This lens is THE go-to lens. Most photographers will say it, but that’s because it’s so true. I use this lens more than any other lens in my bag + I love it for so many reasons!!! Today I’m going to be sharing three reasons why the 50mm f/1.2L is the essential lens!!

1. Real Life

I love using this lens for portraits because it gives my images the most “real life”, true-to-what-I’m-seeing-with-my-naked-eye look. In other words, I don’t feel like this lens distorts my images at all, which is VERY important to me for our style!!

2. High Quality Glass

The glass on the 50mm f/1.2L lens is top notch. To me, there IS a noticeable difference between the 50 1.2 + the 50 1.4 – and it’s one that I’m not willing to sacrifice for the quality of our images at this point in our business. Using this lens, I can get images that have a SUPER sharp focal point + a SUPER creamy bokeh as a result of the combination of high quality glass, large aperture, + narrow depth of field.

3. Versatility 

I really truly believe this lens can shoot anything. On any given wedding day, I will use this lens to shoot groupings of details (not individual details – for this I will use the 100mm Macro), getting ready portraits, processional + recessional at the ceremony, bride + groom portraits, bridal party, + reception!

To help show this even further, I’m going to share a few images from a recent wedding day, all shot with the 50mm!!

ISO 400 | f/2.0 | 1/250 sec

ISO 640 | f/2.2 | 1/3200 sec

ISO 400 | f/2.0 | 1/3200 sec

ISO 640 | f/4.0 | 1/320 sec

Left: ISO 800 | f/2.0 | 1/1600 sec, Right: ISO 800 | f/2.0 | 1/1250 sec

ISO 320 | f/2.2 | 1/200 sec

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For previous posts on What’s In Our Bag, check out:

The 85 L

The Workhorse (70-200) 

The 100mm Macro

The 24-70mm