The Wedding Photographer

Video Light Wedding Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Direction and Quality of Light, by Neil van Niekerk. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

For that dramatic, Hollywood look, a video light is probably the
easiest thing to use—especially when you need to work quickly,
like on a wedding day. With Allison and Scott’s wedding, the
majority of their romantic portraits (plates 11-7 through 11–10)
were taken using only a single video light, the Lowel ID-Light.
For this shoot, I chose to work with the Lowel ID-Light, instead
of the LitePanels MicroPro LED video light, because I wanted a
video light that was stronger. I also wanted the ability to diffuse
or focus the light, depending on what I needed. It was just the
more flexible choice for this event.

As you can see by the camera settings for these images, I
needed to work at high ISO settings and wide apertures. This is
because video lights are generally used in lower levels of ambient
light where the look of the rapid falloff gives the lighting a
dramatic look—and provides a lot of control. For example, in
the passageway seen in plate 11-8, the opposing mirrors gave an
infinity effect. The video light was ideal here for containing the
light spill; it’s basically what made this image possible. I could
have created the same image with flash, but it would have been
difficult to do it in the short time available.

Plate 11-7—Most of Allison and Scott's romantic portraits were created using a single video light. Exposure: 1/50 second, f/2.8, 1250 ISO, Lens: 24–70mm f/2.8 lens. Lowel ID-Light.

Plate 11-8—The controlled spread of the video light was useful in this mirrored hallway. Exposure: 1/30 second, f/3.2, 1600 ISO. Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8. Lowel ID-Light.

For plates 11-9 and 11-10, I turned down the brightness of
the video light to hold the detail in the background. If I had used
a brighter light on the couple, I would also have had to use a
faster shutter speed, smaller aperture, or lower ISO, which would
have made the background go darker—or even black.

As can be seen in plates 11-11 and 11-12, images of Tatiana
and Brandon at their wedding, the dramatic look of video light
works beautifully with black & white photographs. If I had
wanted to ease the contrast and bring in more shadow detail, it
would simply have been a matter of bouncing my on-camera flash
behind me. This would have to be done with the FEC turned
way down—to around –3EV—so that it just acted as a fill light.
The flash would also have to be gelled with a CTS or CTO gel to
avoid introducing a blue tint to the fill light.

Plates 11-9 and 11-10—Reducing the intensity of the video light enabled me to hold the detail in the dark backgrounds. Exposure: 1/30 second, f/3.2, 1600 ISO, 24–70mm f/2,8 lens. Lowel ID-Light.

Plates 11-11 and 11-12—Video light works beautifully for black & white images. Exposure: 1/60 second, f/3.2, 1600 ISO, Lens: 24–70mm f/2.8. Litepanels MicroPro LED video light.

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Types of Engagement Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Engagement Portraiture, by Tracy Dorr. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

When planning an engagement session, you will have many stylistic options available to you. Those will be explored further in the next chapter. No matter what style you choose, however, you will have two main avenues for executing it: a formal approach or an informal approach. Although the formal session is usually shot in a more traditional studio setting, I suggest that you try to think more broadly of “formal” as your approach to dealing with the customers. The same goes for the “informal” approach.

FORMAL

The classic, traditional engagement photo is a formal portrait. In the 1800s, portraits were necessarily serious and formal due to the extremely long exposure times that were required by the photographic technologies of the day. As higher film speeds became available, portraits took on a somewhat happier vibe; the subjects were smiling and more comfortable, but still formal and looking directly into the camera. Since the digital revolution, photojournalism has deeply impacted the style of portraits clients desire, but there is still a large market for a more formal approach to an engagement portrait.

If your clients are interested in a more formal approach, or if you are more comfortable shooting that way, you will need to decide if the session will be done in a studio setting with multiple backdrops or props, or if you will go on location. Formal shoots are typically created in a studio sitting, but if you do choose to go on location, think about more formal locations—like a church or museum, as opposed to a beach or heavily urban setting that will define your shoot before you even begin. The location you choose will directly impact the formal mood of your photos.

Choose your location wisely. Formal shoots often take place in a studio setting with lights and backdrops. Pose the couple carefully, and pay attention to every detail—from hand posing to hairstyling. You have total control in these situations, so take advantage of that. Photo by Nicole Knauber.

Formal sessions are not limited to a studio setting. Creativity may lead you to an unusual location that suits the couple's personality. Scout out the location to make sure it will enhance the mood, not detract from it. Photo by Evan Laettner.

Even though you don’t need as many exposures for formal portraits as you would for a more candid session, you still have the opportunity to use the digital media to your advantage. Keep shooting. Feel free to experiment with as many different poses and combinations as you like. You can always choose only the best one or completely delete anything that didn’t work. Ultimately, you are ensuring that the couple will have more selection in the end. Clients looking for a formal sitting will be more detail-oriented and will be looking for perfection. You don’t have the same kind of creative liberty to make artistic “errors” as you do in photojournalistic portraits.

INFORMAL

An informally styled engagement session can either be posed in a relaxed manner or it could take place as a totally photojournalistic shoot. You can also develop a combination of the two if you are skilled at directing and interacting with your clients. If your studio’s shooting area is limited in size, these types of sessions may work better on location. Additionally, the more relaxed atmosphere of an outdoor setting alleviates the stiffness of a traditional studio setting, something that is integral to a more informal approach.

A session that is still traditionally posed but executed in a more relaxed, informal manner is the most widely accepted type of session today. In this type of session, the clients may still be rather traditionally posed, but you will develop the poses as you go. You should give the clients direction and talk them through each pose, but allow them to be comfortable and to be themselves. This contrasts with a purely photojournalistic type of session, in which you provide little or no posing direction but concentrate, instead, on capturing your clients as they really are.

During your initial meeting with the clients, educate them about informal and photojournalistic approaches. See which one they are truly looking for. They may be confused as to the difference.

Informally posed sessions are a popular choice. They allow you to modernize an old concept and flatter any couple or location. Photo by Evan Laettner.

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Effective Strategies for Posing Wedding Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:44:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book 100 Techniques for Professional Wedding Photographers, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Tip # 30. Photographing Larger Groups

As people gather for large group portraits, have them put their drinks down before they enter the staging area, then arrange the group so that the bride and groom are the center of interest and everyone else’s face can be seen (tell everyone that they need to be able to see you with both eyes to be seen in the photo). Look for a high vantage point, such as a balcony or second-story window, from which you can make the portrait. You can also use your trusty stepladder, but be sure someone holds it steady—particularly if you’re at the very top. Use a wide-angle lens and focus about a third of the way into the group, using a moderate taking aperture to keep everyone sharply focused. Another trick is to have the last row in a group lean in while having the first row lean back, thus creating a shallower subject plane, making it easier to hold the focus across the entire group.

This is the “bouquet of flowers” treatment for groups. Shooting from directly above to capitalize on the symmetry of the composition, Dan Doke created a beautiful portrait of the bride and her maids. Using an 85mm lens, the perspective is good and normal. With a wide-angle lens, faces this close to the frame edges would have been distorted.

Tip #31. Speeding Up Your Group Portraits

The best man and ushers can usually be persuaded to help organize large group photos. Be sure to have everyone make it sound like fun—it should be. One solution is to make your formal groups at the church door as the couple and bridal party emerge. Everyone in the wedding party is present and the parents are nearby. If you don’t have a lot of time to make these groups, this is a great way to get them all at once—in under five minutes.

Tip #32. Control the Focus Field

Adjust the Camera Angle. With large groups, raising the camera height and angling the camera downward keeps the film plane more parallel to the plane of the group’s faces. Doing this does not change the depth of field, but it optimizes the plane of focus to accommodate the depth of the group. This makes it possible to get both the front and back rows in focus.

Adjust the Subject Distance. If your subjects are in a straight line, those at the ends of the group will be proportionately farther away from the lens than those in the middle of the lineup (unless you are working at a great distance from the subjects). As a result, those farthest from the lens will be difficult to keep in focus. The solution is to bend the group, having the middle of the group step back and the ends of the group step forward so that all of the people are at the same relative distance to the camera. To the camera, the group will still look like a straight line, but by distorting the plane of sharpness you will be able to accommodate the entire group.

Ben Chen used a beautiful spiral staircase as the framework for this formal wedding portrait. He lit the scene with his on-camera 580EX strobe bounced into the ceiling. Notice how each person in the group looks great—even the little ones.

This is a fun group shot of a huge wedding party done by JB Sallee. Titled Jump, Damn It!, this is a straight-line composition. The group has a good dynamic created by the fact that over half of the group could not take directions very well. The up-and-down head heights produces its own kind of dynamic line that seems to work in this composition.

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Corrective Posing for Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Master Posing Guide for Wedding Photographers, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.
It's important to understand that people don't see themselves the way they actually appear. Subconsciously, they shorten their noses, imagine they have more hair than they really do, and in short, pretend they are better looking than they really are. A good portrait artist knows this and knows how to reflect the same level of idealization in portraits of the subject. As a matter of procedure, the photographer analyzes the face and body and makes mental notes as to how to best light, pose, and compose the subject to produce a flattering likeness. Because they are always shooting under pressure, wedding photographers must master these techniques to such a degree that they become second nature.

Camera Height and Perspective

Camera Height. When photographing people with average features, there are a few general rules that govern camera height. These rules will produce normal perspective with average people.

When the perfect camera height for a head-and-shoulders portrait is used, the face is well proportioned and oval—as shown here.

• For head-and-shoulders portraits, the rule of thumb is that camera height should be the same height as the tip of the subject’s nose or slightly higher.

• For three-quarter-length portraits (portraits that include the subject’s figure down to mid-calf or mid-thigh), the camera should be at a height midway between the subject’s waist and neck.

• In full-length portraits, the camera should be the same height as the subject’s waist.

In each case, notice that the camera is at a height that divides the subject into two equal halves in the viewfinder. This is so that the features above and below the lens/subject axis are all the same distance from the lens and thus recede equally for “normal” perspective.

Controlling the Perspective
As the camera is raised or lowered, the perspective (the size relationship between parts of the photo) changes. By controlling perspective, you can alter the physical traits of your subject.

By raising the camera height in a three-quarter or full-length portrait, you enlarge the head and shoulder regions of the subject, while slimming the hips and legs. Conversely, if you lower the camera, you reduce the size of the head and enlarge the size of the legs and thighs. If you find that after you make a camera-height adjustment for a desired effect there is no change, move the camera in closer to the subject and observe the effect again.

Tilting the camera down when raising the camera (and up when lowering the camera) increases these effects. A good rule of thumb for three-quarter- and full-length portraits is to keep the lens at a height where the plane of the camera’s back is parallel to the plane of the subject. If the camera is tilted up or down you will be distorting the person’s features.

When you raise or lower the camera in a head-and-shoulders portrait, the effects are even more dramatic. Raising or lowering the camera above or below the subject’s nose height is a prime means of correcting any facial irregularities. Raising the camera lengthens the nose, narrows the chin and jaw lines, and broadens the forehead. Lowering the camera shortens the nose, de-emphasizes the forehead, and widens the jaw while accentuating the chin.

Correcting Specific Problems
Overweight Subjects
Dark clothing will make a person appear ten to fifteen pounds slimmer. While this is is something you could recommend for the engagement session, it’s beyond your control at the wedding. Therefore, careful posing will be an important tool for addressing the issue. Begin by using a pose that has the subject turned at a 45-degree angle to the camera. Never photograph a larger person head-on; it will only accentuate their size. Standing poses are more flattering for overweight subjects. Seated, excess weight accumulates around the waistline. Selecting a pose that turns your subject away from the main light is also desirable, as this will put more of the body in shadow and produce a slimming effect.

Thin or Underweight Subjects
When posing a thin person, have him or her face the camera more directly to provide more width. Selecting a pose that turns your subject toward the main light is also desirable, as this will put more of the body in the light and produce a widening effect.

Elderly Subjects
The older the subject, the more wrinkles he or she will have. It is best to use some type of diffusion, but do not soften the image to the point that none of the subject’s wrinkles are visible. Men, especially, should not be overly softened, as their wrinkles are often considered “character lines.” In the absence of light modifiers, you can also pose the subject so that the main light strikes primarily the front of their face, minimizing any deep shadows in the wrinkles and deep furrows of the face.

In general, older subjects should also be smaller within the composition. Even when making a head-and-shoulders portrait, reducing the subject size by about 10–15 from how you might normally frame the image will ensure that the signs of age are less noticeable.

A good rule of thumb when making a three-quarter-length portrait is to keep the camera back parallel to the subject plane. This reduces subject distortion and helps keep horizontal and vertical lines true.

Eyeglasses
With digital capture, it’s easy to see if eyeglasses are captured with reflections. If you have a chance to retake the photo, have the person slide the eyeglasses down on his or her nose slightly. This changes the angle of incidence and helps to eliminate unwanted reflections.

One Eye Smaller than the Other
Most people have one eye smaller than the other. This should be one of the first things you observe about your subject. If you want both eyes to look the same size in the image, pose the subject in a seven-eighths to three-quarters view, placing the smaller eye closer to the camera. Because objects farther from the camera look smaller and nearer objects look larger, this will cause both eyes to appear to be more or less the same size.

