Here’s another shot from Mandy and Adam’s wedding on Saturday . . .



Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1000; Shutter 1/800; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.



For the Planner


Preparation shots come off best when there’s a nice window light in the room. If you have the flexibility to choose the spot where the bride or groom will get ready, put them next to a window. And try to position the chairs so that the subject is facing toward the window or at least within a 90 degree angle of the window. Anything but facing the opposite direction. This helps us tremendously. And it’ll give your makeup and hair stylists plenty of light.


For the Photographic Observer


Notice the detail work on Mandy’s dress? You need sidelighting to show off texture. Take advantage of it when it happens. Wedding gowns and cakes can be difficult because they’re all one color. Front lighting or backlighting will not get you any detail on things that are all the same color. Watch for and position yourself for sidelighting.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Beware of the man who won’t be bothered with details.” - William Feather

Here are a few from Mandy and Adam’s wedding on Saturday. Today let’s discuss the gift from bride to groom and vice versa . . .



Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1000; Shutter 1/800; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1000; Shutter 1/640; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1250; Shutter 1/1000; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 640; Shutter 1/250; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.

Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 640; Shutter 1/400; Aperture 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No Flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1250; Shutter 1/200; Aperture 2.8; Focal Length 155mm. No Flash.



For the Planner


Maintain good communication with your photographer when potentially emotional moments are about to occur or are occurring. Make sure we’re ready and ask if we have a preference on where the gift opening takes place. Ask the bride and groom if they will be giving gifts to each other and plan accordingly. It’s awesome if the bride or groom is fully dressed when this takes place. And make sure the make-up artist hasn’t taken off since mascara may have to be touched up!


For the Photographic Observer


I did not position Mandy for any of these shots. Fortunately, she found some great light on her own. It was just up to me to nail it. Notice, she turned toward the window light for some and away from the window light for others. The paper was back-lit when she was facing the window and probably difficult for her to read. Don’t mess with her at this moment! If I say “Mandy, turn back towards the window” I’ve just stomped on an unbelievably intimate moment. I’ve made her inordinately aware of my presence and then she starts thinking about how she looks for the camera instead of about the best letter she’s ever read in her life! Keep your mouth shut and your hands off this moment, photojournalist!


Notice my ISO ratings were high and the shutter speeds were well more than I needed to freeze the motion on some shots. Keep in mind I was changing lenses quickly between 1.4 and 2.8 maximum apertures. I set my ISO with the thought that she might do a 180 away from the window at any second (which she did) and with the thought that I might switch to a 2.8 lens. I knew I would have to be ready for anything so I went for a higher ISO than the 1.4 lens warranted. It paid off. The only adjustment I had to make when she turned around was to increase my exposure compensation.


Remember last week’s tips on framing within the image here, here, and here? I double-framed one of the shots of Mandy with the 2 doorways! It was a conscious decision (possibly enhanced because I’d been blogging about framing all week). Two doorways in the same shot made for some awesome framing. Gravy.


I put several similar shots in for a reason. I liked having the shots with the bridesmaids watching and taking pictures. It added to the significance of the moment because more folks than me wanted to shoot it. I also liked the shots where it’s just Mandy, no one else there or paying attention. It’s just her and the letter. Shoot like crazy, you crazy photojournalist. Shoot like there’s no tomorrow. A variety of small detail changes can make editing excruciating but everyone wins when the editing gets tough . . . except your free time.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Every artist was first an amateur.” - Ralph Waldo Emmerson

I wrote this foolishness to get across the point that most beginning photographers (there are many who read this blog) don’t get. Once you understand what your camera is trying to do, you’ve made quantum leaps in getting it to do what you want it to, and not the other way around. You become master. It becomes slave. Understand, of course, that I’m referring to luminosity, not hue. The paper was actually a brownish tone, but when I changed it to gray scale, this is the result. Also understand that it is not necessarily that the camera doesn’t trust you, but that it always seeks a mid-tone, and allows you to compensate and manipulate the results with the controls at your disposal.


