Stephane Lemaire

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Hey Shotkit, my name is Stephane Lemaire, I am a French wedding photographer based in El Paso, Texas.

I have been living in the US for 10 years now, thanks to Myspace, I met a lovely lady and I moved from Paris, France to El Paso, Texas, crazy right ?

Well, in the meantime, I started my business and have been photographing couples for 9 years. Sounds cliché, but I love love, so I specialized in couples.

A little bit about me:

I actually went to photo school right after high school, photography was always there since I was a kid. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

I worked for a couple studios back in Paris, the first one was specialized in building architect’s portfolios, I learned how to shoot with 4×5 camera and spent a lot of time in the darkroom. Then I worked for another studio specialized in weddings and shot my first wedding in 2004.

I shoot around 20 weddings per year and couldn’t be happier, I love what I do and feel very blessed to be able to do it for a living.

Let’s talk about gear:

I am a Nikon guy, my first camera was a Nikon F4 and I never used any other brands.

My current cameras are Nikon D4s and Nikon D750.

The typical combo:

D4s with Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 and D750 with Nikon 35mm f/2

My lenses:

Nikon 20mm f/2.8 – very old lens, I only use it for night shots where I need a lot of sky.

Nikon 28mm f/1.8 – That lens comes out mainly for the reception, especially on the dance floor. It’s fast, compact and light, perfect combo with the D750.

Nikon 35mm f/2 – Old lens but I use it all day on the D750, I just love how compact it is. I tried the F/1.4G but it’s much heavier and bulky … so I am still shooting the old F2.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4 – That lens only comes out for family portraits, it’s very sharp and compact, and it keeps me close to my subjects with too much distorsion.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8 – I rarely use the 85mm, love the lens but I shoot most of portraits with 105mm or 70-200mm.

Nikon 105mm f/2.8 – That lens is fantastic for portraits but I mainly use it to shoot details. G IF-ED

Nikon 135mm f/2 – A fantastic lens that I use when I want amazing bokeh.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 – This is my workhorse, it is on the D4s all day long. (Read more Nikon lens reviews here)

The lighting:

Nikon Flashes: SB700, SB900, SB910

Godox V860II and AD200

Godox X1N and Xpro.

The Godox system works really good, it is very easy to use and very reliable.

Two very important tool that I use are the Xrite Passport Color checker and ExpoDisc, those 2 little guys makes my life a lot easier for editing.

For examples, you get to a church and the lighting is all yellow: no need to freak out about your white balance, these two will save you a lot of time in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Magmod lighting modifiers:

I mainly use the grids, awesome way to place the light where you want it.

The gels, the Magsphere, the Magbeam comes out during the day and especially at night, the system is amazing, it allows you to be more creative! Thanks MagMod!

Other tools:

Tripod Gitzo with Induro ball head

Lightstands Manfrotto

Think Tank bags: Airport navigator for engagement sessions and Airport Security for weddings.

Umbrellas from Westcott: 53 and 43

HoldFast Camera Swagg

Hope it helps you guys, find your tools and go create some magic!

www.stephanelemaire.com | @stephanelemairephotography