Baldness
If your subject is bald, lower the camera height so less of the top of his head is visible. In post-production, you can also try to blend the tone of the background with the top of your subject’s head.

Double Chins
To reduce the view of the area beneath the subject’s chin, raise the camera height so that area is less visually prominent. You can also have the subject tilt their chin upward, tightening the area, and (if possible) raise the main light so that as much a possible of the area under the chin is in shadow.

Wide Faces
To slim a wide face, pose the person in a three-quarters view and turn them away from the main light. This places the image highlights on the narrow side of the face for a slimmer look.

Thin Faces
To round a narrow face, pose the person in a seven-eighths view, keeping as much of the face as possible visible to the camera. Turn them toward the main light to place the image highlights on the broader side of the face for a fuller look.

Broad Foreheads
To diminish a wide or high forehead, lower the camera height and tilt the person’s chin upward slightly. Remember, the closer the camera is to the subject, the more noticeable these corrective measures will be. If you find that by lowering the camera and raising the chin, the forehead is only marginally smaller, move the camera in closer and observe the effect again—but watch out for other distortions.

Deep-Set and Protruding Eyes
To correct deep-set eyes, try having the subject raise their chin. To correct protruding eyes, have the person look downward so that more of the eyelid is showing.

Large Ears
To scale down large ears, the best thing to do is to hide the far ear by placing the person in a three-quarters view, making sure that the far ear is out of view of the camera (or in shadow). If the subject’s ears are very large, examine the person in a profile pose. A profile pose will totally eliminate the problem. Also, longer length lenses will appear to compress the visible ear, reducing its prominence.

Uneven Mouths
If your subject has an uneven mouth (one side higher than the other, for example) or a crooked smile, turn his or her head so that the higher side of the mouth is closest to the camera, or tilt the subject’s head so that the line of the mouth is more or less even.

Long Noses and Pug Noses
To reduce the appearance of a long nose, lower the camera and tilt the chin upward slightly. You should also select a frontal pose, either a full-face or seven-eighths view, to disguise the length of your subject’s nose.

Long Necks and Short Necks
While a long neck can be considered sophisticated, it can also appear unnatural—especially in a head-and-shoulders portrait. By raising the camera height and lowering the chin you will shorten an overly long neck. When photographing a male subject, pulling up his collar will also shorten an overly long neck. Conversely, lowering the camera height and suggesting a V-neck shirt (for the engagement session, for example) will lengthen the appearance of a short neck.

Wide Mouths and Narrow Mouths
To reduce an overly wide mouth, photograph the person in a three-quarters view with no smile. For a narrow or small mouth, photograph the person in a more frontal pose and have him or her smile broadly.

Long Chins and Stubby Chins
Choose a higher camera angle and turn the face to the side to correct a long chin. For a stubby chin, use a lower camera angle and photograph the person in a frontal pose.

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Posing the Bride, Groom and Couple

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Master Posing Guide for Portrait Photographers, 2nd Ed. by JD Wacker. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

PSYCHOLOGY

Love Is in the Air. More than any other type of portraiture, wedding portraits should capture the love between the bride and the groom and from their family and friends. Certainly, recording images of groups and events on the big day is essential. But it shouldn’t overshadow the opportunity for you to create images that show love. Everyone is dressed in their best clothing, happy (well, usually), and having fun. Make the most of it. Be creative and be prepared to capture special moments that just happen and are nearly impossible to re-create.

Mutual Respect. Conduct yourself as a professional and let your subjects know they are important to you. Let them know that you want to create fantastic images that they will treasure forever, but don’t want to interfere with their wedding day. Have a plan and let them know what it is. They will respect you and be

more cooperative. It will be a win–win situation.

Keep Your Cool. Wedding Photographer Horror Stories could be the next best-selling thriller or reality show. Expect anything to happen and be ready to adapt. Make it clear that you are trying to do your best for them, but don’t argue or be agitated. Many of the people involved have a lot time invested and little sleep. So, be understanding. Also, be aware that many of the attendants won’t know what’s going on and may see you in a bad light.

Be creative, have fun, and be ready to capture images that reflect the unique character of the bride and groom.

MECHANICS

The Bride. Pose the bride as you normally would pose a woman, and make the dress and accessories work to your benefit, not against you. Accentuate the long, flowing, graceful lines of the veil and train. Define the waistline by separating the arms and the body and by twisting the body at the waist. If the bride is holding a bouquet, position it in the hand farthest from your main light source and slightly above waist level for three-quarter and full-length portraits. With the other hand, try more formal, dance-like poses of the bride’s hands by bending the hand away from the body at the wrist, showing the edge of the hand, and elongating the fingers. Turn the bride away from the main light source to maximize dress detail.

The Groom. Again, it is the unique clothing that will provide new posing opportunities. Suits and tuxedos are more restrictive to movement, but encourage straighter posture that invokes a feeling of positive attitude. Use this attitude to your advantage. You’ll capture more dynamic images of the man, simply because he is more excited and more sure of himself as a subject.

The Bride and Groom. As opposed to most portrait sessions where you must build up the energy level, at a wedding all you need to do is be ready for it to happen. You can guide the couple into poses that encourage their natural interaction. As with any couple, the combination of the bride in a graceful S-pose and the groom in the strong C-pose will add artistic value to the portrait. Just have them look at each other and hold each other, or have the bride look at her ring or flowers and have the groom look at her. At these points, their expressions will be genuine and full of love. If you get them involved with their parents, the wedding party, and the guests, special moments will arise for you to record in wonderful portraits.

Guide the couple into natural poses than encourage interaction.

The Wedding Party and Families. The number of people involved at a wedding can be astronomical. You can’t expect all of them to feel well and be excited about having their portrait taken. Work quickly and efficiently, but still pay attention to detail. An assistant can be very helpful when posing groups. One of you can handle the camera and lighting while the other arranges the individuals and helps them pose. Order of importance and height are two major factors when arranging groups at a wedding. Place the most important individuals closest to the bride and/or groom. Sort individuals and couples by height to ensure that everyone is seen and has his own space and that the group is balanced as a whole. The bride and groom are obvious centers of interest and can serve as the focal point in a more interactive style of portrait.

Whrranging group shots, place the most important individuals closest to the bride and groom.

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Working with Reflectors

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Doug Box's Available Light Photography: Techniques for Digital Photographers. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

REFLECTORS
Photographers use reflectors to bounce light onto the subject or scene. They are available in different sizes and with various surfaces that can be used to intentionally affect the color of the light, making it warmer or cooler.

I use reflectors in many ways—to fill in the shadow side of a subject, as a main light, as a kicker light or rim light, set opposite the main light to add roundness or create tonal separation, to illuminate the background, and more.

Typically I use either a 32-inch round pop-up reflector or a 42-inch Scrim Jim with a reflective panel. However, almost any material with a reflective surface can be used as a reflector. A pop-up or folding windshield shade made of silver Mylar is a perfect emergency reflector. Covering a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil will work when you’re in a bind as well. When doing commercial or product photography, I often used small pieces of foil or Plexiglas mirrors to light a small, dark image area. At a wedding, I once used a white tablecloth to reflect light onto the shadow side of a bride’s face.

In many scenarios, a flash in a small softbox would work just as well as the bounced light from a reflector—or better—but we are learning to use the light that is available.

This image shows how a reflector should be positioned when it is used as the main light for a standard portrait. Many people position the reflector lower, creating an uplighting effect that is not flattering for every subject. The lower position is best used for producing fill light or when you have the open sky or sun as the main light. Note the surface of this reflector. A soft silver tone is easier on the model’s eyes than a very shiny silver modifier. Also, the light that is produced is softer with this type of reflector.

Top and bottom—If you use a gold reflector to create fill light, the shadow side of the face will take on a warmer hue. This is hard to correct. I usually use a silver or white reflector for fill. A gold reflector can create a warm main light or a kicker or hair light. Here, I used a 12x12-inch gold fold-up reflector about 30 feet from the subject. I had to move that far away to pick up some direct sunlight to illuminate the subject’s hair. Exposure for both images: f/2.8 and 1/250 at ISO 160.

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Engagment Session

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book 50 Lighting Setups for Portrait Photographers, Volume 2: Easy-to-Follow Lighting Designs and Diagrams, by Steven H. Begleiter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

CAMERA DATA
Camera: Canon 40D
Aperture: f/4
Lens: EF 24–105mm at 47mm
Shutter speed: 1/30 second
ISO: 200

ASSIGNMENT
My nephew was getting married and was meeting us for a brief visit with his fianceé. I hadn’t planned to take a portrait of them but thought it would be a nice change to create an engagement photo. They were leaving early in the morning to head back to Los Angeles, so I didn’t have much time to plan the shot—nor did they have time to dress for the session.

LIGHTING AND POSING
I picked an open shade area to avoid any high contrast. There wasn’t much light (f/4 at 1/15 second), so I increased my ISO to 200 to bring it up to 1/30 second at f/4, helping me to avoid motion blur. I set my Canon 530EX flash on the hot shoe, with a Gary Fong diffuser. I then switched my camera to shutter priority (Tv) mode with the camera at 1/30 second.

I had Trevor and Mari turn to each other and asked Trevor to wrap his arms around Mari. I took about three pictures before they had to leave. The rest was a transformation in Photoshop.

POSTPRODUCTION
When I imported the images into Lightroom, this one stood out. I decided to play with it in Photoshop and see if I could dress it up and present it to them as a canvas print.

I exported it to Photoshop and duplicated the background layer. My first step was to crop the image to a square (like the old Hasselblad format), getting rid of the excess background to keep the attention on the couple. Once that was done, I checked the levels and constricted the histogram slightly by sliding the arrows toward the middle.

At this point, I converted the image to black & white using a black & white adjustment layer. Creating this layer brings up a dialog box with color sliders. If you recall the old days of using color filters to alter the black & white tones in your film images, this will look familiar. By sliding the yellows and greens to the left I was able to evenly darken the background to bring out the subjects. Sliding the reds, blues, and magentas to the right lightened their skin tones.

My next task was to lighten their eyes (it was an early-morning shoot, after all!) and brighten their teeth. I used the quick selection tool to select the teeth and eyes on both subjects. I used the refine edges command (Select>Refine Edges) to tweak the selection. Once I was satisfied with it, I used the hue/saturation dialog box to desaturate the tones in their eyes and teeth (–43) and increase the lightness of these areas (+32). You can’t go too far without the change looking artificial.

I then selected the spot healing brush to get rid of a few stray hairs. To remove the dark circles under their eyes, I selected the dodge tool and set it to shadows at 50 percent. I also wanted to soften their faces slightly, which I did using the surface blur filter (radius: 12; threshold: 7).

The last item on my list was removing the Pepsi logo from the t-shirt. I used the polygonal lasso tool to select the Pepsi logo, then eliminated it using the clone stamp tool. It looked good to me, so I flattened the image and sent the file to Canvas on Demand, who shipped the final artwork directly to Trevor and Mari in Los Angeles. (When I visited them, I saw that they did a beautiful job framing the canvas print and hung it in their guest room—a high compliment!)

Editorial note: Please purchase the book to see the full sequence of images and screen shots from this session and postproduction process.

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LED Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:07:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book LED Lighting: Professional Techniques for Digital Photographers, by Kirk Tuck. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

TWO PRACTICAL APPROACHES

As with any new lighting instrument, photographers have had to learn how to leverage LEDs to maximize the benefits. I divide my use of the LEDs roughly into two approaches. The first approach uses LED to support or enhance the existing light; the second uses LED as the primary source of light.

Augmenting the Existing Light. Many assignments move quickly and call on me to improve the light I find on locations, not to totally replace it. In these situations, I depend on battery-powered units that are small and lightweight. Just as one might use a battery-powered flash to add fill light to a scene that’s predominantly lit by ambient light, I can use one small LED panel to add just the right amount of fill light or accent light to a scene.

Using this approach, a wedding photographer might want to use a tungsten-balanced, battery-powered unit in a ballroom to bring the light level on a bride up to the same level as the ballroom’s background so the contrast isn’t too extreme. A portrait shooter who does lots of outdoor portraits might need a little extra fill light in an open-shade location (to make sure that eyes look good and wrinkles are minimized) and find that a little LED panel—or two linked together—is a good match for daylight color temperature. Having an assistant hold one a few feet over to one side of the subject is a quick, convenient, uncomplicated, and aesthetically “just right” solution.

In fact, that’s just what I did with this portrait of Jana. She was standing under a covered patio with sun and trees in the background. To add soft light for fill and bring up the level of illumination, I used four small LED panels, covered with diffusion material, on a stand to the side of the model. These provided just enough illumination to make the photo work for me.

A corporate photographer might be tasked with capturing people at work. With the right small LED panel, she’ll be able to add just enough fill to counteract the unflattering top-light of the ubiquitous office fluorescent lights—without the unwanted attention caused by multiple flashes, extra cables, and battery packs. Anywhere that a little supplemental lighting may make the difference between a good photo and a great photo is a natural situation for smaller panels.

