It is a funny video and even if it might be totally made up, it brings up a heated debate over the type of equipment wedding photographers should and should not use. I know that I am opening up a can of worms here, but here is my personal take on the subject – please let me know what you think.

Yes, most modern DSLR cameras are great and even the cheapest entry-level DSLRs today are equipped with a better image sensor than the most expensive cameras from a few years ago. As I have said it in some of my posts like Nikon vs Canon vs Sony, a camera is just a tool. However, there are certain factors that have a direct impact on images, such as lenses and the skill of the photographer. So, the camera is only a part of the equation here. Can cheap cameras create great photographs? Absolutely. Just like expensive cameras that can produce bad photographs.

So why did I tell the reader not to photograph the wedding with the D3000 and a kit lens? Because he/she had no idea how to use it.

When I get asked what to recommend for wedding photography, my response is always to get the best lenses first, and then worry about the camera. Lenses are far more important than cameras. A cheap zoom lens cannot do what a 50mm prime can. If you want to create beautiful images for your clients that you can showcase for your business, get the best glass you can afford. And as for the camera, if you can afford a full-frame camera, go for something like Nikon D700, Canon 5D Mark II or Sony A900. If budget is an issue, get a cropped-sensor camera like Nikon D7000. This is assuming that you already have a camera and know what you are doing. But don’t go out and shoot weddings with an entry-level DSLR if you are serious about your business. After-all, your gear is also the face of your company and business. Unless you are doing this for fun or just helping out a friend.

On average, Lola and I come back with approximately 1,000-1,500 images per wedding, all shot in 14-bit NEF (RAW) format. Once we sort everything out and pick our favorites, we leave approximately 500-600 images that will be delivered to our clients, with only about 1/10th that are retouched in Photoshop. I was once talking to a photographer based out of Florida, who told me that he only takes between 100-250 images per wedding. When I told him how many images Lola and I take, he laughed, arguing that most images are probably duplicates of each other and that we should learn how to take fewer, but higher quality images. Being in business for over 30 years as a successful full-time pro, he definitely knew what he was talking about. But I also realized that his habit of taking fewer pictures definitely has to do with film days, where more photos meant more photo lab work. With digital SLRs that have a shutter lifespan of at least 150 thousand clicks, we no longer need to worry about the cost or working with chemicals in a lab. So, what is better – take fewer, but higher quality images right on the set, or take as many pictures as possible at different angles, perspectives and settings? As far as I’m concerned, I am somewhere in between. I think that taking very few pictures is risky, as you might think you got everything right on camera, but you might have missed some details – eyes closed, focus not 100% accurate, etc. The last thing you want is a frustrated customer that asks for another picture you do not have. On the other hand, walking with a DSLR and shooting non-stop is also counter-productive, since then you have to deal with too many images and the process of choosing the best ones and working on them later might take hours of precious post-processing time. Wedding photography is a tough business to be in mainly because of a photographer’s time, especially if complex Photoshop retouching is involved. Details can take away too much time and the question that I have been asking myself lately is “how much is too much”, when we work on images.

Take a look at the below image, as it came out of the camera:

Yes, very minute problems that are often ignored by many. The scratch on the surface is not a big deal, the little dark spot on the left shoe can also be ignored. But is it distracting? Certainly yes, to me. Is this too much attention to detail? Here is the final image that was delivered to our client:

The scratch, the dark spot and a small red dot in the middle of the right shoe were fixed with the spot-healing brush in Photoshop and it took Lola 30 seconds to do it. Was this change worth the extra 30 seconds? Let’s take a look at another image:

I caught the problem in the image right away – look at the right shoe of the groom. That white label looks distracting to me not just because it is a label, but because it is white on dark sole. Right before burning the images on a DVD, I quickly removed the white label and re-extracted the image from Lightroom:

Now the big question is – am I crazy? Would you pay attention to such details, or would you ignore them? Am I being too picky about this kind of stuff? Would love to hear your opinion, our dear readers!

First of all, let me introduce Suuthe. It is an all organic skin repair cream company which started with Mari searching for ideas to cure her son’s eczema problem. Without being able to find a solution from doctors for her son Peter’s aching problem, she decided to look further and work on something natural and effective. That’s how Suuthe came to live. As a mother of two children who suffered from eczema for a while, I wish I have met Mari earlier! If you know anyone like that, tell them to check out this wonderful product.

