John Branch IV brings a new perspective into the close folds of his intimate wedding photography process
If photography is about recording special moments, few genres represent its value better than weddings. The genre’s creatives, like passionate and longtime professional John Branch IV, document individuals at their very best.
It seems almost fateful that the creative’s first project with FUJINON XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR II was not a first-time wedding, but a renewing of marital commitment. For both parties – John with a beloved lens’s successor, alongside an existing husband and wife – there was a distinct sense of falling in love all over again.
“When I started photography, the only thing that really clicked for me was making photos of people, and wedding photography fell into that,” John begins. “The biggest thing about weddings versus other people-focused genres was how raw and close the emotions were.
“In other genres, like street photography – which I’ve done a lot of myself – it’s easy to stay separated from the people you’re photographing.
“Then, weddings are something everybody has experienced in some kind of way. The feelings of the day are easy to understand, so that also drew me in.”
True to his early inspirations, John stays in the mix, photographing from the heart of the action and with close connections in mind. This has shaped not only his creative eye, but his practical approach. However, with XF16-55mmF2.8 II in hand, things began to shift.
“I tend to use primes, and I have for years. So, honestly, this was the first time I’ve used a zoom in a long time. I loved it. XF16-55mmF2.8 II covers almost the exact same range as the lenses I use most: a 16mm, 23mm, 33mm and 56mm. The difference is, it’s one optic covering it all.
“When you work weddings with primes, you have to be cognizant of when you’re switching lenses. One of my cameras will be for a wide-angle lens, and the other will be for a short telephoto. At certain parts of the day, I already know which type of lens I’ll need, but sometimes you get caught without exactly what you want in an artistic sense. If I saw a moment I’d prefer to photograph on my 16mm, but have a 23mm on – if I took the time to switch, I would miss it.
“So, that’s one great thing I was finding about XF16-55mmF2.8 II. It’s instant to lift your camera and zoom to exactly where you want at the same time.”
Where the cost of such creative freedom is usually incurred, X Series’ newest addition continues to perform among the best lenses – fixed focal length or otherwise. Across a fast constant F2.8 aperture, an exceptionally unobtrusive 95mm (3.74-inch) length, and professional resolving power, John was enamored.
“One of the main things that surprised me was just how sharp the photos were. While I was editing, all I could think about was how good they looked. That’s great for printing, but you also want clients to see what’s clearly a high-quality image in any medium.
“I was working with FUJIFILM X-T5, so once you start getting to that super-high sensor resolution, you can see if your lenses aren’t sharp. When the lens is sharp, you just think ‘Wow!’ As far as making the photos look a little more elevated goes, XF16-55mmF2.8 II was amazing.
“I didn’t have a chance to use it in seriously low light, but the ceremony area was fairly dark and having F2.8 all the way through the zoom range was great,” John continues. “It held up practically, and visually the blurred background was beautiful.
“Overall, it was awesome. It was so easy to use. Handheld, I could flow well, I’d use the zoom and just jump between all my ideas in one fluid motion. I could go in close and come back, which was really surprising because I’m so used to changing my composition on foot.”
The standard prime successor has a final trick up its sleeve. XF16-55mmF2.8 II’s autofocus is driven by an entirely contemporary linear motor system, for unmissable moments like John’s.
“I tend not to use continuous AF,” he notes. “I usually move my single AF box and put it where I want because that’s been a reliable method. Using XF16-55mmF2.8 II, I was encouraged to used face detection a lot more. It kept up incredibly through the ceremony, even when the couple walked straight towards me up the aisle – so I photographed the whole session that way. It was spot on, which was good because when you need to hit focus in a wedding, you need it.”
Without doubt, XF16-55mmF2.8 II will be a go-to lens for many creatives across virtually all genres, and wedding photography is a perfect showcase for its versatile demands. It’s portraiture, documentary, events, and still life photography all wrapped up in a single day – as John knows all too well.
“One thing that helps you decide what kind of gear to bring is the session itself,” he states, covering the standard zoom’s sheer versatility. “It’s about more than just the light. This particular lens would be equally perfect for something intimate like an engagement session.
“They’re slower paced than a wedding, and it’s about meeting the couple as much as getting beautiful images. If I were to bring my whole wedding setup – two cameras, four lenses, a bag to carry it all – it wouldn’t be a good fit. Now, I could enter that session with just an X Series body and XF16-55mmF2.8 II, and it would be perfect.”
By the end of his project, John was moved not only by another beautiful ceremony, but a vision of an even more effortlessly connected future.
“When I had the lens, I thought maybe I won’t use as many primes,” the creative laughs. “I love the new-school approach to weddings, where you fit a few primes and stay right in the mix, but I’d love to explore the traditional approach a little more – observing and creating that way.
“Generally, my longest lens is FUJINON XF90mmF2 R LM WR,” John concludes, “and if I keep using that on one of my two bodies, with XF16-55mmF2.8 II on the other, I’d have everything I need. It’s essentially the way I’m working now, but one lens in place of four.”