I started the setup by snapping together four of the DLC DV 60 units. I knew I’d need the power to get close to matching the sun. Note that they were covered with a very light magenta filter to match the daylight. Then I added a sheet of diffusion material over all four lights. This softened the light and made it easier on Jana’s eyes. I positioned the light as close as I could to Jana, as you can see in the overall view of the shoot setup.

LED as the Primary Light Source. The other way to use LEDs is to implement the larger panels that run off household A/C current in the same way that studio photographers now use electronic flash and softboxes. As portrait photographers, we’ve spent years sitting people down in a studio and aiming electronic flash units in large softboxes at them as main lights. We used additional small softboxes and flashes for background lights and hair lights and even fill lights. In most cases, all of these can be handily replaced by LED panels and modifiers.

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Getting the Most Out of Bridal Shows

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Behind the Shutter: The Digital Wedding Photographer's Guide to Financial Success. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Now you have this wonderful business plan, but how do you get started booking weddings? Bridal shows are the best way to get your work out in front of a lot of brides very quickly. In addition, they allow you to begin networking with your industry peers. However, like all things, you need to have a plan. Just showing up with some prints and an album and expecting a windfall of cash . . . well, that borders on the realm of fantasy. Imagine your toughest job interview, then multiply it by ten. That will put you close to understanding the intensely competitive nature of a bridal show.

I get all sorts of feedback on the effectiveness of bridal shows. If you talk to ten photographers, somehow you’ll get ten different opinions on the subject. For us, bridal shows are the source of about 65 percent of our bookings. Yes, we have referrals, but bridal shows allow us to showcase our work to a much wider audience. I love them—I love the energy they bring, and I love being able to create a fan base for our work.

FINDING THE RIGHT SHOW
These days, bridal shows are like gas stations—they are everywhere. As a result, to a certain extent brides are getting burned out on them and becoming numb to the hard sell. Therefore, finding the right show is paramount, and defining “right” is equally important. Once you understand your target demographic and price points, you will have a good idea of your target bride. Is she the younger bride or the thirtysomething woman? Is she an elite bride spending $100,000 on her wedding or is she more in the mid-range? These are important questions to answer and should be part of your business and marketing plan.

Armed with this information, you will be better able to identify the right show for you. Start by doing a web search for shows in your area. I would be looking at the top ten to fifteen shows. Think about it this way: How are brides finding out about shows? I would bet that the majority of them are searching online. So if you can’t find the show online, how will they? Not every show will have a major web presence, but it certainly helps.

Now, take that list of shows and start reviewing their web sites to see if they have a section for vendors. There, you may find a media kit of sorts. In that media kit, you often have access to very valuable information—in particular, the demographics of their attendees. If not, pick up the phone and call the promoter. They are usually more than willing to talk to you about their show and what to expect.

If all else fails, ask other vendors what they think of the show. Be careful with this approach, though. A vendor’s success or failure at these events depends on many factors, including their ability to sell themselves and their product. So don’t just ask generic questions such as, “Did you like the show?” or “How many events did you book?” Instead, ask more specific and objective questions about how many brides attended, what the caliber of the brides was, etc.

One of the next things I tend to think about is attendance. I have been doing this long enough to know that with so many shows out there, getting the attention of the bride is not easy. And remember that pesky COA number we spoke about in the first chapter? The more brides that attend a show, the better your odds of booking more than one bride, and the better your COA number will be. (BLOG NOTE: As this blog post is an excerpt from a larger work, you will need to purchase the book to access chapter 1 and the information it contains.)

Also, how are the promoters advertising the show? Some of the larger shows are tied to a magazine. This is key for me; knowing that the magazine has a certain distribution assures me that the show should have a built-in audience. This is a good sign for sure.

Once you feel confident that the show is attracting the brides you want to book, the next thing to consider will be the price of admission. Not all shows and budgets are created equally. Our first year, we did several of the less expensive shows, and guess what? We booked low-budget, high-maintenance brides. Today, we focus more on the middle market. However, our pricing is on the higher end of the market for the Midwest. The reason I like to focus on the middle market is because it gives us access to the greatest number of brides. Brides who truly appreciate what we do will be willing to spend more on a photographer. Sure, we love our high-end clientele, but there is nothing more satisfying than working with a client who had to stretch a little to work with you because they love what you do.

In addition, we went from a single booth back in 2007 to a double booth at almost every show today. I love being able to showcase my work in a way that really stands out—and having that double booth really sets us apart from the rest.

GETTING PREPARED
Now that you have decided to participate in the show, the real fun begins. Preparing for a bridal show is never easy. In fact, I will never forget my first bridal show. I was so nervous that we would fail and our work would be rejected that I wanted to pull out the night before (and for anyone who knows me, confidence is not something I lack!). I don’t know what it was; I just had so much anxiety about the whole thing. My wife, being the amazing supporter that she is, pushed me to stick with it and, sure enough, it was a huge success for us. Within a week, we booked twelve weddings from that show. It was unreal and it opened my eyes to the impact these shows would ultimately have on our business and our future.

Displays and Samples. You have to understand your brides and understand what they are looking for. If they are going to shell out thousands of dollars to work with you, they want your creativity, energy, and artistic talent. And believe it or not, they often make up their minds about you within thirty seconds of setting foot in your booth. The way you dress, the pictures you are showcasing, your sample albums, the look and feel of your booth—these factors are all in play.

We want our clients to lust for our brand. We accomplish this by ensuring that everything we do is of the highest quality. We invest in having the right products to show. After all, you can’t sell it if you don’t show it. Don’t underestimate the importance that this will have on your overall success at the shows.

Here’s my first bit of advice: don’t show up at a bridal show with small prints. Remember, you are a photographer and you sell imagery! Every year, I see a new crop of photographers wanting to make it, and this is the one area where they all seem to fall flat on their faces. My feeling is that small images are something the client thinks they can produce on their own; they regard small prints more as snapshots than professional, high-quality images. Ask yourself: Are you trying to sell small images? Or do you want your potential clients to see you as an artist? Do you want them to fantasize about seeing themselves in one of your masterpieces? I sell vision. I sell art. I sell an experience. And none of that comes in an 8x10-inch package.

So go big! Make a statement and give them something to remember you by. Show them your top five or ten “statement” images—those shots that really get a bride to say, “Wow! I want that for my wedding day.” Yes, things like detail images are important to showcase in your overall portfolio, but I have never booked a bride who said, “Yep, that’s the best shoe photo I have ever seen. This guy is for me!”

Albums are one of the main products through which we differentiate ourselves from the competition. Therefore, we invest a lot of time and energy in ensuring that we have unique styles for brides to choose from. We carefully select styles that represent our brand and the overall design we are trying to sell. We are a very modern brand, so we strive for simplicity in our album designs—we don’t put 150 images in a twenty-page album. Because we don’t show albums designed this way, we don’t get clients who expect this. If you don’t have albums, go and make the investment. If you haven’t updated your samples in more than two years, guess what? It’s time to bite the bullet and get some new samples. There’s really no excuse; almost all album manufacturers make it simple for you to get an updated sample album at a 40 to 50 percent discount.

Your Attire. The last thing I want to cover regarding being prepared is your attire. I know it’s a strange thing to discuss in a business book, but the adage is true: you have to dress for success. Brides (at least the ones I’m going after) tend to be very fashion-oriented. If we want them to spend money and care about the way they look in pictures, we need to care how we look, too.

I am not suggesting you dress in a way that is not you. But, again, this is like a job interview. Yes, they are judging you and, yes, it’s pretty superficial. Trust me—I understand that our imagery is not tied to the way we dress. However, this is the world we live in and my goal is to remove any barrier that would prevent a couple from booking us. I want them to be able to relate to us and ultimately book us for their event.

WHAT TO EXPECT
Now that you are ready for the big show, you should have set some goals for yourself. We go into every show with reasonable expectations. At an average show, we want to book about four to five weddings to make the numbers work.

Understand Your Objectives. Going into the show, we know that it’s going to be intense, so we ratchet up the energy level. At one of the best shows in our area, there are about 1500 brides in attendance. I know one thing: I don’t want to book 1500 weddings. We are looking for approximately ten brides in the sea of couples—ten brides who get what we do, ten couples who identify with our brand and our style. This is a daunting task. We’re talking about homing in on less than 1 percent of the brides.

How do I focus in that tightly? I don’t. My hope is that all the work I did to prepare my booth will pay off by naturally attracting the right brides. Is that always the case? No, of course not—but it helps for sure. I have no idea who those “right” brides are or what they look like, so we treat every client who walks up like they are the only client there. There are two of us in the booth and we split up to ensure we are connecting with as many people as possible. And trust me when I tell you this: even if you don’t get to speak to someone one-on-one, they are hanging around in the background listening to your sales pitch. So make sure it’s solid.

Sell Yourself. In general, photographers are not salespeople and tend to be a little more introverted. If this is something you need to work on, be sure to do it. Practice—yes, I said practice. Talk to yourself in a mirror if you have to. Listen to yourself deliver your pitch. Does it sound natural or does it come off as rehearsed? Be honest with yourself or ask someone else to listen. Sure, it seems stupid—but I am an author, a lecturer, and an active photographer, and I still talk to myself. (I’m not sure what that says about me, but that’s another story.)

When I am talking about your sales pitch, I am not asking you to be super salesperson. You just have to be able to present your business effectively to someone in about thirty seconds. You need to tell them why they should choose you and what makes you different from every other photographer in the room. While no one may ask you those questions directly, you can bet that’s what it comes down to, so be sure your pitch clearly communicates your value proposition. (And now we have a new term: value proposition. This is a term used to describe the unique benefits you offer to prospective clients.)

Provide an Incentive. At some bridal shows, we like to collect names. To entice the brides to register, we have an item we are raffling off. It could be a free engagement session, a slide show, or some other product. Generally, brides are more than willing to give you this information—and some even come prepared with sticky labels that have all their information printed on them.

We have a big glass bowl and a sign-up pad where people can leave their information. This information is a gold mine for leads. We typically collect 150 to 300 names from a good show. We then use these leads to send out an e-mail blast to everyone who stopped by our booth. This keeps us fresh in their minds and usually generates another four to six meetings with brides.

JUMP IN!
Now, let’s get those fingers typing. Check for bridal shows in your local area and get ready to jump in with both feet. The first show will be your toughest, but if you invest the required time and money and do your homework, you will be well on your way to finding success in the wedding industry.

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Composition Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing, 2nd Ed., by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

SUBJECT PLACEMENT
Composition in portraiture involves proper subject placement within the frame. There are several schools of thought on proper subject placement, and no one school offers the only answer. Two formulas are given here to help you best determine where to place the main subject in the picture area.

The Rule of Thirds. Many a journeyman photographer doesn’t know where to place the subject within the frame. As a result, these less experienced artists usually opt for putting the person in the center of the picture. This is the most static type of portrait you can produce.

The easiest way to improve your compositions is to use the rule of thirds. This is a system that imposes asymmetry into the design of the portrait. According to the rule of thirds, the rectangular frame is cut into four imaginary lines that form a “tic-tac-toe” grid. The point at which any two of these lines intersect is considered an area of dynamic visual interest. The intersecting points are ideal spots at which to position your main point of interest, but you could also opt to place your point of interest anywhere along one of the dividing lines.

This applies to all print orientations. In a vertical print, the head or eyes are usually two-thirds up from the bottom edge of the image. Even in a horizontal composition, the eyes or face are usually in the top one-third of the frame.

The rule of thirds also applies equally to all portrait lengths. In head-and-shoulders portraits the eyes are the point of central interest. Therefore, it is a good idea if they rest on a dividing line or at an intersection of two lines. In a three-quarter- or full-length portrait, the face is the center of interest, so the face should be positioned to fall on an intersection or on a dividing line.

The Golden Mean. The golden mean, a concept first expressed by the ancient Greeks, is a compositional principle similar to the rule of thirds. Put simply, the golden mean identifies the point where the main center of interest should lie; it is an ideal compositional type for portraits. The golden mean is found by drawing a diagonal from one corner of the frame to the other. Then, draw a line from one (or both) of the remaining corners so that it intersects the first line perpendicularly. By doing this you can determine the proportions of the golden mean for both horizontal and vertical photographs.

With the overlay, you can see how effectively the golden mean is incorporated into this portrait by Ken Skute.

DIRECTION
Regardless of which direction the subject is facing in the photograph, there should be slightly more room in front of the person (on the side toward which he is facing). For instance, if the person is looking to the right as you look at the scene through the viewfinder, then there should be more space to the right side of the subject than to the left of the subject in the frame. This gives the image a visual sense of direction. Even if the composition is such that you want to position the person very close to the center of the frame, there should still be slightly more space on the side toward which the subject is turned.

The same compositional principle also applies when the subject is looking directly at the camera. Rather than centering the subject in the frame, you should leave slightly more room on one side to create a sense of direction within the portrait.

This image by Bruce Dorn is intersected by vertical lines in the background, yet they do not cut the image in half or in thirds. Instead, they act as contrasting elements to the diagonal lines spread throughout the background and also the diagonal lines within the bride’s veil and dress.

