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TWiP Family 021: Q&A – Lenses for Family Photography
On this episode, I share two listener questions about lenses for family photography.
On episode 14 of TWiP Family, I talked to Sarah Wilkerson. She said when her 24-70mm lens wasn’t on her Nikon she traded it for a 45mm tilt-shift lens. Listener Christopher Masi, asked me to go back to Sarah and ask her how she was using a tilt-shift lens to photograph her family. I got in touch with Sarah and we talked about Christopher’s question.
In Christopher’s question, he acknowledges a tilt-shift isn’t something he needs but is something he wants. Sarah begins our conversation talking about wants and needs. We all just really need one lens to capture our family’s history – anything additional is a want.
Why does Sarah like a tilt-shift? Because it’s not made for her. It’s not made for a family photographer. It’s a technician’s lens made for architectural and product photography. Sarah says, “Anytime someone tells you what a technique is for, what a lens is for, what certain gear is for – I think it’s important to question it and say, “Well that’s great but what can I do with it.” Because, that’s when you start pushing your boundaries. Someone tells me – Don’t. I say, Do – if it’s safe.”
While I’d heard of tilt-shift lenses, I had never used one. Jonathan and Tiffany Cooper of Hot Metal Studios here in Pittsburgh let me borrow their tilt-shift lens. It was a challenge to use it and that’s what Sarah likes about it. And she has some tips if you want to try using a tilt-shift lens.
1. Don’t push the tilt to the extreme. Just go a quarter of the way on the dial.
2. The tilt effect is more interesting if you have depth in your photo.
3. Close down your f-stop more than you might usually use. Sarah uses hers around f/2.8 and f/5.6.
(By the way, Sarah loves the editing effect of the tilt-shift on an instagram photo.)
The next question was from Justus about what lenses I use with my own family.
First, Justus asks about manual focus vs. auto focus. I’m not good at manual focus. (“Not good” is an understatement. I’m terrible.) Auto focus is a must for me.
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By Frederick Van JohnsonOn this episode, I share two listener questions about lenses for family photography.
On episode 14 of TWiP Family, I talked to Sarah Wilkerson. She said when her 24-70mm lens wasn’t on her Nikon she traded it for a 45mm tilt-shift lens. Listener Christopher Masi, asked me to go back to Sarah and ask her how she was using a tilt-shift lens to photograph her family. I got in touch with Sarah and we talked about Christopher’s question.
In Christopher’s question, he acknowledges a tilt-shift isn’t something he needs but is something he wants. Sarah begins our conversation talking about wants and needs. We all just really need one lens to capture our family’s history – anything additional is a want.
Why does Sarah like a tilt-shift? Because it’s not made for her. It’s not made for a family photographer. It’s a technician’s lens made for architectural and product photography. Sarah says, “Anytime someone tells you what a technique is for, what a lens is for, what certain gear is for – I think it’s important to question it and say, “Well that’s great but what can I do with it.” Because, that’s when you start pushing your boundaries. Someone tells me – Don’t. I say, Do – if it’s safe.”
While I’d heard of tilt-shift lenses, I had never used one. Jonathan and Tiffany Cooper of Hot Metal Studios here in Pittsburgh let me borrow their tilt-shift lens. It was a challenge to use it and that’s what Sarah likes about it. And she has some tips if you want to try using a tilt-shift lens.
1. Don’t push the tilt to the extreme. Just go a quarter of the way on the dial.
2. The tilt effect is more interesting if you have depth in your photo.
3. Close down your f-stop more than you might usually use. Sarah uses hers around f/2.8 and f/5.6.
(By the way, Sarah loves the editing effect of the tilt-shift on an instagram photo.)
The next question was from Justus about what lenses I use with my own family.
First, Justus asks about manual focus vs. auto focus. I’m not good at manual focus. (“Not good” is an understatement. I’m terrible.) Auto focus is a must for me.