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Stephanie Vogel captures elegant weddings and social events, and even an authentic Southwestern brushfire or two, with the Tamron 17-50mmXR Di II lens. |
Think Las Vegas weddings, and visions often pop up of Elvis-impersonator officiants presiding over quickie ceremonies, followed by a champagne-doused evening out on The Strip. However, Stephanie Vogel of Vogel Photography (www.vogelphotography.com) has elevated this matrimonial Sin-City stereotype to more elegant heights. Specializing in “fine social events,” with weddings serving as her primary source of income, Vogel captures classic ceremonies and romantic receptions tastefully and beautifully. |
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Her new favorite lens to help her document the big day is the Tamron 17-50mm XR Di II lens. “I love its wide-angle ability,” she says. “I can get in superclose in real tight situations and still get pretty much everything in the viewfinder. A lot of times I hold the lens and the whole camera above my head and judge where I think the frame is going to be, and it’s really exciting to me that I get everything I want in the frame and more because it’s just so wide. Plus, at f/2.8 it focuses really fast, and the images are always very sharp.” |
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The 17-50mm is also quiet and light, both critical factors for an on-the-move wedding photographer. “It’s nice to know it’s not that bulky,” she says. “And it doesn’t have that fish-eye glass on it that would usually cause a lot of lens flare, or vignetting that you find on other wide-angle lenses.” |
Going to the Chapel |
A wedding at the JW Marriott Hotel in Las Vegas presented the perfect photo op for Vogel to show off the lens’s attention to detail. “It was just about sunset, so it was getting a little dark,” she recalls. “I wanted to make sure the wedding cake was prominent in the photo; even though the waterfall in the background was beautiful, I really wanted the focus to be the cake. I shot it at 2.8, 1/80th of a second, ISO 200, with a focal length of 58mm. The depth-of-field shooting at 2.8 was really able to let that cake stand out.”
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The famous sign at the entrance to the Vegas strip gave Vogel the chance to juxtapose the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas with the most sacred of days for the beautiful bride. “The bride was walking around, and I just took the shot,” she says. “There we were, at the beginning of the Las Vegas strip before you get to all the hotels, and you can see a bus in the background. At first I tried to get rid of the bus, but then I thought it was kind of fun, since it wasn’t staged. I did, however, take out tons of overhead power lines that were in the original shot. I used a Photoshop filter to create this sepia-type look but still allow a little color to come through. It really gave the image a nostalgic feel.”
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The 17-50mm shines during candid shots as well. “I think the lens is great for first dances, other shots like that where I can get up close to the couple and also capture the people watching them in the background,” she says. “I’ll use the flash on-camera and a secondary flash to light up the people in the background, and that really makes a huge difference.”
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| She used this method for a cake-cutting capture at a wedding at the Rio Las Vegas. “The bride and groom were kissing in front of the cake, and then they totally attacked each other!” she recalls. “I was really pleased with being able to get so close to the cake and still be able to get everyone watching as the bride and groom are cutting it and kissing.” |
Similar spontaneity was achieved during an impromptu showing of the bride’s new wedding band. “Immediately following the ceremony, we went into this room where the newlyweds were signing their marriage certificate,” she says. “One of the bridesmaids asked to see the bride’s ring. I don’t even think I was looking through the viewfinder, and I just shot it completely wide open, at f/2.8, 1/60th of a second, at 17mm.”
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Tip Box Wide-Open Weddings Don’t be afraid to shoot wide open, says Vogel. “The 17-50mm lens is so amazing, even at weddings when you’re in low-light situations,” she explains. “Don’t be afraid to shoot it at f/2.8 and not get everything in focus. As far as landscapes, don’t be afraid to get everything in focus by shooting at 32 or 64 aperture: Take advantage of the whole range!” |