LINES
Mastering composition and posing requires an ability to recognize real and implied lines within the photograph. A real line is one that is obvious—the horizon or a door frame, for example. An implied line is one that is not as obvious, like the line created on the face by the eyes.

Position of Lines. Real lines should not run across the center of the frame. This actually splits the composition into halves. It is better to position real lines at a point one-third of the way into the photograph. This weights the photograph more interestingly.

At the Edge of the Frame. Lines, real or implied, that meet the edge of the photograph should lead the eye into the scene and not out of it. Additionally, they should lead toward the subject. A good example of this is the country road that is widest in the foreground and converges to a point where the subject is walking. These lines lead the eye straight to the subject.

In this dramatic pose, the subject’s body forms almost countless diagonal lines—and a sweeping S curve running vertically through the frame. Notice how everything leads your eye directly to her face. Photograph by Robert Lino.

Implied Lines. Implied lines, such as those of the arms and legs of the subject, should not contradict the direction or emphasis of the composition, but should modify it. These lines should feature gentle changes in direction and lead to the main point of interest—either the eyes or the face. There should also be some sort of inherent logic in the arrangement of elements within the image that causes the eye to follow a predetermined path. This is a key element in creating visual interest and staying power.

PLEASING COMPOSITIONAL FORMS
Lines in compositions provide visual motion. The viewer’s eye follows the curves and angles of these forms as it travels logically through them, and consequently, through the photograph. The recognition and creation of compositional lines, often through posing, is a powerful tool for creating a dynamic portrait.

The S-shaped composition is perhaps the most pleasing of all the forms. In images that employ this shape, the center of interest will usually fall on or near one of the intersections established by the rule of thirds or golden mean, but the remainder of the composition will form a gently sloping S shape that leads the viewer’s eye to this area of main interest. Another pleasing type of composition is the L shape or inverted L shape. This type of composition is ideal for either reclining or seated subjects. The C and Z shapes are also seen in all types of portraiture and are both visually pleasing.

The S curve is one of the most pleasing of all compositional forms. You can see the
S shape subtly interwoven into this bride’s pose. Photograph by Stuart Bebb.

SHAPE
Shape is nothing more than a basic geometric shape found within a composition. Shapes are often made up of implied or real lines. For example, a classic way of posing three people is in a triangle or pyramid shape. You might also remember that the basic shape of the body in any well-composed portrait creates a triangular base. Shapes, while more dominant than lines, can be used similarly in unifying and balancing a composition.

The classic pyramid shape is one of the most basic in all art and is dynamic because of its use of diagonals with a strong horizontal base. The straight road receding into the distance is a good example of a found pyramid shape.

Sometimes shapes may also be linked, sharing common elements in both of the groups. For example, a single person in between can link two groups of three people posed in pyramid shapes, a common technique in posing group portraits.

There are an infinite number of possibilities involving shapes and linked shapes and even implied shapes, but the point of this discussion is to be aware that shapes and lines are prevalent in well-composed, well-posed images and that they are vital tools in creating strong visual interest within a portrait.

This pyramid shape dominates the image. It is, of course, the St. Louis Arch, the “Gateway to the West.” The way photographer Sal Cincotta photographed the scene, the arch’s top tails off into the pale blue sky, making an “S” curve at the top of the dominant shape.

TENSION AND BALANCE
Just as real and implied lines and real and implied shapes are vital parts of an effectively designed image, so are the “rules” that govern them: the concepts of tension and balance.

Balance occurs when two items, which may be dissimilar in shape or tone, create a harmony within the photograph because they are of more or less equal visual strength. Tension, on the other hand, is a state of imbalance in an image; it can be referred to as visual contrast. For example, placing a group of four children on one side of an image and a pony on the other side of the image will produce visual tension. They contrast each other because they are different sizes and they are not at all similar in shape.

Using the same example, these two different groups could be resolved visually if the larger group, the children, were wearing brightly colored clothes and the pony was dark. The eye would then see the two units as equal—one demanding attention by virtue of size, the other gaining attention by virtue of brightness.

Although tension does not have to be resolved in an image, it works together with the concept of balance so that, in any given image, there are elements that produce visual tension and elements that produce visual balance. This is a vital combination of artistic elements because it creates a sense of heightened visual interest. For this reason, both balance and visual tension are active ingredients in great portraiture.

SUBJECT TONE
The rule of thumb is that light tones advance visually, while dark tones retreat. Therefore, elements in the picture that are lighter in tone than the subject will be distracting. Of course, there are portraits where the subject is the darkest part of the scene—such as in a high-key portrait with a white background. This is really the same principle at work; the eye will go to the region of greatest contrast in a field of white or on a light-colored background. Regardless of whether the subject is light or dark, it should dominate the rest of the photograph either by brightness or by contrast.

A knowledge of the visual emphasis of tone should inform your discussions with portrait subjects about the selection of clothing for the session. For instance, darker clothing helps to blend bodies with the background, so that faces are the most prominent part of the photograph. Dark colors tend to slenderize, while light colors add weight. The color of the clothing should be generally subdued, since bright colors attract attention away from the face.

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Four Types of Engagement Sessions

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Engagement Portraiture: Master Techniques for Digital Photographers, by Tracy Dorr. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

When planning an engagement session, you will have many stylistic options available to you. No matter what style you choose, however, you will have two main avenues for executing it: a formal approach or an informal approach. Although the formal session is usually shot in a more traditional studio setting, I suggest that you try to think more broadly of “formal” as your approach to dealing with the customers. The same goes for the “informal”approach.

Choose your location wisely. Traditionally, formal shoots often take place in a studio setting with lights and backdrops. Pose your couple carefully and pay attention to everything from posture to hand positioning and hairstyling. You have total control in these situations, so take advantage of that. Photograph by Nicole Knauber.

FORMAL
The classic, traditional engagement photo is a formal portrait. In the 1800s, portraits were necessarily serious and formal due to the extremely long exposure times that were required by the photographic technologies of the day. As higher film speeds became available, portraits took on a somewhat happier vibe; the subjects were smiling and more comfortable, but still formal and looking directly into the camera. Since the digital revolution, photojournalism has deeply impacted the style of portraits clients desire, but there is still a large market for a more formal approach to an engagement portrait. If your clients are interested in a more formal approach, or if you are more comfortable shooting that way, you will need to decide if the session will be done in a studio setting with multiple backdrops or props, or if you will go on location. Formal shoots are typically created in a studio sitting, but if you do choose to go on location, think about more formal locations—like a church or museum, as opposed to a beach or heavily urban setting that will define your shoot before you even begin. The location you choose will directly impact the formal mood of your photos.

Formal sessions are not limited to a studio setting. Creativity may lead you to an unusual location that fits the couple’s personality. Scout out the location to make sure it will enhance the formal mood, not detract from it. Photograph by Evan Laettner.

When posing your couple, make sure to look for every flattering nuance and try out several different poses. They should generally be looking into the camera and their body language should be less relaxed. Think of an upright posture, folded hands, turned-in bodies, and seated or standing shots. Their bodies and faces should be angled toward the camera, not straight-on like a mug shot. Even though you don’t need as many exposures for formal portraits as you would for a more candid session, you still have the opportunity to use the digital media to your advantage. Keep shooting. Feel free to experiment with as many different poses and combinations as you like.
You can always choose only the best one or completely delete anything that didn’t work. Ultimately, you are ensuring that the couple will have more selection in the end. Clients looking for a formal sitting will be more detail-oriented and will be looking for perfection. You don’t have the same kind of creative liberty to make artistic “errors” as you do in photojournalistic portraits.

INFORMAL
An informally styled engagement session can either be posed in a relaxed manner or it could take place as a totally photojournalistic shoot. You can also develop a combination of the two if you are skilled at directing and interacting with your clients. If your studio’s shooting area is limited in size, these types of sessions may work better on location. Additionally, the more relaxed atmosphere of an outdoor setting alleviates the stiffness of a traditional studio setting, something that is integral to a more informal approach. A session that is still traditionally posed but executed in a more relaxed, informal manner is the most widely accepted type of session today. In this type of session, the clients may still be rather traditionally posed, but you will develop the poses as you go. You should give the clients direction and talk them through each pose, but allow them to be comfortable and to be themselves. This contrasts with a purely photojournalistic type of session, in which you provide little or no posing direction but concentrate, instead, on capturing your clients as they really are.

Informally posed sessions are a popular choice. They allow you to modernize an old concept and flatter any couple or location. Photograph by Evan Laettner.

Informal sessions differ from photojournalistic ones because you will still be giving direction throughout the shoot. You may say, “Hold hands and walk toward me,” or “Put your hand on his cheek” in order to achieve the desired result. The clients will
have some room to experiment and act on impulse, but you maintain control by giving direction. You are not trying to achieve technical perfection with these poses, just create a nice moment with excellent lighting, an attractive background, and an appealing overall mood. Photograph by Evan Laettner.

ADDRESSING WARDROBE
The couple will decide for themselves what they want to wear for their engagement shoot, but you may find yourself in the position to give advice. They may call and ask your opinion, show up with several outfits and ask you to choose, or you may be more proactive and recommend certain choices to them in advance. If they show up with several choices, consider what outfits will best fit the mood and style of your location. (Asking which is their favorite is never a bad idea either.) If you are in conversation with them prior to the shoot, begin with a series of questions. “What style are we going for with this shoot?” “Where would you like to do it?” “Do you want to be relaxed and be yourself, or are you looking to do something different that you ordinarily wouldn’t do?” If the answer to that is yes, then ask, “Are we thinking more fashion-forward?” “Totally uninhibited and creative?” “Textured and urban inspired?” Depending on their answers, you should be able to decide between the five-inch heels or sandals and between evening wear or jeans. For example, if you plan to shoot in the forest or in a park setting, high heels will dig into the soft ground and a very short, tight skirt will not allow the woman to conveniently sit or crawl up onto something. (This is especially important if you are shooting in a place that carries potential risks, like a junkyard or back alley.) If you are shooting on a city sidewalk, or in a theater, or at a museum, then go for the heels.

Let the couple’s personal style influence how you shoot and what angles you choose. Photograph by Kelly Moore. What if the walk to your location is long and the woman’s shoes are acutely uncomfortable? That would be wise to discuss in advance. If the couple wants to be experimental, then comfort is a must. They must be able to do anything that comes to mind and experiment with wild poses or locations. The type of wardrobe the couple chooses will also directly define the mood of your photographs. If the wardrobe completely compliments the location you chose, then the finished product will be incredibly cohesive. Encourage them to tell a story with their outfits and showcase their own personalities.

Sometimes an unexpected mix of two opposite things creates a unique vibe in your image. Formal attire in the desert would not be everyone’s first choice, but here Dave and Quin Cheung demonstrate that two contradictory styles create one highly fashionable and impactful image. The style, location, delicate posing and bold red color all work together seamlessly and tell one really intriguing story.

Lighting Fundamentals for Small Flash

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Small Flash Photography, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

The Color of Light
The color of light affects the way colors are recorded in a scene and is, therefore, of concern to all professional photographers. The color of light is measured in degrees Kelvin, based on a system devised in the 1800s by British physicist William Kelvin. Kelvin heated a dense block of carbon and noted that, at different temperatures, it emitted a repeatable and measurable color of light. The particular color of light seen at a specific temperature is now called the color temperature. When the carbon, also known as a “black body radiator,” is hot enough and just begins to emit light, it is dull red. As more heat is applied, it glows yellow, and then white, and finally blue.

Electronic flashes also have specific color temperatures. For example, the color of the light emitted by a flash may be rated at 5500K when it is designed to imitate noon daylight. If the flash produces light that is 6000K, it will be on the cool (bluish) side. If it is rated at 4800K degrees, it is slightly warmer (more yellowish) than white light.

Jeff Kolodny combined at least three different light sources in the scene to make a beautiful bridal formal. The doorway was lit by dim daylight with a blue tinge, while the room light was a combination of much warmer light from the chandeliers and other room lights. Jeff also popped a camera-mounted flash at less intensity than the daylight to help warm up the color balance and add a sparkle to the bride’s eyes.

Custom White Balance
When combining ambient light sources with flash, a custom white-balance reading should be taken. You may have room-lamp brightnesses to contend with, as well. Your best bet in these situations is to shoot a few test frames with flash and ambient combined to see where your white balance is. Then perform a custom white balance procedure to balance all of the light sources harmoniously. Alternatively, shoot in RAW capture mode, which will allow you to fine-tune the color balance after capture. The following is a resource for determining color temperatures in Kelvin degrees in the most popular lighting situations. These readings correspond to your menu settings for white balance and are provided in order to give you an insight into the Kelvin settings of most DSLRs.

The natural shade of late afternoon is very soft but lacks sparkle. To give the light a little extra snap, the photographer, JB Sallee, fired an on-camera flash that was set to output at two stops less than the daylight. The effect is exactly what the photographer intended.

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Indoor Ambient Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Flash and Ambient Lighting for Digital Wedding Photography, by Mark Chen. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

More often than not, a nice photo opportunity presents itself in an indoor environment—only to be spoiled when the photographer shines a bright flash on it. The shot looks nothing like what was there because the burst of flash altered the reality of that brief moment. Using bounce flash (rather than direct flash) can drastically reduce these disappointments—but not entirely.

