Kanayo Adibe
Wedding | Last Updated: April 9, 2024
I am Kanayo Adibe, a wedding and lifestyle photographer based in the Washington DC area.
I love shooting weddings because weddings are a genre of photography that require a strong foundation in several other genres, and as wedding photography evolves, more and more ideas and techniques from other genres continue to make their way into weddings. Weddings push you to your physical and creative limits. You have to constantly deliver consistent quality of work in varying lighting conditions with brutal time constraints.
On a wedding day, I shoot with two Nikon D810’s and would typically have the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G on one body and the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX on the other. The Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PCE and Nikon 135mm f/2 DC in my Holdfast Gear Explorer lens pouch. I love the Nikon D810 files, though large, the flexibility of the files (dynamic range, crop-ability and overall image quality) have me coping.
I use my Nikon 20mm f/1.8G as my storytelling lens. It’s an extremely wide lens but also very dramatic when used close up. Depending on what I want to achieve I use a combination of the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PCE, and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX for my bridal portraits and posed shots . The Nikon 135mm f/2 DC usually gets used during the ceremony when I just need a bit more reach.
As far as lighting goes I tend to shoot with ambient light but will reach for my Speedlights and bounce when needed. For my details and ring shots I pull out the Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PCE.
Aside from shooting weddings I also dabble in street photography as a creative outlet. I view street photography as this ongoing quest to find order and beauty in variability and chaos.
On the street, the Nikon DF is my camera of choice. I use a combination of the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G special edition, the Nikon 35mm f/2D lens and the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G. I like that these lenses are smaller and lighter than the f/1.4 versions and less intimidating when pointing your camera at a stranger.
For street I shoot at smaller apertures as depth of field is usually something I desire for my compositions so f/1.4 is definitely not necessary here. The amazing low light ability of the Nikon DF allows me to push my ISO really high to maintain that deep depth of field in low light situations.
Complete Gear List:
Cameras
Nikon D810 x 2
Nikon DF
Nikon D7100 (not pictured)
Lenses
Nikon 20mm f/1.8g
Nikon 35mm f/2D
Nikon 45mm f/2.8 PCE
Nikon 50mm f/1.8g Special Edition
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX
Nikon 135mm f/2 DC
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX (not pictured)
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED DX (not pictured)
Lights
Nikon SB 910 Speedlight
Neewer VK750 II Speedlight
Yongnuo YN-160s Led Light
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