Here is how the photo session unfolded. All of the images were taken with the Nikon D700 body and a single Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens (my favorite as always).

This is Mari with her son Peter. I positioned them facing towards a large window to take advantage of the beautiful light pouring into the room. I usually shoot between f/1.8 and f/2.8 with the 50mm, so that the background looks nice and creamy.

I didn’t use any flash for these portraits this time, since I had plenty of light available in the room. In the above image the window is to Mari’s left. Hence, you can see a nice catch light in her’s and Peter’s eyes.

The above portraits were shot while taking advantage of Colorado’s winter sunset. I really like the yellow hue on Mari’s face. Both images were shot at f/1.8.

Initially, I was there to take some headshots, but we decided to add some products to make it a little more fun. I didn’t have anything fancy at my disposal, except for a 40 inch umbrella and one Nikon SB-900 speedlight. So, I tried to use the ambient light as much as could. The below image was shot on a black table at f/2.8, ISO 1000.

Love that depth of field! Shot wide open at f/1.4, ISO 400.

I wanted to do something a little different with some of the images and asked Mari if she had a small mirror for me to play around with reflections. For the above shot on the right, I used the 40″ umbrella along with the SB-900 to concentrate the light on the subject and overpower the ambient light a little. The off-camera flash was triggered by a PocketWizard Plus II unit on the D700 (more on them on our upcoming flash photography articles), with the second unit connected to SB-900 via a PC sync cord. Exposure and flash power were both set manually.

Word of advice to beginners – practice on smallest of the ideas and do not be afraid to experiment. You will learn a lot in the process!

I used my trusty Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 for wide-angle shots, Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G for detail shots, two SB-900 Speedlights, three Pocket Wizard transmitters/receivers and just one 30-inch umbrella. Everything was shot in Manual mode to give me consistency and control over flashes and the entire process.

It was an on-location photo shoot and I was informed beforehand that the apartment would have glass and concrete walls all around. The only light available was the 3 chandeliers that you see in the first left image. I also had very little ambient light coming from the far kitchen, to the right of the chairs.

Since there were no moving subjects in the first left image, I could have probably gotten away with having my camera on a tripod and setting a slow shutter speed to shoot in ambient light. Instead, I decided to set up my flashes and take a couple of tests shots of the set before my subjects occupied the photo shoot arena. I really wanted to get some reflections and some direct harsh light from my strobes on the chairs and other objects. So, to give it a more “modern” look, I set up my main light using an SB-900 on a stand with a single umbrella in a shoot-through configuration on the opposite side, about 3 meters away from furthest chair.

With having just one side of the set illuminated, I still needed to introduce one more flash to the right. Since I had some ambient light coming from the right, I didn’t want the flash to come off too strong. I set up another SB-900 on a stand with the diffuser cap to serve me as a fill light (or a rim light, considering I would have a subject sitting on that chair). I increased ISO to 400 to let some of the ambient light to come in to the picture. Both flashes were connected to PocketWizard units, with another one on top of my camera.

For the product shoot of the top right image, I used the same umbrella + SB-900 speedlight set to my right at about 45 degrees, a little higher than the product. Increased the depth of field to f/2.5 to have the business cards in focus and everything else in nice bokeh.

The toughest thing to do during this photo session, was control the light spill that was giving me all kinds of nasty reflections on the glass. I did not have any cardboards or other accessories with me, so I had to arrange the light in a way that minimized the spill. The rest had to be cleaned up in Photoshop…

In the above image, I introduced subjects into the set. If you notice, I removed the strobe from behind Kent (the gentleman who is wearing a white shirt). In order to minimize flash on his white shirt (his entire shirt was getting severely overexposed), I had to move the umbrella to my left, above Hani. You can see some rim light on Hani’s hair. I did not move the light on the right as I still needed it to serve me as fill light on Olga’s body (customer on the right) and on Hani’s face.

The product shots were all done with one main light (umbrella). For the above image, I placed the light slightly to my left, above the objects. You can see how the light drops on the product by properly illuminating it and providing me enough light to be able to capture the reflection, too. For the second image below, I removed the rim light from the right and moved the umbrella from my left to my right. Now, Hani’s back and her hair are not lit. I wanted to focus more on the pedicure process.

For the above image of Hani, I set up two lights. One behind Hani to give her a nice rim light and pop her from the background, and another one slightly to my left. Nasim thinks that there is too much rim light, but I kind of like it :) Again, reflections were impossible to avoid but I had to make best of what I had.