TURN OFF THAT FLASH!
Sometimes, the best strategy is simply turning off the flash. Image 8-1 is an excellent example of this technique. When the bride and her bridesmaids were busy straightening out the gown, the light was mesmerizing. I quickly switched off the flash and made sure my shutter speed was not dangerously low. In this case, the reading was 1/60 second with an aperture of f/3.2 at ISO 500. Making these shots is very liberating—there’s no waiting for the flash to recharge, so you can just shoot away!

IMAGE 8-1. Ambient light only.

For the sake of comparison, look at image 8-2. This was shot in the same surroundings but with bounce flash. It’s not bad, but it’s not nearly as aesthetically pleasing as image 8-1.

IMAGE 8-2. Ambient light with the addition of bounce flash.

WHITE BALANCE ISSUES
Some might argue that image 8-1 has an “incorrect” white balance. I oppose this notion of a “correct” white balance. I do not believe that the white balance should be viewed as an absolute setting. In my opinion, it’s a matter of personal taste.

In the case of image 8-1, preserving the yellow hue from the incandescent lights gave the shot a mysterious look, which I like. (Of course, I cannot dismiss those who think otherwise; for them, I have a remedy: a Camera Raw adjustment technique, which is outlined in the next chapter.)

ALTAR SHOTS
Eighty percent of churches forbid the use of flash during the ceremony. In my career, I have also encountered churches that either limit the photographer to three shots or forbid professional photography altogether. The churches that forbid flash often ask the photographer to stay far away, so flash would not work too well anyway. In these cases, using the ambient lighting becomes essential.

IMAGE 8-3. At many churches, flash is not permitted during the ceremony.

Image 8-3 was shot in a rather bright church, where the shutter speed was maintained at 1/125 second. Don’t get cocky now and hand-hold the camera, though! Making a shot like this will require a telephoto lens, which means slight camera movements will be accentuated. A tripod is necessary for an image like this. On top of that, if the lighting is predominately incandescent, it is not a bad idea to set the white balance as such.

TRACKING
Since the shutter is slow, why not do some tracking as the subjects move? Tracking involves setting the shutter slow, say, between 1/30 and 1/4 second, then panning along with the subject’s movement while you are shooting. Image 8-4 is a successful case. Tracking with your camera on a tripod requires the smoothest of tripod heads; any tripod head that produces jerking motions will not do. After shelving three tripod heads, I finally discovered Manfrotto’s Hydrostatic Ball Head. The Teflon-coated heads and hydraulic locking mechanism give a deep “gray area” between lock and release, so panning can be done with adequate and smooth resistance. A common mistake is to start the panning motion after the shutter is pressed. Instead, start panning then shoot consecutive shots (consider shooting in “rapid” mode).

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

Watch your shutter speed. Some of us may brag about how we can hold the camera steady at 1/15 second—but remember that brides move!
To boost the shutter speed to a comfortable level, first use a larger aperture.
When a large aperture will not suffice, increase the ISO setting—but don’t go beyond the bare necessity. High ISO settings are becoming more usable on state-of-the-art camera models, but they are still quality busters.
For this technique, shooting RAW is not just the default, it is an absolute must.
Tripods are essential for altar shots with telephoto lenses. To avoid motion blur from subject movement, keep the shutter speed above 1/30 second.
Smooth tripod heads are essential for tracking.

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Know Your Audience

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Wedding Photojournalism: The Business of Aesthetics, by Paul D. Van Hoy II. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Even if you’re an established professional wedding photographer with a couple seasons to your credit, client consultations can still be hit and miss—which means you could be leaving a lot of money on the table. The best way to ensure your business’s continued growth is by upping your consultation IQ and becoming a strong closer!

CONSULTING WITH CLIENTS
Consulting with prospective clients often proves to be a precarious game of cat and mouse. For beginning professionals, consultations are as nerve-racking as tightrope walking over a pit of angry alligators. No kidding—some of my first sessions were so awkward and uncomfortable that I seriously reconsidered whether wedding photography was the right profession for me.

Fourteen seasons later, I’ve concluded that the key to becoming an effective closer is control; you must know how to establish and maintain it at all times. When I say take control, I mean lead the pacing and progression of the consultation from start to finish. This doesn’t mean that you should bully or browbeat your clients. Rather, you must be personable and charismatic—and above all, a good communicator.

Whether you’re a wallflower or a social butterfly, I believe that everyone possesses the ability to be charming and engaging. The real challenge is being able to win over the many types of clients who might come through your door. This means that, beyond being personable and persuasive, you must also be able to accurately read your clients so that you can quickly “change up” your approach to suit a variety of interactive scenarios.

What's your primary style? Posed and formal, relaxed, photojournalistic, creative, artistic, candid, or traditional?

One way to build confidence and overall preparedness is to be preemptive; know what questions your clients are likely to ask you—and, more importantly, know which ones they’re unlikely to ask. Be prepared for those curveballs. Having a well-practiced repertoire of rebuttals and redirections is essential to becoming an effective closer.

It’s common for brides to come prepared with their bulging three-ring binders (I jokingly refer to them as “matrimony manifestos”), complete with a copy of “Questions To Ask Your Photographer.” Here’s a sample of some of the stock questions you may be asked:

• What’s your primary style? Formal, relaxed, photojournalistic, creative, artistic, candid, traditional?

• Do you shoot in color or black & white? Or both? Do you shoot in a digital format that can create both color and black & white versions of the same picture?

• What kind of input can we have on the direction of the shots? Can we give you a shot list?

• Are you the wedding photographer who will actually take our pictures? If not, can we meet the person who will be?

• Can we meet any assistants who will also be taking our pictures?

• How many times have you worked as a wedding photographer? How many events were similar to the size and formality of our wedding?

• How many other events will you also photograph that weekend?

• What kind of equipment will you bring with you? How intrusive will lighting, tripods, other equipment or assistants be?

You should familiarize yourself with these questions so that you will be able to provide full, detailed answers upon request—but never let your client lead the session with their list of questions. An invaluable tip here is to be informative while remaining conversational; satisfy these questions before they’re asked. This is a hallmark of a seasoned professional.

By providing a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of your services you will demonstrate to clients that you have a sincere interest in allaying their questions and concerns—and, more importantly, that you identify with them. I strive to go above and beyond just answering the cursory questions like, “Do you bring backup equipment to every wedding?” I make it a point to introduce new questions for my clients to ask of other photographers they might interview after their session with me. I inform them on a range of topics from the importance of shooting in RAW to why a legitimate professional wedding photographer should carry liability insurance.

As much as I would like to secure a signed contract and be the last photographer my couples meet with, I will actually urge them to consult with other professionals before making their final decision.

You might be scratching your head and thinking that this tactic completely undermines the desired outcome, but I’ve found it to be a highly effective psychological strategy. Attempting to close clients on the day of the consultation can be off-putting; it may seem pushy or desperate. Even if I feel that I’ve won the couple’s favor, I grant them time to weigh their options. I tell them that I understand that selecting the right wedding photographer is a significant decision not to be made in haste, and that they should meet with others and give themselves ample time to determine which photographer is right for them. Last but not least, I alleviate assumed pressures and deadlines for issuing a decision by letting brides know that, as a courtesy, I will tentatively hold their date until I receive a definite yes or no from them.

Playing it cool is a definite winning strategy for closing prospective clients; it conveys that you have a great deal of confidence and trust in your own work and professionalism, which inspires reciprocal confidence and trust from your clients.

Never regard clients as customers. Some photographers feel most comfortable getting down to business the very moment a couple passes through their door. For me, it’s common to spend the first fifteen to thirty minutes engaging the clients on a personal level. I’m genuinely interested in learning about the lives of those who may potentially commission me to document their special day. Be sure to inquire about their careers, educational backgrounds, personal interests, passions, avocations, etc.—and don’t forget to ask about how they met! The answers you receive to these questions will break the ice and open the door to discourse.

Do you know what the average bride in your regional market expects to pay for her wedding photography? Do you know what inclusions and amenities she expects in a basic or premium wedding package?

The more you know about your clients, the easier it will be to develop a personal connection. While professionalism, quality, and price are all determining factors, clients are far more likely to book with a photographer they like and feel a strong rapport with.

My best advice is to abandon premeditated sales pitches—and to stop relying on an encyclopedic set of albums to distract your clients and spare you from the awkwardness of making small-talk. Trust me, if a bride schedules a consultation session, she is already familiar with your photographs; she’s interested in familiarizing herself with you, the photographer. Yes, she’s interested in learning more about your packages and philosophies, but ultimately she wants to find out more about your personality. Will you contribute to the stress and chaos of the wedding day, or are you the calming type who has a knack for diffusing stressful situations? Are you likely to have positive interactions with her wedding party, family, and guests, or will you be the aloof type that avoids eye contact and incites awkwardness in others?

So, when it comes time for your next consultation, proceed as you would if you were casually meeting with old acquaintances to help them choose the best wedding photographer and demonstrate how you fit that profile. Be genuine and forthcoming; satisfy all their questions and concerns in a conversational context. Your goal should not be slam-dunking a pair of prospects, it should be to make new friends and share your profession—and your passion for it—with a captive audience.

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT BRIDES WANT?
Do you know what the average bride, in your regional market, expects to pay for her wedding photographer? Do you know what inclusions and amenities she expects in a basic or premium wedding package? Do you know how your business model (i.e., the services and products you offer as well as your pricing/packaging structure) is perceived by prospective clients?

Knowing your audience is one of the most critical, yet often overlooked, aspects of building a successful enterprise. Gaining awareness of what appeals to prospective clients can help you align your business model so that you can increase your yearly bookings and ramp up your yearly revenue. It can also help you get a leg up on your competition and take over that number-one spot within your local market.

I workshop with a lot of wedding photographers who understand technical aspects of image-making and the logistics of business. When it comes to relating to clients and their concerns, though, they often return a blank, confused look—much like your clients would if you tried to engage them on the topic of color space.

Simply stated, most wedding photographers understand the business relationship from the photographer to the client, but not the reverse—from the client to the photographer.

So, how does one gain access to the client’s perspective and all the valuable insights they have to offer by way of critical and candid discourse? You simply ask.

During my consultation sessions, I always make it a point to ask, “Have you had an opportunity to speak with or meet any other local wedding photographers?” If they have, I follow up with, “What was your experience/interaction with that individual like?” Quite honestly, if they were head-over-heels for another photographer, they know your audience wouldn’t be sitting on my couch looking for something they had already found elsewhere.

If you’re hesitant to ask these questions, fearing they might come across as prying or offensive, don’t be. In my fourteen years of experience, I can’t recall a single occasion when I offended a client by asking these questions. Some might feel more comfortable withholding the names of those they’ve met with, but generally clients will talk freely and openly about their interactions and experiences with other professionals.

The answers you receive will provide you with a more precise idea of the couple’s decision-making criteria. Are they most concerned with price, product, or personality—the personal connection they feel toward their wedding photographer? The feedback you receive will help you focus on the topics most relevant to your client’s list of concerns.

UNDERSTANDING THE COMPETITION
Equally important to gaining awareness of your audience is having understanding of your competition and how you rank among it (in your own eyes). If you haven’t already, you should acquaint yourself with the other professionals—their portfolios and business models—within two hundred miles of your studio/area of coverage.

If you can find out who you’re up against and learn their strengths and weaknesses, you can even the playing field, so to speak, by emphasizing aspects of your business (shooting style, product quality, packaging, pricing structure, etc.) that might rank favorably over your competition and help persuade the client to select you.

CONCLUSION
The bottom line is this: although you may know the ins and outs of what you’re selling, unless you know whom you’re selling to, you may be fighting a frustrating and futile battle. (As my grandfather used to say, you might be trying to sell snow cones to Eskimos.) It’s very easy to sell people what they want—and finding out what they want is as easy as paying attention to your audience and asking a few simple questions.

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Profitable Wedding Photography in Any Market

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book How to Create a High-Profit Photography Business in Any Market (2nd ed.). It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Like many other photographers, one of my first paid assignments was photographing a wedding. For those getting into the photography business, weddings are generally the first step, as all you need is a camera, a flash unit, and hopefully a backup system.

On the other hand, it’s not unusual for a photographer to stop doing weddings once they have enough other work to keep the studio busy. I find it rather strange that weddings are the first thing many photographers start with, but it is also the first thing many of them stop doing. For some photographers, it’s almost like a badge of honor to be able to say, “I no longer photograph weddings.”

Weddings are not for everyone, that’s for sure. Why do some photographers love doing weddings, while others quit the moment they have enough other work? Having excellent photography skills is only a small part of being a successful wedding photographer. In this section, I will explain what works for us.

Wedding photography is a common entry point for those looking to dive into photography as a career.

THE TYPE OF CLIENT
As I have mentioned throughout this text, you need to determine the type of client you want to attract. Whether you are doing fire hall/VFW-hall weddings or country club and high-end hotel weddings will be determined by many factors. Price, photography skills, studio décor, phone skills, and service will all play a big part in the type of clients you attract. Don’t forget: you must have a very pleasant, likeable personality to convince the bride you are just the person she is looking for. If she doesn’t like you, she’ll never book the wedding with you, regardless of how beautiful the photography is.

