors. I also recently added a 14mm third-party lens. I cannot justify the cost of a Nikkor when I rarely ever use that lens – it’s great for shooting super wide scenes which are perhaps 1% of my output! My thoughts below are in the context of using these workhorse lenses on a full-frame camera.

35mm Prime Lens

The Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 FX was the first professional lens I bought and for a while, it was my go-to for pretty much everything. It allowed me to shoot some landscapes when I did location shoots for both family and weddings. It is super fast and great for working in low-light especially when shooting the accessories for the bride getting ready at a wedding, or details of special items on a family lifestyle shoot. It still is one of my most reliable lenses to date.

If I get into a difficult situation on a tightly scheduled wedding day and have to make split-second decisions, this is one of the first lenses I think of to remedy a problematic situation. It is that versatile. It is great for bird’s eye view framing and shooting which is very trendy nowadays. Though not built as a macro lens, its minimum focusing distance of just under 12 inches comes in very handy and provides 0.2x magnification at that range. This is one of my favorite capabilities of this lens; it enables me to shoot this close and is fast and super sharp. Just don’t shoot this close when doing people portraits!
I also use this lens for full body portraits. Sometimes I can get away with half-body but have to be very careful of distortions. The 35mm focal length gives me ample wiggle room for cropping as well as enough space when shooting in small sized rooms which are common for my family shoots.
Note: there is also a Nikkor f/1.8 DX which is considerably lower cost. Check for options available for your brand.

50mm Prime Lens

Like the 35mm above, the 50mm prime lens is super versatile too. It is much smaller and therefore handier, lighter, (less glass) and easier on the pocket. It is a better lens to use for half-body or slightly closer portraits especially when if there isn’t enough space in the room in to distance yourself from the subject.
One of the things I love about this lens is that viewed through a full frame camera, the angle of view most closely resembles that of the human eye (at 45mm). It helps me capture scenes that make it look like the viewer is right there looking at the scene. This is especially effective when using the layering technique which I love. This is also why I use the 50mm the lens for travel, family snaps, and even some street photography (for my personal use) on the rare occasions that I do so. This article I wrote expands on that; 5 Creative Uses for the Super Versatile 50mm Lens.

105mm Macro Lens

I purchased the Nikkor 105mm macro lens while saving up for a 70-200mm and also to have a smaller alternative. When used on a crop sensor it is the equivalent of about 150mm. At that time, I was avoiding having to carry the heavy lenses and stuck to primes with my shoots.
The 105mm is a fantastic portrait lens. I love the focal length. The compression from it makes the subjects look more flattered, and I especially love the beautiful creamy bokeh from the f/2.8 aperture. It is a sharp lens, but quite a slow one, so it’s not great for sports or shooting fast in low light as it tends to hunt for focus. It is an awesome macro lens and I use it for shooting rings and other accessories at weddings, especially those I want to get really close-up shots that I could not get with the 60mm. This lens sings at f/7 which is mostly what I use for macro shots.

85mm Prime Lens

Prior to purchasing my 85mm lens, I was saving up for the f/1.4 and read many reviews and comparisons of the two lenses. Some said the 85mm f/1.8 was better, while others said the Sigma f/1.4 was superior to the Nikkor. I ended up getting the f/1.8 for a third of the price and never looked back.
When you are used to the weight of the professional lenses though, the f/1.8 is a little disappointing because it is light in comparison and feels more plastic. Some people see that as a plus for traveling and location shoots – which I also do. It is an amazing lens, so reliable, fast, sharp and my number one choice for shooting portraits, especially wriggly kids! I never go on a family shoot without my 85mm as I need a super fast lens to capture those fleeting smiles and sharp eyelashes and this lens never disappoints! I use this for couple’s shoots, bride and groom portraits, individual and family portraits (mainly smaller groups, usually 2-3 people).
Its wide aperture allows me to use it indoors too, although being a longer lens, there may not be much space in a small room than a headshot or upper body shot. This is the perfect lens for those anyway, as you can get close enough to your subject while getting a really flattering portrait of them. Any longer and you may need to be shouting at them from far away.

70-200mm Zoom Lens

The 70-200mm zoom lens is one I could not do without nowadays. It is the ultimate portrait zoom. I shoot portraits with this lens when I am on location in wider spaces. I love the fact that even when stopped down to f/5.6 I can still get beautiful blur in the background and my subjects are super sharp. It has to be said that I do have to shoot quite far away as I like shooting outdoor portraits at 200mm, so I do end up shouting!
This is also the lens I use for weddings during the ceremony and speeches. The focal length range is perfect and allows me to mostly stay put rather than running around more than necessary, which can be really distracting during weddings.

I love cropping in camera through composition and this lens allows me to do that with great ease. If you can afford it, I recommend the 70-200mm f/2.8, without hesitation. There is also a more affordable f/4 alternative, although I have not personally had any experience shooting with it. I have read, however, that it is a great lens especially when you don’t need the wider aperture. To be honest, I rarely use this lens at f/2.8 anyway as it is heavy and I am terrified of shaking from the weight so I tend to stop down. On a tripod though I can happily snap at f/2.8, usually f/3.2 as long as I’m not photographing toddlers on the run!

24-70mm F2.8 Zoom Lens

This lens is a true all-rounder. It makes life easier in so many ways. It is fast, reliable, and although heavy, it’s quite slim. However, it is not the first lens I would reach for. Being an all-rounder makes this lens a non-specialist, in my opinion.
I love the 70mm focal length as it gives a bit more wiggle room as compared to the 85mm, but I still prefer the clean, crisp, sharpness of the image quality with the 85mm. For me, the 24-70mm lens is most useful for large and medium-sized group shots and for candid shots of children. I use this for photobooth setups and the first dance at weddings – both situations where constant focal length adjustment is required depending on how many people go in the booth, or where the couple are on the dance floor.
The quality of the image from this lens for practically any shot is still amazing and the bokeh is also pleasing. This is not my portrait lens choice but as a landscape, travelscape, snapshots, wide action shots lens, the the 24-70mm is superb.

60mm F2.8 Macro Lens

When I know I am not shooting portraits but would need a macro, I pick up my 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. It’s small and handy and has no lens distortions.
When I shoot portraits, like an engagement session for example, and need a macro for the ring, I go for the 105mm. For travel and holiday photos, where I know I would not necessarily need a flash, I take the 6omm instead of my 50mm. I can get super close-up images of details and still have a focal length still close enough to the human eye so I can get a documentary feel to my photographs. I don’t do much street photography, but if I did, this would probably be one of the lenses I would choose.
The same goes for still life. Although depending on how much focus you would want in your images, you need to adjust the aperture as well as the distance from the subject to make sure you achieve the desired depth of field.

What lenses do you have? Please share below how you use your lenses. What lenses do you use for which subjects? Which ones are your go-to lenses and why?

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