Architectural photographers call it “sweet light” . . .



Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 320; Shutter 1 second; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. No Flash. 8:29 p.m.




Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 800; Shutter 1/5 second; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. No Flash. 8:09 p.m.



There’s a big difference between the first and second “sweet light” shots. It’s the direction. The top shot was taken facing the sunset - due west. The bottom shot was taken with my back to the sunset - due east. Same tent. Same night. Much different results.


You always get more dynamic sweet light shots facing west. By dynamic I mean a more electric, cobalt blue and more vignetting around the edges.


So here’s how I shoot sweet light . . .

• Wait til the sky light is roughly the same as the light INSIDE the tent/reception area. You can tell by squinting (or shooting).
• Tripod the camera.
• Drop the ISO. Assuming you’ve been at a high ISO shooting action shots.
• Set the camera to Aperture or Shutter Priority mode. The point is the light is going to be changing quickly during sunset. Let the camera do the figgerin’.
• Set your camera to a 2-second delay before firing. Your finger depressing the shutter makes the camera shake. No need to fight that battle. The two second delay between shutter depression and the beginning of the exposure gives the camera time to settle.
• Shoot one shot about every minute. The light will change quickly in those magical 5 minutes. It’ll surprise you. (Did I state this already? )
• Keep an eye on your shutter speed. If your shutter gets slower than 1 second or so, moving subjects will disappear. I’ve said before that I like my moving subjects to be ghosted, but not invisible.

I put the times in under each shot so you would notice the difference between the two. The easterly shot was exactly 20 minutes prior to the westerly. Think about it. The sky gets dark in the east first. If you have the option of shooting in a westerly direction, use that angle. I shot this one from the easterly direction first because I had no idea if something would be happening in those 5 incredible minutes when westerly sweet light would be occurring. Sure enough, the first dances were taking off about that time. Phillip actually shot the top one for me while I was shooting some dancing.


You don’t always have the option to shoot both directions. Your venue may dictate the direction of the shot courtesy of trees, sundry obstructions, or 26 lanes of interstate traffic between you and the westerly sunset shot. (The sweet light shot on the contact page of my feature site was not taken toward the west. It still turns out pretty cool.) If you have the option, shoot the easterly first, because you might be called away on an important task when the second one happens.


Here’s another example . . .


Aperture Priority Mode; ISO 160; Shutter 1.3 second; F-stop 2.8; Focal Length 20mm. No Flash.



If the front of the edifice is lit, it’s even better.


These sweet light shots are really Scene Setters. Check out the post on those here. The fourth shot down is from inside the reception and you get some sweet light through the clear tent.


In case you’re wondering, these images have not been touched-up in the least. That’s sweet.


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“A designer knows he has reached perfection not when there is nothing left to add but when there is nothing left to take away.” - Antione de Sainte-Exupery

Tags: sunset pictures, sweet light, wedding photojournalism tips

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 7:26 am and is filed under Photographic Observer Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.