Why Taylor Jackson Hates The 24-70mm F2.8 For Wedding Photography

5/05/2018 ISO 1200 Magazine 0 Comments

You have no overall style when you shoot a full wedding gallery with a 24-70. For 2-3 years I used my 24-70mm lens at almost every wedding. It was great to have a wide angle and a portrait lens all built in to one. Regardless of the room, I could handle it. Then one November I had a wedding that started after dark in the basement of an old mill. Beautiful brick and beam space - but dark. Really dark.

I switched to a 35mm + 85mm prime combo for this wedding to be able to shoot at f2.0 and f1.8 to handle the situation a bit better.

Why Taylor Jackson Hates The 24-70mm

You’re not expecting a portfolio wedding going into a dark basement after dark in November. You’re expecting to get something that’s just good enough to deliver to the couple. Truth is, this turned out to be the strongest wedding photography coverage I’ve ever given any of my couples. The entire gallery was strong. Every single image felt more professional.

So I brought the 35 and 85 combo to my next wedding (outdoors, in proper, non terrifying conditions) and I was blown away by how much stronger the full gallery was.

Best Lenses for Wedding Photography

Here’s the deal:

Shooting at prime lengths gives a consistency and style to your photographs. Shooting a 24-70 all day just gets the job done.
When clicking through a gallery shot on primes, every shot feels more unique, has more of a purpose, and more of an impact.
Shooting on a 24-70 at every mm dulls the impact and makes for a boring gallery.
Shooting a 35 and 85 (or 24 and 50 if you prefer) adds a sense of crispness in the gallery. Plus, it’s nice having the extra bokeh available if wanted. (I shoot everything either wide open, or close to wide open)
There’s also something to be said about having to be creative within the grounds of 2 focal lengths. Restrictions improve creativity.
I really like the 24-70 focal range for travel photos and videos though. Don't waste your money on the Canon or Nikon versions. Just get the Tamron G2. Here's my review of it: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej4WI... (incl. nighttime helicopters in NYC, Laguna Beach, Washington DC, and Vegas.)

You may also like: Fuji Vs Nikon: Real World Portrait Test With Sample Raws (Fuji 56mm F1.2 Vs Nikon 85mm F1.4g)

About Taylor Jackson:

Taylor Jackson is an award winning photographer, filmmaker and published author from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Online courses: www.taylorjackson.podia.com

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