I just got this Canon Rebel T7 and honestly I have no idea what I am doing with it yet. My sister is graduating in two weeks and she wants me to take her senior pictures at the park down the street because we cant afford a professional photographer right now. I've been using the lens that came in the box but the background isnt getting that blurry look that everyone likes and it just looks kinda like a phone picture. Someone told me I need a prime lens for portraits but I dont even really know what that means?? I think it means it doesnt zoom? I only have about 150 or maybe 200 dollars at the most to spend on this since I just bought the camera bag and extra batteries and stuff. Im really stressed because the shoot is so soon and I dont want to mess up her big day and have the photos look bad. Should I get that 50mm one I keep seeing online or is there something better for a beginner who is totally lost? What is the best lens for people pictures that wont break the bank but makes the background look all soft and professional?
@Reply #1 - good point! That 50mm is basically the gold standard for a first lens, but you gotta be careful with how you actually use it on a T7. Since that camera has a crop sensor, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is gonna feel much more zoomed in than you expect. You'll probably have to stand pretty far back from your sister to get her whole outfit in the frame, so make sure the park has enough open space. I would suggest a few things so you dont mess up the shots:
- Keep a lot of distance between her and the background. If she stands right against a wall or a tree, it wont look blurry at all. Move her way out into the open.
- Make sure you focus exactly on her eyes. When you use that blurry setting (f/1.8), the focus area is tiny, so be careful not to lean forward or backward after you lock focus.
- Don't forget to check your shutter speed so the photos dont come out shaky. Since that lens is only about 125 bucks, you'll have money left over from your 200. Maybe grab a SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I card so you can just keep snapping without worrying about space. Tbh, the best thing you can do is just go to the park a day early and test it out on a friend... just to see how the blur looks at different distances. It helps a ton with the stress if you've already seen the results once before the big day.
- I used the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM for my sisters graduation and it worked great...
- Its cheap and you should use Av mode at f/1.8 for that blur.