Feel free to downloadeth and posteth this on thy blog, thy forum, or wherever thou wisheth.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“And then I see You there
With Your arms open wide and You try to embrace me
These lonely tears I cry
They keep me in chains and I wish they’d release me
Cold is the night but
Colder still is the heart made of stone, turned from clay
And if you follow me
You’ll see all the black, all the white fade to grey”
- Jars of Clay

Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/40; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. Bounce Flash.



OK sometimes framing within the image isn’t intentional. It just happens without any visualization on the part of the photographer. This was one of 100 or so departure shots outside the ballroom at The Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta. I was walking (jogging) backwards and doing my best to keep up. The subtle framing with the marble structure helped to make this one my favorite out of the set, but I certainly didn’t think hard about it when it happened.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” - Will Rogers

For today’s tip I’m gonna refer you to the comments section on yesterday’s post. Gena and I discussed the Photographic Observation approach. Here’s a little excerpt . . .

Once I understood what Denis Reggie was talking about when he said “wedding photojournalism” I knew at once that this was the direction I would take my photography. I wanted to capture the genuine significance of the event without controlling it, without fabricating it, without touching it.

Please feel free to ask for clarification or comment on anything I post. I try to keep up with the comments and answer questions as best as my wee-sized brain and schedule permit.

As I defined it yesterday, framing is when the subject is bordered on 2 or more sides by another element(s) in the image. Back to my home field - weddings . . .



Manual Mode; ISO 400; Shutter 1/250; F-stop 3.5; Focal Length 80mm. No flash.



Sometimes you just know you got it. This was one of those “Oh snap, that’s the best picture I’ve ever taken!” moments. This was 5 years ago and I was using the snail-slow EOS 1DS. Everything fell together and I nearly swooned when I looked at the back of the camera. Of course, that was like 20 minutes after I hit the shutter with that camera body!


This was at 80mm on a 70-200mm. I intentionally pulled back and framed the image with the crepe myrtles there at The Inn at Serenbe in Palmetto, Georgia. Trees are always good for framing. (Are crepe myrtles trees or shrubs? I hope that landscape-architecture-degree-holding-fraternal-embodiment I call my brother reads this blog and can help me out.)


This wedding was one of my first travel weddings in the Atlanta area. It turned out to be a good one. The groom is the head chef at The Four Seasons Atlanta. The bride worked there as well. The wedding and event coordinator for the Four Seasons, Gayle Skelton, helped her friends out with this wedding and enjoyed working with me and Laressa so much that she started referring her clients to us. (She’s since moved on to The Mansion on Peachtree, a swanky new highrise hotel in Buckhead which opens this month.) The wedding was published in The Knot magazine. And, of course, we got this image and the flower girl shot from the feature site video commentary section. All in one day!



Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/100; F-stop 1.4; Focal Length 50mm. No flash.



Yes, I shot this of an inanimate object handheld at 1600 ISO. Yes, it would have been better on a tripod at a lower ISO. I would normally have done so, but there was some great dancing going on, so I had to shoot quick because the “sweet light” (dusk) was waning fast and I had to get back to the action. (Photographic Observers have that added difficulty of time constraints and a zillion things happening at once. That’s what sets us apart. How quickly can we make this scene look amazing?!) I framed it with the woodwork in the background. This image was made at River Ridge Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.” - Johnny Carson

I want to capture personality. At first blush, you think, “Sure, just hold that shutter button down all day. There’s no artistry in that. It’s easy.” I think you pros understand, especially after this week, that capturing personality is not that easy. It means getting every change in expression, which means nailing every moment, which means having been here before, knowing where to be this time, and adjusting to insane lighting situations in an instant.


We are not in control as Photographic Observers. We plan, we adapt, we move, we adjust, we capture. We do not control. We live on the edge.


This recessional series from Phillip and Tracey’s wedding reflects just how difficult not being in control can be. Let me set the scene for you. The ceremony took place in a white tent which stood about 10 feet from a pavilion. Guests were seated in both. P&T were to start the recessional from the far side of the white tent, walk through to the pavilion, hang a sharp left and head out into the open reception area. That means four different lighting scenarios . . .

1. relatively dark tent with much brighter background, severely backlit
2. open area between tents with overhead/front light on subjects, but darkened subjects in tent in background
3. darkened pavilion area with white tent in background
4. wide open daylight

The Photographic Observer has to be able to nail each of those in a matter of seconds, not minutes. It’s crazy. And it’s fun. So let’s roll . . .



Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/200; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 190mm. No flash.




Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/200; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 160mm. No flash.




Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/400; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 160mm. No flash.




Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/200; F-stop 3.2; Focal Length 28mm. No flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/500; F-stop 3.2; Focal Length 31mm. No flash.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/1000; F-stop 3.2; Focal Length 44mm. No flash.



Don’t you feel like you know this awesome couple now?! Could I in any way orchestrate any of what just happened? Look at it: 1. Tracey’s arms raised 2. Phillip is bowed out, struttin’ with his prize 3. Great expressions, great lighting, Phillip is clasping her hand with both of his. 4. Tracey is ecstatic and Phillip is enjoying her joy. 5. Phillip is clapping! 6. It’s just the two of them in a moment they’ll share forever.


Let me briefly describe to you what I did. Manual for the first three shots with 70-200mm with that preplanned increase in shutter speed for the between tent and pavilion shot (3). I metered that one spot ahead of time, knowing that the lighting would be good on them. Then I switched cameras to a set up with the 28-70mm lens on numbers 4-6. Manual mode for number 4, then I quickly went to aperture priority mode for the last two shots knowing that the drastic change from dark pavilion to open daylight would happen too fast for me to handle manually.


To give you some idea of how rapidly I was shooting, the first image you see was number 2178 and the last was 2260. That’s 82 frames between the two. The point is you don’t shoot 6 frames to get 6 great shots. You shoot 82 because there’s a very slight difference between a good shot and an incredible one. Especially when you’re not in control.


I don’t mind telling you, I get jacked up looking at this set.


Plan, watch, move, adjust, and by all means, keep your mouth shut. Photographic Observers are not in control. Out of control is a great place to be.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” - Thomas Edison

So let’s look at a more difficult recessional scenario.



Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/100; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 200mm. No flash.



What can you gather from the settings? First off, I fudged on the shutter speed to focal length rule. My shutter speed was half as fast as it should have been given the 200mm focal length. (Remember, that rule applies to camera shake, not subject motion. Those are two different shutter speed to motion concerns.) I’ve gotten pretty good at hand-holding a long lens with slightly slower shutter speeds. The key is bracing yourself against something solid. Bring your elbows in. It helps to have love handles to prop them on. And shoot rapid fire. Some shots will have a little blur while others don’t. I may have even propped the camera on the tripod, though it wasn’t attached. This wedding was about a year ago and I don’t remember. I’ll make a post on this hand-holding soon. Remind me.


I knew I could fudge hand-holding this and that 1/100th of a second should be enough to effectually stop the motion of subjects walking at a relatively slow pace. I’m shooting manual because I wanted to nail the shot when they were in the spotlight. I was just hoping that both of them would be looking up in those three steps before they hit darkness again.


No flash. They were probably 75 yards away and on-camera flash just doesn’t do it from that distance. Plenty of ambient light anyway. Same recessional . . .



Manual Mode; ISO 1600; Shutter 1/85; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 75mm. Fill flash.



So I could have gone for a pan blur shot here. (Read this post for more on pan blur. Remember, you can do pan blur on recessional but not processional.) It would have been a good opportunity: long aisle, relatively dark church, an aisle on the left to stand in. But the candles would have given me fits and covered the bride up in a lot of the shots. So I went for the traditional end of the aisle shot.


1/85 of a second was cutting it really close on subject motion (not camera shake since I’m at 75mm). I was trusting my fill flash to do a little bit of motion freezing, but not much. I live on the edge on these recessionals with slower shutters to pick up on more ambient light. I hate having recessional shots that look like the B&G are rumbling out of a coal-black cave, club and raw meat in hand. I want the stage area slightly blown out and the rest of the sanctuary looking good.


The other option is to ratchet up that shutter speed which turns what was fill flash into the main light source. Then you run into face shine with heavy flash coming from the camera position. Reflective graphics may be in vogue on the internet right now, but I don’t want any of it on my peeps. You’re already getting shiney faces with this fill flash, but trust me, it can get much worse.


