Bodies get replaced every three years; the lenses stay. A working guide to the primes we actually reach for on wedding and portrait shoots.
35mm — the one you leave on
The 35mm f/1.4 is the lens most wedding photographers end up shooting 60% of the day on. Wide enough to include environment, tight enough to isolate a subject, and forgiving enough at f/1.4 to work indoors without pulling a flash.
85mm — the portrait workhorse
For every posed portrait, the 85 is the lens. The compression flatters faces, the background falls away, and at f/1.8 or f/1.4 it holds up in almost any light. If we could only own two lenses, this and the 35 would be the pair.
24–70mm — for the day that won't sit still
For events and receptions where you can't change primes fast enough. Not as beautiful wide open as the primes, but the zoom range earns its place when the schedule is moving faster than the shoot list.
The buying order
35mm f/1.4 first. 85mm f/1.8 second. Standard zoom third. Everything else is a specialty tool you'll buy for one project and use once a year.
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