Tips & How-Tos

Creating Family Moments with the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art Lens

As a mother of four young children and a full-time photographer, I am my family’s storyteller. I have one of the most important “jobs” in the whole world: I’m capturing the special milestones we know are so fleeting, the mundane moments that make up our every day, and everything in between. It’s important for me to have faithful camera gear that I can rely on to capture our family’s memories.

When I’m out and about with my children and need to keep my gear light, I’m almost always grabbing my SIGMA 35mmF1.4 DG HSM | Art lens — it’s my most versatile. For me it’s imperative to travel light, my children range from ages 7 years to 6 months, so I’m often carrying at least one of them. Whether I’m photographing my daughter in tight spaces like her crib or need to be close to my boys while out hiking, the 35mm is my go-to that works in just about every situation.

Beyond sheer versatility, my favorite quality of this lens is its sharpness. I prefer to shoot nearly wide open in most situations when I’m photographing my children, and this lens is tack-sharp when I’m shooting anywhere from 1.6 to 2.2 which are my usual aperture choices. The 35mm is by far one of my fastest and sharpest lenses. I used to own one of its strongest and much more expensive competitors, and my SIGMA lens outshined the other 35mm in sharpness almost every single time.

On that same note, the autofocus is incredibly quiet and fast. In the same day I could find myself photographing both my sleeping daughter in her crib and my boys running around outside, and all the while, my SIGMA 35mm is able to grab focus quickly and effectively. Even at close to wide open, my images are still sharp. This goes for video as well. The 35mm is my preferred lens when recording my family’s special moments — I never worry about letting a memorable second slip by.

I gravitate towards SIGMA lenses because of their reputation for durability, and the 35mm is no exception. It’s a beast of a lens which is wonderful for me because I don’t tend to be very gentle on my gear. It’s a little hard to be delicate on my equipment when I’m chasing little boys up muddy trails just about every day. Even despite minor mishaps it still works like a charm. The SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is simply made to last.

Color plays a huge role in my style — I always gravitate towards dreamy colorful scenes over black and white. The color of my SIGMA 35mm is gorgeous and makes it so fun to play with my imagery. The colors are natural and vibrant — skin tones are accurate and lifelike compared to its competitor which often looks green and dull.

The cherry on top: you can’t beat the price point. As a mother of a family on a budget, this is huge plus for me, as I think it is for any parent and photographer

With my wide-angle 35mm, there’s no limit to my storytelling. The lens is by far one of the most durable and versatile lenses I own. I’m able to document all of my family’s moments while still be in close proximity to my little ones. It’s so important for me as a mother to be present and capture those fleeting milestones for my children and me to look back on for decades to come.

Comments (6)
  1. Judy Host says:

    Love your Blog and your imagery. Beautifully done. Love seeing your gorgeous family as well, including that little kitten, lol

  2. Adrian faulkner says:

    Superb blog! your photography is just stunning and beautifully edited your such an inspiration! I also love my 35mm Sigma art lens it’s definitely my most used lens!

  3. Kimberly Stinson says:

    Thank you for sharing. Your photos are beautiful.I have for years wanted to find the right camera but I to dont have the time or lets say patients for all the extra,so you’re set up of the 35 mm. Sounds great! I hope to look into this in the near future as i am into equestrian life and can’t wait to take some quality photos of my best friend. Thank you.

  4. Abul says:

    What a lovely blog post and beautiful images!
    I agree 100% with the colours of the 35mm, which being a wedding photographer, is one of my favourite go-to lenses too.

    Love your work and I look forward to seeing more!

  5. Jeffrey says:

    Beautiful images! Wishing my Sigma 35mm Art could nail focus as good as these shots. It’s one of my fave lenses in my kit but it misses so often.

  6. Sriram Swaroop Manchem says:

    You have inspired me to take pictures of my little girls more often. Your work is amazing, keep clicking and keep inspiring us.
    Certainly 35mm art lens is a huge plus to have.

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