Look at the aisle area between the two shots. It looks like a major brightness difference with only a minor change in shutter speed. That’s because I lightened the second shot in photoshop. It came out of the camera a bit underexposed and that was purposeful. In film days they used to underexpose to freeze motion and “push-process” the film during development. Remember, when you’re in a pinch, stop the motion with a slightly underexposed image and lighten it from the comfort of your own plush desk chair.


As they near the door, they are getting into brighter and brighter light. At that point I’m increasing that shutter speed after every few shots in a very unscientific manner (guessing) very, very quickly. So, every 3 steps I’m notching that shutter speed up incrementally and turning off the flash without looking to see if it’s right. (Sometimes I just switch to an aperture priority setting in a hurry and let the camera figure it out.) There’s no time to check the back of the camera now. They’re already to second base in the hall and you’re missing it.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Kissing is a means of getting two people so close together that they can’t see anything wrong with each other.” - Rene Yasenek

Manual Mode; ISO 200; Shutter 1/640; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. No flash.

Let’s revisit yesterday’s image. Why didn’t I use fill flash?


Overcast skies are great for rendering vibrant color as you see in the flower pedals in this shot. The problem with overcast skies combined with human subjects is “racoon” eyes. By racoon eyes, I mean the darkening of the eye sockets caused by the excessive overhead lighting compared to the lighting coming at the subject from the camera (lower than the sky) position.


I usually use fill flash on overcast days when I shoot formals outside. I don’t when I’m shooting candids.


Fill flash reduces the racoon effect and creates a catchlight in the subject’s eyes. By catchlight, I mean the reflection on the eyeball from the flash itself. It makes the eyes sparkle. (You do know that on closeups you can study the way a scene is lit by looking at the reflection in the eyeball.) Fill flash requires a high degree of precision that is difficult to pull off with moving subjects and changing lighting situations. It must look natural and, therefore, be very subtle. Formal sessions are a much more controlled environment and, therefore, better suited to fill.


The problem with fill flash is that it creates a flat lighting effect. You get very little shadow on the subject. Shadow is what gives the subject texture and definition. If your light is non-directional (from the camera with fill flash or behind the camera in a silhouette) then you lose this texture and definition.


So I usually don’t use fill on anything except the outside formals. When I say fill, of course, I mean that ambient is the main source, and the on-camera flash is the secondary. I use a lot of flash in dark reception halls, but this is not referred to as fill flash. The on-camera flash (or the wall off of which I bounce) becomes the main source in that scenario, not the secondary.


If I had used fill flash here, the flower pedals that were closer to the camera would have been blown out and created nasty shadows on the bride and groom.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” - Douglas Adams

Manual Mode; ISO 200; Shutter 1/640; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. No flash.



Here’s one from Chateau Elan.


Wide angle is not my most common focal length for recessional images. The reason I went wide on this one was to show off those big trees in the background. With a wide angle I knew I could get most, if not all, of the trees in as the B&G got close to the end of the aisle.


I had plenty of room to move back and shoot with a longer lens here since it was outside and I had lots of grass behind me. But if there is anyone standing around the back row of chairs, they’ll jump out and stand in the way since you’re not there. Then you get nothing but the backside of some very important guest instead of this awesome moment. So wide angle made a lot of sense for several reasons.


When I do shoot wide angle on the Recessional, I always shoot something longer before they get to me. By that I mean I’ll shoot a telephoto of the kiss, announcement, and first few steps, then switch to the wide angle setup. That usually means having two camera setups for a quick transition. Have both cameras set (exposure and all) before this Recessional gets going. Plan ahead for this one. Make sure that the B&G get nice and close to you with a wide angle. Let them walk uncomfortably close if you want to have a dynamic shot with foreground and background.


Keep in mind that you want to shoot from a low perspective with a wide angle. That doesn’t mean you aim low, just get down low. That lengthens the subjects out as you see here. Wide angles distort and you never want to shoot formal portraits with wide angle unless you absolutely have to. The tried-and-true portrait focal length is 100mm.


But wide angles can sure be fun for shots like this.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a rich widow.” - Evan Esar
(Jack is the groom’s name in the photo above. Jack is not a dull boy. )