Hello everyone, I am a hobbyist photographer and have been given an opportunity to do a photo shoot (pro bono) at a charity school with students ranging from kindergarten to high-school. The “client” would like to have photos of the students at different moment of the day, in the classroom, at recess, at the canteen, etc… as well as some portraits.
It’s basically a journalistic/documenting photo shoots, and the first assignment I ever got. I was wondering what kind of lenses you would pick for this type of job. Would you go with primes only, zoom only or a combination of prime+zoom?
I have a fuji xt5 with the xf 16mm f/2.8, xf 35mm f/1.4 and the xf 18-55mm kit lens. I also have some manual lense in 35mm and 50mm which I use on my “I don’t care” days only. I have been considering for a longtime getting the xf 56mm f/1.2 WR, but I’m afraid of the double redundancy of that focal length in my set.
Thank you for your input!
With your selection, the 35mm 1.4 is a no brainer. It’s 50mm equivalent focal length which is great for portraits as well as general shooting, and the aperture will mean you can handle all lighting conditions.
The xf 56mm 1.2 will be even better for close up portraits, but it’s pretty redundant and won’t shine above the 35mm without professional off camera lighting. Your kit lens is likely crappy. The best lens for this kind of work is a professional 24-70 (full frame or 18-55mm crop). However, I would take the 35mm 1.4 over the kit lens all day every day.
I would also bring the 16mm for indoor or group shots. I would leave the kit lens at home. I would only switch to it if you’re stuck in a tight space. You may not put it on at all, but it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Do not bring your manual lenses. If you are not experienced, shooting moving kids with them will be a nightmare. You don’t need the added stress of manual focus in a situation like this.