Stephane Lemaire
Wedding | Last Updated: February 5, 2021










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:Â 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


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Ask me anything :)