Wedding Photography with the Tamron 35-150mm: Tips by Elmer Escobar

Elmer Escobar uses his Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 all-in-one zoom to embrace each couple’s personality and create memorable wedding photos.

Author: Jenn Gidman 
Images: Elmer Escobar

Elmer Escobar uses his Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 all-in-one zoom to embrace each couple’s personality and create memorable wedding photos.

For Elmer Escobar, wedding photography isn’t just about beautiful pictures—it’s about capturing people at the peak of happiness. “Some of the photographers on my team have worked day jobs in hospitals, cancer screening centers, or other locations where they’re witnessing moments of tragedy or people at their absolute lowest,” he says. “Those can be important photos, too, but I feel fortunate that as wedding photographers we’re also able to share in some of the best moments of our clients’ lives, and to document the occasion for them.”

Elmer has said “I do” to one lens in particular to help him bring this special day to life: the Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD all-in-one zoom. “You can shoot an entire wedding with this lens, with a range from wide to telephoto, without having to switch back and forth between two lenses,” he says. “Dropping a lens is definitely not something you want to have happen, on that day of all days. The 35-150mm is sharp, it’s quick, and I love the bokeh I’m able to achieve. The wide apertures available to me ensure I can handle any wedding venue. When I’m shooting in a low-light situation, this lens gives me enough leeway with those wide apertures so that I’m not pushing my ISO too much or killing my flash.”

Read on to see how Elmer approached the happy day for multiple couples using his Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 lens, and to pick up some key wedding photography tips and tricks.

One of my favorite things about the 35-150mm lens is how it can help me “hide” things. For this black-and-white photo of the bride getting ready for her big day, I wasn’t trying to focus on her mom, who was helping her with her dress, but I wasn’t trying to hide her, either. But I did want to hide some of the bridesmaids and other items in the background, so I methodically zoomed in and out until I found the sweet spot. Using an F2.8 aperture here allowed me to achieve some nice bokeh in the background, but you can still make out a whisper of a few other details, like the bride’s bouquet subtly positioned in the lower left of the frame.

There was a giant window with curtains on camera right for this bride, which served as a giant softbox for me. We shut off all the lights in the room to avoid mixed temperatures and just let all of that natural light wash over the bride and her mother.

I enjoy doing shoot-throughs like this, using a mirror to provide a reflection. Not only does it produce a visually interesting frame-within-a-frame effect—it also allows me to keep the focus on the bride while still showing the interaction she’s having with her mom, who’s blurred out in the foreground, as she prepares to walk down the aisle. I shot in a fairly slow burst mode to capture a good number of frames to ensure I’d capture one that worked.

What I really love about the 35-150mm lens is that it allows me to stand at a bit of a distance and give the couple some space, so they’re not nervous or annoyed on their wedding day with a camera constantly in their faces. The lens makes it so easy to take a shot like this, where I’d directed them to hold hands and just start walking. I was positioned about 40 feet ahead of them on the path, able to zoom in and out as they took their stroll, without being able to hear the sweet or funny things they may have been saying to each other.

Whenever I’m shooting, I try to give my clients not only photos that are familiar to them based on our brand—after all, that’s why they’ve hired us—but also ones that are unique to them. I took this photo at a venue I’ve shot at many times before, but I’ve never done this particular photo before, with this lighting and framing, under that swoop of tree branches. We printed this photo out for a bridal show held at that venue, and every single person that came our way commented on it.

I was a good 50 or 60 feet back from the couple, using my loud New York voice to direct them after I’d set them up. I used an umbrella along with my on-camera flash to direct some nice, soft lighting onto them. I had to position myself so that I was at the right height, so that those mountains wouldn’t appear to cut through the back of their necks. You should always be cognizant of mountain ranges, horizons, or other natural lines like that for that reason.

For this photo of the couple at sunset, I used a flash on camera right to direct light toward the bride’s side. Once we posed the couple, I had my assistant spread the bride’s dress out to show off its train. I was aiming for some compression of those trees in the back, so I zoomed in a bit more with the 35-150mm to achieve that. I also wanted to capture all that gorgeous color in the sky, however, so I didn’t crop in too close, or it would’ve been too dark all around the couple in the image.

To see more of Elmer Escobar’s work, check out his website and Instagram.