TELEPHONE SKILLS
Almost all wedding bookings start with the telephone. Of course, we already know that good telephone skills are essential—not only for weddings but across the board. You simply must have a person with excellent skills on the telephone.

When a bridal client calls, the first question they usually ask is how much you charge to photograph a wedding. I believe they don’t know what else to ask, so they start out with the price question. Many times they will ask for a price before they even know if you are available!

We’ll assume that you are not a low-end wedding photographer and that the prices you are charging are for the average to higher-end client. The best way to deal with a wedding call is to engage the caller with questions about their upcoming wedding. Our end of the conversation with our prospective wedding clients goes something like this: “Congratulations, Lisa, on your upcoming wedding. What is the date? Where are you getting married? Where will the reception be held?”

By engaging the caller with questions, you can determine if they are going to be interested in your services. If they are calling in response to your Yellow Pages ad, chances are they will select a wedding photographer based on price and nothing else. They are looking for what I call the “BBD” (bigger, better deal). Quality and service are not important—they just want the cheapest photographer they can find.

On the other hand, when a bride calls and does not ask about pricing but wants to come into your studio to view your work and meet with you, chances are she is serious about professional wedding photography. Her main concern is not price but quality—and your reputation. These are the clients you want.

CONSULTATION
When the client comes into the studio, show them two or three completed albums. We use flush-mounted albums from Capri Albums from New York for our studio samples. They are very upscale and beautiful. While the client is viewing the albums, point out what makes your photography worth your higher prices. Photo examples of excellent posing and natural lighting should be present in your studio sample albums. After all, if the client can’t see what makes your pictures different from a lower-cost studio’s images, then there is no reason for them to pay the difference. Since all brides are different, find out what type of photography the client likes best and focus on the work that suits her tastes.

Showing prospective clients samples of your work from past weddings is important for helping them to determine whether or not your style suits their tastes.

If the bride decides she wants to book you, be certain that she fully understands all of your payment procedures and policies. Try to keep it all very simple. Clients get uneasy about any transaction they don’t fully understand. On a related note, be sure to take notes on anything that you will need to know on the wedding day. Issues such as divorced or deceased parents are things that you should be aware of ahead of time.

We require approximately 15 to 20 percent of the total price as a deposit or retainer to hold the date. Any refunds are handled on an individual basis depending upon the circumstances, and I can honestly say that, at our studio, cancellations are rare.

About a week prior to the wedding we call the bride to confirm everything. We remind her of the times that have been agreed upon and emphasize to her that being on time will make everything less stressful. The key to a good day with a bride is giving her as much information as you can. You know from experience about how long everything will take and how to make things run smoothly.

Often, my assistant takes a shot like this from the balcony. Shooting with an assistant during the ceremony is important, since you can't be in two places at once.

THE WEDDING DAY
I photograph weddings with an assistant. You certainly can do it on your own, but why knock yourself out? My assistant works on the candid photos while I concentrate on the posed ones. It’s a good combination and a good way to offer a better product.

Before the Ceremony. On the day of the wedding, my assistant and I arrive approximately fifteen minutes before the agreed-upon time, dressed in black tuxedos. The vehicle that we arrive in has been cleaned, and we look totally professional. Image is everything!

When we arrive at our first destination of the day, I look for areas where I can photograph the bride with window light. Use your flash as little as possible: this will separate your work from the competition.

The Ceremony. During the ceremony, having an assistant gives you the opportunity to photograph the wedding from different areas of the couple’s venue. We have some beautiful photographs where the bride and groom are coming down the aisle after the ceremony—I shoot images from their level, and my assistant takes the same shots from up in the balcony. I just don’t think it’s possible to cover a wedding as well with one person as you can with two.

After the Ceremony. After the ceremony, we generally do the posed photographs of the family members. I find it best to start with the grandparents, then photograph the parents and family members, and then handle any other special groups the bride and groom may want photographed. We finish this sequence with photographs of the bride and groom. Keeping things moving and being quick is the key. Depending on the size of the wedding party, you should be able to do all of the groups and bride and groom shots in about forty-five minutes.

After the ceremony, many couples want to go to an outdoor location for more photographs. To make your outdoor photographs look their very best, be sure to use a long lens so that the backgrounds will be out of focus. This will make the bride and groom really stand out.

The Reception. Once you get to the reception, most of the hard work is behind you. Most receptions last at least three to four hours, and we usually stay most of the evening, since our pricing is set up to cover a ten- to twelve-hour day. Many studios charge by the amount of time the bride has booked. Although there is certainly nothing wrong with that practice, I have never charged that way; I think it would just cause problems—after all, anyone who has done their fair share of weddings knows that things usually do not go as planned time-wise. I don’t want to have to approach the bride during the reception and remind her that she only booked us for the eight-hour coverage, so we will be leaving shortly.

I know of one photographer who stays for only the first thirty minutes of the reception. Of course, the bride knows all of this beforehand, and the photographer arranges for her to get everything over in the first thirty minutes—the toast, dancing with dad, cutting the cake, you name it—just so he can go home early! If it’s working for him, great. I know one thing for sure: if my daughter went shopping for a wedding photographer and he told her he would be leaving the reception after thirty minutes, he wouldn’t be hired.

LENS SELECTION
I recommend that you have available several different types of lenses to use during the wedding day. Use lenses that the amateurs at the wedding probably don’t own; using a very long lens or a fish-eye lens, for instance, will make your photographs look different than all the rest. You do not want your pictures to look like they were taken by the guests. Creating unique photographs will pay dividends later when the bride orders her final album.

One way that we ensure that our images stand out from the rest is by using double lighting. Double lighting requires two flashes, a radio transmitter, radio receiver, and a light stand (or better still, an assistant). To create this look, simply hook up your on-camera flash to a radio flash transmitter. Your second flash, which can be up to one hundred feet away, should be wired to the radio flash receiver. When you push the button on your camera and your transmitter is turned on, it fires the flash on the camera and sends a signal to the receiver, and the second flash goes off as well. Having an assistant hold the light and move it around is better than putting it on a light stand. You can create some really neat effects using this system. You can backlight a couple at a reception or light a large hall, which can be difficult with just one flash. You control both lights from the camera and can fire just one or both, simultaneously. Most major camera stores carry the equipment needed to double light. Be aware that achieving good results will take practice and a thorough understanding of your flash equipment. One final tip: be sure that both of your flash units have the same output. This will make things much simpler.

AFTER THE WEDDING DAY
Good service is just as important as good photography in the wedding business. Regardless of how you are showing your images, they should have their proofs or CD/DVD within three weeks. Once the order is placed, be sure to deliver it within twelve weeks.

PRICING
Wedding photography can be very lucrative if it’s properly priced. Unfortunately, the wedding industry is filled with photographers who give us all a bad name. If you are going to be a serious player, you need to learn as much as you possibly can about posing, lighting, and customer service. To make serious money, everything must be top notch in your operation. You want people to be proud when they say, almost bragging, “Williams Photography is photographing my wedding!” Building a reputation takes time, but it will be well worth it. Whatever pricing strategy you decide on, it’s a good idea to have a statement on your wedding contracts noting that your current prices are not good forever. I have had wedding clients come in five years after their wedding to order pictures.

In my experience, you’ll have more problems with wedding clients than any other demographic—and most of the time, it’s the parents (who were never in the studio before the wedding to discuss prices, procedures, and delivery times) who cause the problems. If the bride and groom both have divorced parents, you can actually be dealing with four, five, or even six individuals, each with their opinions on what you should be charging! Be sure to have everything in writing.

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Photographing the Reception

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:12:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Wedding Photographer's Handbook (2nd ed.) It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Since the bride and groom are so preoccupied at the reception, they actually get to see very little of it and therefore depend on your pictures to provide memories. You will want to photograph as many of the details and events of the reception as possible. Be sure to make several good overviews of the decorated room. This should be done just before the guests enter, when the candles on the tables are lit and everything looks perfect.

Be sure to photograph the details—table bouquets, place settings, name cards, etc. These things help enrich the finished wedding album.

The photo opportunities at the reception are endless. As the reception goes on and guests relax, the opportunities for great pictures will increase. Be aware of the bride and groom all the time, as they are the central players. Fast lenses and a higher-than-normal ISO settings will help you to work unobserved.

Be prepared for the scheduled events at the reception—the bouquet toss, removing the garter, the toasts, the first dance, and so on. If you have done sufficient preparation, you will know where and when each of these events will take place and you’ll be prepared to light and photograph each one. Often, the reception is best lit with a number of corner-mounted umbrellas, triggered by your on-camera flash. That way, anything within the perimeter of your lights can be photographed by strobe. Be certain you meter various areas within your lighting perimeter so that you know what your exposure will be everywhere within the reception area.

The reception calls upon all of your skills and instincts—and things happen quickly. Don’t get caught with an important event coming up and only two frames left in the camera. Use two camera bodies and always have plenty of exposures available, even if it means changing CF cards before you’re ready to. People are having a great time, so be cautious about intruding upon events. Observe the flow of the reception and carefully choose your vantage point for each shot. Be sure to coordinate your efforts with the wedding planner or banquet manager. He or she can run interference for you as well as cue you when certain events are about to occur, often not letting the event begin until you are ready.

Photojournalists know how to get the shot without alerting the people being photographed. Some photographers walk around the reception with their camera held low but with both hands in position on the camera so that they can instantly raise the camera to eye level, frame the image, and shoot. Others use a wide-angle lens set to wide-area autofocus in one of the camera’s autoexposure modes. With the camera at waist or hip height, the photographer will then wander around, mingling with the guests. When a shot seems to be taking place, they will aim the camera up toward the people’s faces and fire, never even looking through the viewfinder.

The final shot of the day will be the couple leaving the reception. Like so many events at the reception, planned or spontaneous, it is best to have as many angles of the event as possible, which is why so many wedding photographers work with a shooting partner or assistants.

LIGHTING
Pole Lighting. Many photographers employ an assistant at the reception to walk around with a barebulb flash on a monopod. The strobe is slaved and can be triggered by an on-camera radio transmitter or flash. The pole light can be positioned anywhere near the subjects and can be set to overpower the on-camera flash by 1 stop so that it becomes a main light. Your assistant should be well versed in the types of lighting you like to create with this rig. For instance, if he or she is at a 45-degree angle to the subject and the light is held about four feet over the subjects’ head height, the resulting lighting will resemble Rembrandt-style side lighting. If you prefer to backlight your subjects, then your assistant can position himself behind the group to create a rim-lighting effect. When taking an exposure, read the room light first and set the flash output to the same aperture as the existing light exposure. That way, the flash will not overpower the room lights.

Wide-angle lenses are not only ideal for incorporating large groups in the scene but also for incorporating the scene into the portrait. This image was made with a Canon EF17–40mm f/4L USM at 17mm. The photographer, Dan Doke, says of this image, “I had been photographing a wedding party and posed a group adjacent to the New England Aquarium where the wedding was held. I was drawn to the skyline background. With my camera on a tripod I shot in Av mode and varied the aperture from f/5.6 to f/8. The exposure time was 1.3 seconds at ISO 500. I used a Quantum flash with a Freewire slave. My assistant held the second light and umbrella 45 degrees off to the right and feathered it to create a constant exposure. The flash was set for f/5.6 and I shot a test first. I love it when city lights and the sky are about the same intensity.” Note the total lack of distortion of the subjects by keeping them well away from the frame edges.

Videographer’s Lighting. If a wedding video is being produced, you will have the luxury of the videographer rigging and lighting the reception hall with hot lights—usually quartz halogen lights, which are very bright and will make your reception photography much easier. The only problem is that you will have to adjust your white balance to compensate for the change in color temperature of the quartz lights.

Handheld Video Lights. Many of the Australian wedding photographers, like David Williams and Yervant, use handheld battery-powered video lights as accent or fill lights. Williams uses a low-wattage light, around 15–20 watts, for just a little light to add mood or color or accent to a scene. Yervant uses a 100-watt Lowel Light that will overpower the room light, depending on the distance at which it is used. The effects are quite beautiful and, because you can change your white balance on the fly, the color balance will be superb and match the room lighting. Sometimes the photographers will hold the light themselves, and other times they’ll give it to an assistant if a certain lighting effect is desired. One of the great things about these lights is that you can see the effect you will get in the viewfinder. Also, since the light units are small and maneuverable, you can feather them easily, using the more dynamic edge of the light.

RINGS
The bride and groom usually love their new rings and will want a close-up shot that includes them. This is a great detail image in the album. You can use any attractive pose, but remember that hands are difficult to pose. If you want a really close-up image of the rings, you will need a macro lens and you will probably have to light the scene with flash or video light, unless you make the shot outdoors, in strong window light, or using strong available room light.

The ring exchange during the wedding ceremony is very difficult to capture. Having two shooters helps, but even then you might get blocked out by the bride, groom, or minister. This is a good one, indeed. Photo by Nick Adams.