Both images above were shot with a rim light behind Hani and the main light to my left. If you are looking for information on my exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc), it is available through EXIF on each image.

I hope these examples can give you some idea of how you can use your Nikon strobes creatively and have some good results.

My wish did come true! You can cross the part about having a daughter though :) Erin contacted me asking to photograph her two beautiful children, Madison and Tyler. There goes the saying about wishing and them wishes coming true! Maybe one day I will have a baby girl after all… Until then, enjoy some of the images I took of Madi and handsome Tyler!

We went to beautiful Castle Rock to catch some amazing light and red rocks. Although there was a concert that day, we managed to sneak into the park to take some pictures.

Initially Madi was in a bad mood. Yes adults, try to take a nap when you are awaken shortly after. How would you feel? :) Madi and I talked a lot that day. We talked about princesses, dresses, chocolate, lollipops, love, mommy, little brothers, etc. She is a very smart girl and smart children need the right approach. I think I did find the right approach to her that day. As you can see she agreed to strike a couple of poses for me!

How about the puppy? Very cute!

Tyler was such a great sport. He started smiling and giggling right after he woke up from a nap. Adorable!

Little monster boy! Grrrrr, he says. Them monsters are not always scary, you know. There are some cute ones like Tyler!

Remember, I said we talked about Princesses? This was the reason! I knew somewhere down there Madi was keeping a little secret herself. She is a little princess :P

Here comes the lollipop and a tiny castle. Trust me, it is work in progress.

This little puppy is too special for Madi. It was Erin’s (Madi’s mommy) snuggly puppy when she was growing up.

Tyler with his grandma! Don’t they look alike?

I love you Erin, Madi, Tyler and Mimi. I hope you enjoy the images. Happy Birthday Madi! :)

We are thrilled to be named the #1 Best Photographer in the Denver area. From the bottom of our hearts, Nasim and I thank everyone who got involved in helping us achieve this goal. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We knew that your votes got us to #3 spot about two weeks ago, but we had no idea that we would be #1!

As you also know, we work with couples during their wedding as their photographers. One of the wedding planners, Debbie Orwat, whom I got to know at the beginning of my journey as a wedding photographer, advised me to become a member of a special event society called “ISES”, which stands for International Special Events Society, to network with other wedding professionals and industry peers. Well, today Mansurovs Photography became their proud member! I can’t wait to attend my first meeting as a member and to meet all of the fabulous people of ISES. Special thanks go to two beautiful members of ISES, Michelle Johnson Gillette of Dramatic Events and Nilufer Saltuk Soucek of Splendor for Your Guests for their friendship and great support!

Here are some images that Lola and I took that day:

Lola shot with the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G all day and I switched between Nikon 24mm f/1.4G and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G. The above image was taken with the 24mm f/1.4 – love that bokeh!

View of Denver Downtown:

Shapes by the art museum:

One of the photo walkers wandering around:

Entrance to the civic center building:

This is my buddy David, who I love to death and have known for about 12 years, showing me a cool picture on his Canon DSLR:

Building textures – simple B&W filter in Lightroom.

The 16th Street Mall in Denver Downtown has a bunch of these painted pianos scattered across the mall:

It is cool that anybody can use these pianos, so you occasionally get amateur pianists enjoying the instruments:

And this guy with a big sign that says “Little India Restaurant” gladly agreed to be photographed after drawing our attention with his odd, but cool looks:

Lola is very good at approaching people for photographs, so she asked this young gentleman and he posed for a couple of shots:

And my favorite shot of the day taken by Lola at sunset:

1) Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S

The first on the list is my (and Lola’s) most favorite lens for wedding photography – Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S. We like it for four main reasons: it is sharp, colorful, lightweight and the bokeh it produces is outstanding.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S

I have always been a fan of the 50mm primes. The older Nikon 50mm f/1.4D is also excellent, but the heptagon-shaped bokeh it produces is a little distracting, so I like the newer “G” version instead. On a full-frame body, the 50mm focal length is ideal and you can capture both beautiful portraits and full-size body shots if you stand a little away from your subjects. It works equally well on a DX body, but the focal length can be a little long, which is certainly a disadvantage when working in tight spaces. If I were only allowed to use one lens for weddings, I would certainly pick the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G. See a detailed Nikon 50mm f/1.4G Review for more information on this lens. Here are some image samples from it:

Nikon released a much cheaper, compact and lighter 50mm lens in 2011 – the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G. It actually performs better than the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G in many ways, so I would recommend to get the f/1.8G model instead.

