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lens for engagement pictures (D300)

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Switters73

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Hi everyone,

My sister has hired me to take her engagement pictures, which will probably be taken in Rocky Mountain National Park.

My current set up is a d300, 16-85 Nikkor VR and a dental macro lens. I'm thinking this is the perfect excuse to get a new lens. I was thinking about getting a 50mm 1.8 prime, but I'm completely new to this type of work and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Todd
 
The 24-70 is the best portrait lens I've ever used, especially for two people. The 17-55 would be good in this situation, too.
 
It's hard to talk somebody out of a 50/1.8, though.

You might want to look at the 50/1.4. You can get a new one in AF-S.
 
I would get the 500mm f 4 VR, then use your 16~85 for the photo shoot. Yup, thats what I would do. Of course my wife would kill me though.
--
Have Fun!
Steve

 
Stevequad said:
I would get the 500mm f 4 VR, then use your 16~85 for the photo
shoot. Yup, thats what I would do. Of course my wife would kill me
though.
Click to expand...
Darn you. Now there's coffee sprayed all over my (calibrated) monitor!
 
Since it's an outdoor shoot in a National Park I'd think the 16-85 would do fine. You don't really need to buy another lens, I assume since you are doing this in the park you will want some grand sights as the background so limited DOF isn't as important as in other portrait shoots IMO ( otherwise why bother with the park ). I'd think something around F5.6 is where you would want to shoot at which won't totally blur the background.

However, for portraits at our local beaches and back marshes I tend to use the 70-200 at F4 quite a bit and anywhere from a bout 80mm. to 180mm.. Other than that I use the 24-85D at about F4.5-5.6. I tend to shoot from about 30mm. to 85mm with it..

The 17-55 I liked for weddings but I don't tend to use it on individual portrait shots, I like more focal length for this. You could take a dramatic portrait in a nice scenic area though by zooming out and moving in on your subject. You would certainly take in the view behind and have a full body shot in front for instance. You can do this with the existing lens you have though.

If you aren't used to portrait shoots outdoors in scenic situations then take the 16-85 and experiment a little with focal lengths and F Stop range. From this you might determine what lens you actually would need or focal length you like doing this kind of work at and if you need a faster lens for DOF control. To me for instance, the 50 1.8 is a great window light portrait lens, I used this for wedding bridal portraits in that kind of light ( window for light reflector for fill, maybe a wink of flash if the fill wasn't enough). I never used it outdoors, then I tend to move to zooms as stated above.

David
Switters 73 said:
Hi everyone,

My sister has hired me to take her engagement pictures, which will
probably be taken in Rocky Mountain National Park.

My current set up is a d300, 16-85 Nikkor VR and a dental macro lens.
I'm thinking this is the perfect excuse to get a new lens. I was
thinking about getting a 50mm 1.8 prime, but I'm completely new to
this type of work and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Todd
--
Click to expand...
 
You don't need to buy for just one occasion, there are rental places.

17-55 (or 17-50 Tamron), 28-70 (or 28-75 Tamron) are great lenses to capture larger scenes and also portraits -- all are f/2.8

70-200 f/2.8 for all close-ups and candids. GREAT portrait lens.

I have 17-50 and 70-200. When I carry those, I almost never use my 50 f/1.4. There is no need since the zoom and telephoto cover 95% of all situations.
 
Depending on personal style, but I like to use shallow DOF for portraits. Rent a portrait lens like the 85 f/1.4 and shoot with wide apertures. Since this is the outdoors, you can foot zoom to get the framing you wanted.

The 70-200VR is also a great lens for this kind of work.

Again, personal preference.

Good luck,
Dominic
Switters73 said:
Hi everyone,

My sister has hired me to take her engagement pictures, which will
probably be taken in Rocky Mountain National Park.

My current set up is a d300, 16-85 Nikkor VR and a dental macro lens.
I'm thinking this is the perfect excuse to get a new lens. I was
thinking about getting a 50mm 1.8 prime, but I'm completely new to
this type of work and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Todd
--
Click to expand...
 
the 16-85 is a sharp lens with very good range for such a job. absolutly no need to replace it with something in the same range. the 50 1.8 is nice, but unless everything is indoors, you won't need it and even than a flash would be more flexible.

if you want to expand, get something with more reach and f2.8 for some shallow DOF. your choices would be Nikon 70-200VR (very good, very expensive), Tamron 70-200 (very sharp, rather slow focus) or Sigma 50-150 f2.8 (sharp, light, slightly limited range, not so expensive).

--
Mario

My Gallery
http://www.mg-photo.ch
 
If you are going to the park, it is most likely because you want to capture some of the beautiful scenery. Therefore, you should be fine with the 16-85 but you might want to look into a flash like the SB-900 or the cheaper SB-600. That way, you should be able to get some nice looking portraits without blowing out the environment in the background.
 
You know, I will never deny someone a good excuse for a new lens. :-)

I shoot in Rocky Mountain National often. Your 16-85 is a good lens for
what your are after. Are you planning to take them to the falls, or over
by the lake? There are plenty elk in the valley over by the camp grounds
if you are looking for critter features... :-)

For me, at any rate, shooting portraits in such a setting is a real treat and
I always try to include enough background that the picture as a whole is
interesting and it does not look like it's been shot with some fake trees
and a backdrop.

As a suggestion, there are some really large pines over at Bear Lake, which
can provide some nice flat lighting under their sweeping boughs for a nice
low key, more intimate setting. The ground squirrels there are brave enough
you may be able to coax them with a nut or two.

I would suggest picking several places in the park and plan on spending some
time at each one (especially with your new lens), so you have a variety
for them to pick from.

Many of the good spots in the park catch the morning sun, so if the spot
you are interested in is open to the sun, then I would not shoot from 11a
till about 2p as the overhead shadows are not good fodder for imaging.
Try and do it early in the morning or in the later afternoon, where the
lighting is better to work with, especially in the wooded areas.

Oh, and Trail Ridge Road was closed last week due to snow. If you are
planning to go up there, call the Park Service first to make sure they
have opened it back up again. Gorgeous view of the park and nearby
mountains from the road - take a UWA with it - you'll be glad you did.

Enjoy your time there, it's a beautiful location.
Switters73 said:
Hi everyone,

My sister has hired me to take her engagement pictures, which will
probably be taken in Rocky Mountain National Park.

My current set up is a d300, 16-85 Nikkor VR and a dental macro lens.
I'm thinking this is the perfect excuse to get a new lens. I was
thinking about getting a 50mm 1.8 prime, but I'm completely new to
this type of work and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Todd
--
Click to expand...
 
Very nice, Kevin.
 
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