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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. |
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| AF17-50mm
F/2.8 XR Di II
by Jennifer Gidman Zumpano |
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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.” |
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Going to the Chapel |
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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.” |
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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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Desert Embers |
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Because Vogel has been inseparable from her 17-50mm since receiving it earlier this year, it was no surprise that it proved a valuable asset during an unexpected natural phenomenon. “I was going out to Red Rock to check out a location for a portrait session I was going to be doing that weekend, plus a commercial shoot I was doing with some cyclists for a local bicycle shop here in Las Vegas,” she says. “This is a very small, very touristy area just outside of Las Vegas. But that morning, lightning had struck, and this section of Red Rock was on fire. I just happened to have been driving out there, saw smoke, and thought, ‘Well, I have my camera and my lens,’ and I just took a bunch of pictures. I sincerely thought the 17-50mm would be too wide for these landscape shots—it was only after when I saw the images that I saw how beautiful they were.” |
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The
17-50mm allowed Vogel to achieve the ideal composition for her
outdoor images. In one shot, she was able to show off not only
the flames from the unfortunate brushfire, but also the sky, mountains,
and indigenous yucca plant. “What I liked about this image is that
everything was done as a mathematical equation. In photography,
you’re looking for something that’s pleasing to the eye. This particular
shot is pleasing because it has that triangular look to it: You
can see the clouds in the sky, but then halfway down, there are
the mountains, and then even further down is the desert landscape.
Mother Nature was working with me as well, giving me this beautiful
cloud coverage with the smoke coming up off of the desert landscape.
I searched this composition out.”
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A brief stroll unearthed a weathered cross that showed off the 17-50’s stellar depth-of-field abilities. “The cross represented someone dying in that area,” she explains. “Here is where the lens being fast and wide really proved to be an asset. I used it at f/2.8 and came in very close to the cross, nearly touching it, and was just so amazed with everything, from the color of the sky to how much I was able to get into the frame. Being at f/2.8, the cross was in focus and the background and everything else was out of focus—the depth-of-field was just fun to play with.” |
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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!” |
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