THE CAKE-CUTTING
One of the key shots at the reception is the cutting of the wedding cake. This is often a good opportunity to make an overhead group shot of the crowd surrounding the bride and groom. Bring along a stepladder for these types of shots. A second shooter is a good idea in these situations so that details and priceless moments won’t be missed. Also, be sure to get a still life of the cake before it is cut. Both the couple and the baker/caterer will want to see a beautiful shot of their creation.

THE FIRST DANCE
The first dance is an important moment in the reception and one that you will want to document thoroughly. Don’t turn it into a cliché. Just observe and try to shoot it with multiple shooters so as not to miss the good expressions. You will be rewarded with emotion-filled, joyful moments.

One trick you can use is to tell the couple beforehand, “Look at me and smile.” That will keep you from having to circle the couple on the dance floor until you get both of them looking at you for the “first dance” shot. Or you can tell them, “Just look at each other and don’t worry about me, I’ll get the shot.”

Often, photographers will photograph the first dance by whatever available light exists (often spotlights) on the dance floor. This is possible with fast lenses and fast ISOs. Just as frequently, the photographer will use bounce flash and a slow shutter speed to record the ambient light in the room and the surrounding faces watching the couple’s first dance. The bounce flash will freeze the couple, but there is often some blurring due to the slow shutter speed.

Usually, it is best to photograph the first dance as a vertical, including some of the dance floor and surroundings for ambience.

THE BOUQUET TOSS
The bouquet toss is one of the more memorable shots and always looks best when it’s spontaneous. You need plenty of depth of field, which almost dictates a wide-angle lens. You’ll want to show not only the bride but also the expectant faces in the background, which usually necessitates two shooters. Although you can use available light, the shot is usually best done with two flashes—one on the bride and one on the ladies hoping to catch for the bouquet. Your timing has to be excellent as the bride will often “fake out” the group (and you), just for laughs. Try to get the bouquet as it leaves the bride’s hands.

The bouquet toss is often filled with trickery as the bride tries to “fake out” the ladies behind her. Here, Mark Cafiero captured a lovely bride in the middle of a belly laugh. Mark fired a bounce flash at the bride and relied on enough ambient light to light the waiting young brides-to-be. Mark made the shot with a Canon EOS 20D and 24mm lens at 1/50 second at f/3.5 at ISO 400 with the bounce flash held slightly to camera right. Mark was standing on a chair to get above the scene for a better overall view.

TABLE SHOTS
Table shots are the bane of every wedding photographer’s day. They rarely turn out well, are often never ordered, and are tedious to make. If your couple absolutely wants table shots, ask them to accompany you from table to table. They can greet their guests, and it will make the posing quick and painless. You might also consider talking the couple into one big group shot that encompasses nearly everyone at the reception. These are always fun to participate in and to photograph.

LITTLE ONES
One of the best opportunities for great pictures comes from spending some time with the smallest attendees and attendants: the flower girls and ring bearers. They are thrilled with the pageantry of the wedding day and their involvement often offers a multitude of picture opportunities.

The little ones are especially fragile on the wedding day and will present some wonderful photo opportunities. Photograph by Marcus Bell.

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The Pre-Wedding Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Brett Florens' Guide to Photographing Weddings. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Once you have sent your quote to a potential client, more often than not they will want to meet with you to have a hands-on look at a portfolio, perhaps a completed album, and also to suss out whether they feel comfortable with you as a person or not. This is where you need to close the deal. They already know what you propose to charge and have probably seen your online portfolio. It’s your approach, ideas, and personality that are going to get them to sign on the dotted line and pay the deposit.

Available light, ISO 400 f/5.6 at 1/125 second, M mode, Nikkor 70–200mm f/2.8 lens. Carefree and dreamy, the engagement session captures the day-to-day romance that is felt between couples about to be wed.

Remember that you will be spending a lot of time with this couple on their day; being friendly, engaging, and taking time to listen to their needs and questions should make them feel comfortable being around you. A photographer who seems arrogant and unfriendly will not be a popular choice—no matter how brilliant his images may be. Dedicate at least an hour to this meeting, and don’t take calls or chat to other clients during this time. It is important to make them feel that they are the only clients you’ve ever had. They must feel that their wedding is as important to you as it is to them. Be careful not to oversell yourself; they are there because they already like your work, so it is unnecessary to go on about how fantastic your work is! Of course, on the other end of the scale, you need to appear to be confident and enthusiastic about your images. Showing them a recently completed album should solidify their confidence in your ability to produce a hot-shot album from start to finish; they’ll know that they are not being fooled by a portfolio of thirty outstanding shots from, perhaps, a choice of a hundred different weddings.

Interact with your clients and show a real interest in their choice of wedding venue and the other suppliers that they have chosen. Let them know if you have worked at their proposed venue before and, if possible, show them images of previous weddings at that venue. This is also an opportunity to show them other peripheral products such as framed images, canvases, and various album choices; these might become add-ons to the package that they choose.

Once the couple have decided to employ you to photograph their wedding, you may want to plan an additional meeting closer to the date to discuss timing and finer details. Discuss, and even advise, the time of the service relative to sunset, as well as the timing of hair and makeup prior to your arrival, letting the client know how far you expect them to be ready when you get to them. I like to have at least an hour and a half with the bride before the ceremony, and I require that she is 80 percent ready when I get to the venue where she is getting dressed. This means that she needs to make sure in advance that the hairdresser and makeup artist will not leave her for last. It is pointless for the photographer to arrive before the ceremony when all he can photograph is a stressed bride in curlers! Inquire as to whether the groom requires preparation shots, too. More often than not, the groom and his best men have something relaxing planned for the morning of the wedding, be it surfing, golfing, or quad-biking. If the package allows the time, these are great shots to add depth to the album.

Make sure that you get all the contact details from the bride and groom, as well as their parents’ details if possible. It is also useful to have the details of all the other vendors that you will be working with. After a few years in the business, you will have the inside scoop on which vendors are always running late, which are pedantic about time, and what their work is like.

Also important to discuss with the bridal couple are their expectations with regard to the images that they want shot. Going through your portfolio together, they will give you a feel as to what images they would ideally like. This is also a good time to choose the venue for the bridal shoot, obviously within a reasonable proximity to the reception venue.

Explain to them, at this stage, that good images do take a certain amount of time and that time management on the wedding day is important. Chatting too long after the service with guests, while the light is fading fast, will necessitate a nudge from you. It’s good to let them know that you will help them to stick to a schedule to optimize the opportunity for outstanding images. The bridal shoot is usually in the region of one hour, and allowances for this must be made prior to the wedding so that the couple ensures that guests are entertained with cocktails or snacks during the time that they are away from them.

Elinchrom 600RX Monolight, ISO 100, f/11 at 1/125 second, M mode, Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8 lens. From the same engagement shoot as the image on the previous page, this shot shows a completely different side of the couple, expressing their interest in fashion and editorial-style images.

You will need to inform them of the postproduction process, which will involve image enhancement, color management, conversion of raw images, the resizing of images for printing, and the construction of the album. Give them a timeline for when they can expect the finished product. If they are going to be involved in the choosing of the images for the album, then appointments must be made. Bear in mind that client involvement may increase production time and should be incorporated into your costs.

Closer to the day of the wedding, you may be expected to deal with phone calls from an anxious bride needing answers to a dozen questions. Obviously, this is also a time to put the bride at ease and confirm her feeling of confidence in you. You also may be asked to attend the rehearsal at the church. If you feel that you want to charge for your time at this rehearsal, then you must make it known before attending. At an early stage in your career, it may be beneficial to attend; the rehearsals are often set for the same time of day as the ceremony, so you will have a good opportunity to see what the lighting conditions are like and to scout out the ceremony venue for photo opportunities.

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Using Existing Light Outdoors

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:25:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Existing Light Techniques for Wedding and Portrait Photography, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Nature provides every lighting variation imaginable—that’s why so many images are made with it. Often, the light is so good that there is just no improving on it.

For example, I used to work for a major West Coast publishing company that specialized in automotive magazines. One of the studios we used for photographing cars was massive, with a ceiling that was between three and four stories high. Below the ceiling was a giant scrim suspended on cables so that each of the four corners could be lowered or raised independently. Enormous banks of incandescent lights were bounced into the scrim to produce a huge milky-white highlight the length of the car—a trademark of automotive photography. Despite the availability of this space, if time and the weather were on their side, the staff photographers would invariably opt to photograph the car at twilight, when the setting sun, minutes after sunset, creates a massive skylight in the Western sky. No matter how big or well equipped the studio, nature’s light is far superior in both quantity and quality (although it fades rather quickly).

This is the classic Southern California wedding portrait, complete with the kelp necklace on the surfer groom. The light is exquisite because there are buildings to either side blocking the overhead light. The color coordination is also perfect. Photo by Mark Weisberg.

In order to harness the power of natural light, one must be aware of its various personalities. Unlike the studio, where you can set the lights to obtain any effect you want, in nature you must use the light that you find or find ways to modify it to suit your needs.

Avoid Direct Sunlight
By far the best place to make outdoor images is away from direct sunlight. Look for a clearing in the woods, where the trees block the overhead light from hitting the subject. From the clearing to the side, diffused light will filter in, producing better modeling on the face than in an open area (where the light is overhead in nature and leaves deep shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose and chin of the subjects).

Kevin Jairaj, who makes it a habit to look for good directional lighting, recommends looking for an outdoor portico, where light from above is blocked by a roofline or other architectural elements. This allows soft directional light to spill in from the sides, usually through open columns that provide beautiful compositional elements. Depending on how you position your subjects in relation to this directional light, it can be frontal or side-lighting—but it always has a singular and well-defined source point. Kevin says, “When outdoors, I love shooting under awnings or building tops where I am able to see the light coming in from one side. I normally place the bride so that her face is turned into the directional light producing soft Rembrandt lighting on her face.”

Midday light doesn't have to be harsh, especially where tall buildings block the direct light. The lighting is, however, still overhead in such situations. Knowing this helped Mike Cólon, who waited until the bride's head was raised, taking advantageof the soft overhead light.

Working at Midday
Working at midday is a necessity for wedding photographers, as most ceremonies are during the middle of the day.

The best system if working at midday is to work in shade exclusively. Try to find locations where the background has sunlight on dark foliage and where the difference between the background exposure and the subject exposure is not too great—no more than 2.5 stops.

Fuzzy Deunkel is a master of working in any lighting situation. For this image, he posed his subject on a front porch and and masterfully redirected light onto his subject, making it look as though she was photographed in a studio with a full complement of lights.

It is often impossible to avoid photographing out in the open sunlight on wedding days. In this case, the best strategy is to use the sun as a backlight and bias the exposure towards the shadow side(s) of the subject(s). This is where it’s advisable to bring along an assistant who can flash a reflector into the shadow side of your couple to fill in the effects of the backlighting. A reflector is most effective when held below waist height and angled to bounce the overhead backlight back up onto the subject. Moving the reflector around and up and down will give you an idea of how much light it can reflect and where to position it. In bright situations, use a white reflector, so as not to overpower the natural light. In very soft light, use a gold or silver reflector for increased efficiency.

It is important to check the background while composing a portrait in direct sunlight. Since there is considerably more light than in a portrait made in the shade, the tendency is to use an average shutter speed like 1/250 second with a smaller-than-usual aperture like f/11. Small apertures will sharpen the background and distract from your subject. Preview the depth of field to analyze the background. Use a faster shutter speed and wider lens aperture to minimize background effects in these situations. The faster shutter speeds may also make it impossible to use flash, so have reflectors at the ready.

Low-Angle Sunlight
If the sun is low in the sky, you can use cross lighting to get good modeling on your subject. To do this, simply turn your subject into the light so as not to create deep shadows along laugh lines and in eye sockets. (Note: If photographing a group, be sure to position your subjects so that one person’s head doesn’t block the light from striking the face of the person next to him or her.) In this scenario, there must be adequate fill-in from the shadow side of camera to ensure that the shadows don’t go dead. This is often done using a flash set to about a stop less than the daylight exposure. Of course, a reflector can also be employed (and carefully placed) to bounce the direct sunlight back into the shadow side of the face. Again, it’s always best to use an assistant in this situation.

After Sunset
As many of the great photographs in this book illustrate, the best time of day for making great pictures is just after the sun has set. At this time, the sky becomes a huge softbox and the effect of the lighting on your subjects is soft and even, with no harsh shadows.

There are, however, two problems with working with this great light. First, it’s dim. You will need to use medium to fast ISOs combined with slow shutter speeds. In these situations, selecting an image-stabilization lens will expand your options by allowing you to handhold at extremely slow shutter speeds like 1/4 or 1/8 second.

The second problem in working with this light is that twilight does not produce catchlights, the white specular highlights in the eyes of the subjects that make them sparkle with life. For this reason, most photographers augment the twilight with flash, either barebulb or softbox-mounted. The flash can be up to two stops less in intensity than the skylight and still produce good eye fill-in and bright catchlights.

Controlling the Background
For a portrait made in the shade, the best type of background is monochromatic. If the background is all the same color, the subjects will stand out from it. Problems arise when there are patches of sunlight in the background. To minimize these, you can shoot at a wide lens aperture and use the shallow depth of field to blur out the background. When working outdoors, some photographers also control the background by placing more space between it and the subject, throwing the background further out of focus.