2) Nikon 85mm f/1.4D/G

If you want the best-looking, creamy bokeh, check out the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G or the older Nikon 85mm f/1.4D, our second most favorite lens for wedding photography. Most photographers associate the word bokeh with this lens for a reason – it is the king of background blur. It is also one of the sharpest lenses from Nikon, producing outstanding results at maximum aperture of f/1.4.

Nikon 85mm f/1.4D

At maximum aperture the depth of field is so shallow, that if you stand too close to your subject and focus on the eye, the nose gets out of focus. I typically shoot between f/2.0 and f/2.8 for portraits and f/4.0 every once in a while if I need more depth of field. Lola also loves it and she has been using it a lot for her portrait sessions and weddings lately.

See my detailed Nikon 85mm f/1.4G Review for more information on this lens.

3) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II

I got my hands on the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II as soon as it became available, because I knew that it would be much better than the old one, which I always enjoyed shooting with. The nice thing about the 70-200mm, is that it gives you so much focal length to play with.

Nikon 70-200mm f2.8G ED VR II

When you shoot with prime lenses like the Nikon 50mm or Nikon 85mm, you almost have to engage with people, because they will certainly note your presence due to your proximity. The Nikon 70-200mm allows you to capture subjects from a distance in their natural state, without drawing their attention to you. It is a very versatile lens and it works great with all Nikon teleconverters, if you feel that the focal length is not sufficient. Sharpness and color are outstanding at all focal lengths and the bokeh on the 70-200mm is also superb. The only complaint that I have about the 70-200mm is its weight – Lola never uses it because it is too painful to carry. Periodic shooting with this lens is not as bad, but I had a lot of back pain after shooting our last wedding with it all day long…not something I want to do again. Combine the weight of a pro-level body like Nikon D3s and it becomes one heavy combo. Check out my review of the 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II that I posted a while ago.

4) Nikon 24mm f/1.4G AF-S

If you want to see the sharpest Nikon lens ever produced, check out the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G! This gem has not been leaving my bag ever since I put it on my camera. I have been using it for all kinds of photography, including nature photography and weddings, and the 24mm focal length is very useful for full body and group shots or when working in tight space environments.

Nikon 24mm f/1.4G AF-S

While it is not designed to be a great portrait lens like the 85mm or 70-200mm lenses, it can certainly do the job quite well in the bokeh department with its maximum aperture of f/1.4. Just like other f/1.4 prime lenses, it is great for low-light situations, especially towards the end of the wedding when the amount of ambient light diminishes to very challenging levels. Check out my in-depth review of the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G if you have not seen it already for more information.

5) Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G

The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G has been one of my favorite lenses for landscape photography ever since it was released. While it is not as sharp as the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G and suffers from heavy distortion/vignetting between 24mm-28mm focal lengths, its versatility to zoom all the way to 70mm compensates for the problems. I rediscovered this lens when I started photographing people and I have been very pleased with the beautiful and colorful images it creates. It is certainly not a lens of choice for isolating subjects and creating beautiful bokeh, but if you stand close enough to your subject and shoot at f/2.8 and use focal lengths above 35mm, you will get pretty impressive results.

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G

The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G is a great lens for photographing full body shots and it does equally well when taking pictures of groups. I wrote a detailed Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Review, comparing it with both Nikon 24mm f/1.4G and Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G.

We heavily rely on all of the above lenses for our wedding photography. When it comes to wide-angle lenses, I typically take either the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G or the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G, but not both. I know that many wedding photographers also enjoy fisheye and tilt-and-shift lenses for weddings, but I have not yet had much experience with them, so I cannot comment. If you have other favorite lenses for your portrait/wedding photography, please let us know in the comments section below!

We used couple of flashes for some of the images. If anyone is interested in the techniques we used, please let us know, so that we can shed some light on the subject :)

All of the images were shot with the Nikon D700 and Nikon 85mm f/1.4D lens.

This image was shot with natural light, early in the morning in the beginning of the session:

When you are shooting during the day with the sun directly above, spotting nice shady locations and utilizing a reflector to reflect some light into the subject’s face can work wonders. Most of the images below are shot with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G that we are giving away tomorrow.

Another image shot with the help of silver reflector:

The above image is my favorite from the entire photo shoot.