A few times a week, I get emails from photographers who want to know something … They have a question about my locations, my equipment, my editing technique, business questions – you get it, there are a zillion questions. I figured instead of answering the same questions over and over – I’d share a blog to answer them!

Today’s advice column is going to be about lenses. Let me start by saying that what you shoot with is a personal preference – I know photographers who stick with one lens as their “go-to lens” and some who have a collection of lenses and change up what they shoot with. Me? I fall in between those two categories.

I have had several lenses over the last three years, trying them out and finding the perfect one for me, my style and how I like to shoot. And honestly – I have sold many of them, because I have discovered I loathe zoom lenses, and prefer to only shoot with prime lenses.

True story – a few years ago, my brother showed me this awesome lens, the 50mm f/1.4 lens … And I saw the awesome shots he got with it, and I could not for the life of me get the dumb thing to focus on my D40 (my first DSLR that I bought in 2008). Turns out, the autofocus wasn’t compatible which is why I had to manually focus every single shot … And at the time, I found myself saying “this is too hard to use, I don’t get why anyone would use this hunk of junk” … I also said the same thing about PhotoShop CS5 and Lightroom 4, by the way. (And – sigh, yes, I love to eat me some crow … haha)

It was not until I upgraded to the D90 that I saw how amazing prime lenses can be (especially since the autofocus finally worked!). I sold all my zoom lenses, and for two years straight I shot with nothing but the D90 and the 50 1.4. Yes, I even got rid of my 24-70mm f/2.8 – used it three times and sold it. Not for me!

But as I got further in my career and started focusing on what I really love to shoot – which is weddings and boudoir – I realized that I needed a couple other lenses to go with my two D800s, for wide angles and for close up details. That is when I bought the 35mm f/1.4 and the 105mm f/2.8 Micro … And my goodness, do I love those lenses.

For most of my portraiture, I prefer to use my 105. Say what?! Yep, I use a micro lens for most sessions (boudoir is done with my 35). I love the crisp details the 105 is able to get, the amazing compression in the bokeh – I pretty much love that lens inside and out. My only beef with it is sometimes it can be slow (and loud)  to focus, so it’s not great for little kids who want to run around … But since I don’t do a whole lot of children’s photography, it’s not really a concern that I have.

So that’s my story on lenses – I love primes, I love shooting wide open as much as possible (lowest f-stops possible) …

Ashley’s go to lenses ::

– Nikon 105mm f/2.8G Micro

– Nikon 35mm f/1.4G

– Nikon 50mm f/1.4G (although I actually haven’t used this lens in the last 6 months or so)

Am I saying zoom lenses are bad? Heck no! They just aren’t for ME. I may invest in a 70-200mm f/2.8G lens down the road – just so I can have for those “just in case” moments at weddings, but for now, I’m happy with my primes.

So what lens would I recommend for the person who wants to maybe see if photography is for them? The “nifty fifty” (50mm f/1.4) is a great lens that can produce spectacular images (without breaking the bank).

Happy lens shopping!

xoxo,

Oh, and in case my husband is reading this … THIS is what I want for my big birthday in November. *hint hint hint, wink wink wink*