Newbie Posting!

Thanks so much! You all are SO encouraging, it's quite refreshing!

jessicaCPST wrote in post #7295869
Okay, you're my new favorite member, because those are EXACTLY the ones I love the most. Matter of fact, I ordered the #20 in an 8X12 just so I could see it in person. She may want it, she may not. I ordered the rest she chose in 4X6 "proofs" so she can choose which ones she wants enlargements of, if any.

Those three just jumped out at me , very nice !!

and #20 . she will want it !!!!!!!!!!!

There is little physical difference in the 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 other than about 1/2 inch in physical lens length and obviously focal length. Generally 50mm is about the cutoff for portraiture due to the fact that less than 50mm pulls in more what that natural human eyes sees, thus distortion (this is a general convention not a rule). There is however a big difference between the 50mm f1.8 and f1.4. The f1.4 creates much better results than the f1.8! The difference in price between the 85 F1.8 and 50mm f1.4 is very little. You can find either or, for about $300 used...and you won't regret it. As for the 70-200 f2.8L that is a different story. It is a very popular lens for good reason. If you continue to do weddings though, the 24-105 may be a better choice. The best thing to do is to borrow lens or rent them to get a feel for what you like.

As for your f-stop question. The longer the focal length the shorter your depth of field plane gets. So...f8 on a 35mm will have a longer depth of field than a 200mm meaning more background and foreground will show up on a 35mm at f8. Shooting with anything over 105mm I usually try to keep it around f5.6 and f8 to make sure I can "blow out" the background but still keep the ears to nose area crisp. Again...this depends on how close or far away you are from your subject. I would suggest shooting the same object at different f-stops with the same lens in similar light you would find optimal for a wedding and experiment. That is how I figured out what lens, in what light, and how close I could manage the "bokeh". Anyway...keep shooting! excellent work.