Another way to minimize a distracting background is in postproduction retouching and printing. By burning-in or diffusing the background, you can make it darker, softer, or otherwise less noticeable. This technique is really simple in Photoshop, since it’s fairly easy to select the subjects, invert the selection so that the background is selected, and perform all sorts of manipulations on it. You can also add a vignette of any color to visually subdue the background. On outdoor shoots in particular, one thing you must especially watch out for is subject separation from the background. A dark-haired subject against a dark-green forest background will not separate, creating a tonal merger. Adding a back-side or edge reflector to kick some light onto the hair would be a logical solution to such a problem.

Cool Skin Tones
If your subject is standing in a grove of trees and is surrounded by foliage, there is a good chance green (or cyan from the open sky) will be reflected onto their skin tones. This can be hard to detect, since your eyes will adjust to the off-color rendering. The best strategy is to check the coloration in the shadow areas of the face. If the color of the light is neutral, you will see gray in the shadows; if not, you will see either green or cyan.

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Basic Portrait Lighting Setups

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Wedding Photography: Advanced Techniques for Digital Photographers, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

BROAD AND SHORT LIGHTING
There are two basic types of portrait lighting: broad lighting and short lighting. Broad lighting means that the main light is illuminating the side of the face that is turned toward the camera. Broad lighting is used less frequently than short lighting because it flattens and de-emphasizes facial contours. It is often used to widen a thin or long face. Short lighting means that the main light is illuminating the side of the face turned away from the camera. Short lighting emphasizes facial contours and can be used to narrow a round or wide face. When used with a weak fill light, short lighting produces a dramatic effect with bold highlights and deep shadows.

BASIC PORTRAIT LIGHTING SETUPS
While it may prove difficult or even impossible to replicate any one of the five basic portrait lighting setups on the day of the wedding, it is still a good idea to know what they are and how to achieve them. Each of the lighting patterns takes its personality from the placement of the main light. The concept of single-source lighting is important. The sun is the primary light source in all of nature; all other light sources are subordinate to it. This is the rule of the main light in the studio; like the sun, it is the single light to which any other lights are subordinate.

Paramount Lighting. Paramount lighting, sometimes called butterfly lighting or glamour lighting, is a lighting pattern that produces a symmetrical, butterfly-shaped shadow directly beneath the subject’s nose. It emphasizes cheekbones and good skin. It is generally not used on men because it tends to hollow out cheeks and eye sockets too much.

For this style, the main light is placed high and directly in front of the subject’s face, parallel to the vertical line of the subject’s nose. Since the light must be high and close to the subject to produce the wanted butterfly shadow, it should not be used on women with deep eye sockets, or very little light will illuminate the eyes.

The fill light is placed at the subject’s head height directly under the main light. Since both the main and fill lights are on the same side of the camera, a reflector must be used opposite these lights and in close to the subject to fill in the deep shadows on the neck and shaded cheek. The hair light, which is always used opposite the main light, should light the hair only and not skim onto the face of the subject. The background light, used low and behind the subject, should form a semi-circle of illumination on the seamless background (if using one) so that the tone of the background grows gradually darker toward the edges of the frame.

Loop Lighting. Loop lighting is a minor variation of Paramount lighting. The main light is lowered and moved more to the side of the subject so that the shadow under the nose becomes a small loop on the shadow side of the face. This is one of the more commonly used lighting setups and is ideal for people with average, oval-shaped faces.

Loop lighting is an intermediate pattern between butterfly and Rembrandt lighting. The main light is high and to one side of the model’s face, but not as high as in the butterfly pattern, nor as low as in the Rembrandt pattern. Here no fill light was used in order to keep the light dramatic. Photograph by JB Sallee.

The fill light is moved to the opposite side of the camera from the main light in loop lighting. It is used close to the camera lens. In order to maintain the one-light character of the portrait, it is important that the fill light not cast a shadow of its own. To determine if the fill light is doing its job, you need to evaluate it from the camera position. Check to see if the fill light is casting a shadow of its own by looking through the viewfinder. In loop lighting, the hair light and background lights are used the same way they are in Paramount lighting.

Rembrandt Lighting. Rembrandt or 45-degree lighting is characterized by a small, triangular highlight on the shadowed cheek of the subject. It takes its name from the famous Dutch painter who used window light to illuminate his subjects. This lighting is dramatic and more often used with masculine subjects. Rembrandt lighting is often used with a weak fill light to accentuate the shadow-side highlight.

This is a beautiful image made with a single softbox and no fill. The lighting is true Rembrandt-style with a perfect triangular highlight on the shadow side of her face. Note, too, the elegant posing of the hands. Photograph by Cherie Steinberg Coté.

For Rembrandt lighting, the main light is moved lower and farther to the side than in loop and Paramount lighting. In fact, the main light comes almost from the subject’s side, depending on how far his or her head is turned away from the camera.

The fill light is used in the same manner as it is for loop lighting. The hair light, however, is often used a little closer to the subject for more brilliant highlights in the hair. The background light is in the standard position.

With Rembrandt lighting, kickers are often used to delineate the sides of the face. As with all front-facing lights, avoid shining them directly into the lens. The best way to check for this is to place your hand between the subject and the camera on the axis of the kicker. If your hand casts a shadow on the lens, then the kicker is shining directly into the lens and should be adjusted.

Split Lighting. Split lighting occurs when the main light illuminates only half the face. It is an ideal slimming light. It can also be used with a weak fill to hide facial irregularities. Split lighting can also be used with no fill light for dramatic effect.

In split lighting, the main light is moved farther to the side of the subject and lower. In some cases, the main light may be slightly behind the subject, depending on how far the subject is turned from the camera. The fill light, hair light, and background light are used normally for split lighting.

Cherie Steinberg Coté photographed this unusual bridal veil, and hat. Because of the size of the hat, the rounded softbox was lowered to a little above face height, producing a hybrid split lighting. The close proximity and softness of the light caused the light to wrap around the contours of the bride’s face with no shadow edges. The position of the main light and the turn of the head dictates the type of lighting pattern that will be produced.

In this exceptional image by Dan Doke, the bride was lit with a modified profile-lighting pattern. The head was not fully turned in the traditional profile pose and, as a result, the main light is not a true backlight, although it is behind the bride.

Profile or Rim Lighting. Profile or rim lighting is used when the subject’s head is turned 90 degrees away from the camera lens. It is a dramatic style of lighting used to accent elegant features. It is used less frequently now than in the past, but it is still a stylish look.

In rim lighting, the main light is placed behind the subject so that it illuminates the profile of the subject and leaves a polished highlight along the edge of the face. The main light will also highlight the hair and neck of the subject. Care should be taken so that the accent of the light is centered on the face and not so much on the hair or neck.

The fill light is moved to the same side of the camera as the main light and a reflector is used to fill in the shadows. An optional hair light can be used on the opposite side of the main light for better tonal separation of the hair from the background. The background light is used normally.

ADAPTING THE FORMAL LIGHTING PATTERNS TO SUIT THE SITUATION
While the basic lighting patterns do not have to be used with absolute precision, it is essential to know what they are and how to achieve them. If, for instance, you are photographing your bride and groom outdoors, you can position a single main light to produce the desired lighting pattern and ratio, then use the ambient light (shade or backlighting) as the fill light. No other lights are needed to produce every one of the five basic portrait lighting setups. The use of reflectors, instead of an independent fill light or kickers, may accomplish much the same results in terms of controlling light.

You can also create an elegant profile of the bride with a single flash used as a backlight, outlining the edges of her face, neck, and the wedding veil. With the daylight as fill, only one light is required to produce an elegant, classically lit portrait.

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The Team Approach to Large Weddings

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:16:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Tucci and Usmani's The Business of Photography, by Damon Tucci and Rosena Usmani. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Once in a while, we have we have been fortunate enough to photograph celebrity clients. I have photographed sports legends Marshall Faulk and Horace Grant and one of the Backstreet Boys, Howie Dorough. I have also been fortunate enough to photograph some ostentatious, million-dollar events. These events can be very exciting, and they can also be very lucrative. They require a totally different mind-set. The stakes are higher, and so is the pressure. Perform well on the right one, and that can be your ticket in to the rich and famous. Fall on your face, and you’ll never work in this town again.

Here is how I have tackled such events: When doing these large jobs, the lead photographer must perform almost as a director. I employ a team of four or more. I am fortunate to have been in this business for a while, and I have a large pool of friends/colleagues I can call on to form the dream team for these events. Our fees are upward of $20,000 for these types of events. That gives us the budget to staff accordingly.

It’s better to have more hands on deck than less.There are a lot of balls to juggle when you are working these events. There are many times when important events are simultaneously going on in different locations. Typically, I stick to the bride and have other staff members photograph the group, capture detail shots, etc.

Let’s not forget Indian and Jewish ceremonies. The largest, most lucrative events I have photographed were Indian andJewish events. Indian events are a wonderful departure from traditional Christian ceremonies. The colors are vibrant, and the customs and rituals are fascinating. Indian weddings usually last three days or more and pay accordingly. Jewish weddings are rich in tradition. They are wonderful celebrations of life. The families are very close and, in my experience, they are a lot of fun. I love being in the middle of the hora with a fisheye lens on my camera—it’s like shooting a rock concert.

Both of these events require a rudimentary knowledge of the cultures to capture them effectively. While I was working at Disney, they had a rabbi come in and teach the non-Jewish photographers about the important elements of a Jewish wedding. You can also find out a lot of information online or check out Photographing Jewish Weddings (Stan Turkel; Amherst Media, 2009). My experience with Indian events was a little different. A young couple came to me for my contemporary style.

Many mainstream Indian photographers are very traditional in their approach. They tend to cater to the parents rather than the bride and groom. Anyway, I explained that I knew little about their culture but was up for the challenge. They assigned me a family member to help guide me on the must-have shots.That was many Indian events ago. Eventually, I got the hang of it, even though in my experience all of the Indian events I have photographed are a little different.

The bottom line is that both of these events are very lucrative and very enjoyable. Both cultures place a very high value on family and photographs. These are tight-knit communities, and if you do a great job for one of these clients, chances are you will be receiving calls from their friends soon.

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Verbal Cues Point to Priceless Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:08:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Advanced Wedding Photojournalism: Professional Techniques for Digital Photographers, by Tracy Dorr. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

At most weddings, you won’t know anyone other than the bride. That means you won’t know the relationships and drama associated with each guest. This can make it hard to distinguish key players amidst a crowd of hundreds. This is an especially important point to remember: it’s not enough to concentrate on taking great photojournalistic portraits, it is also important to remember who you are eventually selling these portraits to. You could create an absolutely award-winning portrait, but if the subject is the groom’s ex-girlfriend, it won’t make you any money. The bride won’t even want the proof. What couples do want are excellent informal portraits of their closest friends and family—images that they can treasure over time. Listening and observing body language can key you in to who those people are.

VERBAL INDICATORS
Eavesdropping, though socially taboo, is usually a pretty good idea in these situations. People aren’t going to stop their conversation to clue you in, so pay attention. Note the conversations around you—especially those with humorous stories; these are likely to incite great expressions. If you hear key phrases like, “I haven’t seen you in such a long time!” or “I can’t tell you how proud of you I am right now,” highly charged emotions are likely to follow. If you hear the bride’s mother say to the bride, “If your father were here, he would be so proud!” and her voice has a slight falter of emotion, find the bride. She’s likely to follow that meaningful phrase with a hug or a few tears. And if the bride is tearing up, you know that Mom won’t be able to help herself. Basically, as soon as you hear, “Your father would be so proud,” you have an idea of where the conversation is heading and you know what reaction is likely to follow. There’s no downtime when you’re shooting people photojournalistically!

“You Look So Beautiful!”
There are some “traditional” verbal indicators to be on the lookout for—expected behaviors that are controlled by societal constraints. In polite Western society, for instance, when people see the bride, they are rather expected to say something like, “You look so beautiful!” The compliments a bride will receive on her wedding day can be overwhelming and exciting. Be ready to capture how she reacts to that. Whenever you hear a complimentary phrase, get ready.

“I’m So Glad You Made It!”
This phrase has two implications for the bride or groom: the person they’re saying it to is of high importance to them and/or is an out-of-town guest that they have not seen in a long time. Either way, it’s a good indication that this is a key player you should keep your eye on throughout the rest of the day.

“That Means So Much To Me!”
If you hear this phrase, it’s a tip-off that a compliment has just been given. Everyone appreciates a flattering remark, so there will be some kind of positive reaction to this nicety. That means there will also be a great opportunity for a photojournalistic portrait.

Compliments to the bride on any aspect of the wedding will reinforce to her the success of the day. It very important to the bride that the day goes well, so you will see the relief and pleasure on her face following that sort of compliment. It is also a common prompt for the hugging to begin—and where there’s action, there’s the opportunity for further emotional displays.

“Oh My God!”
This phrase is so universal that you know everyone will use it—and use it for a huge variety of reasons. It could refer to a guest or parent’s reaction to how beautiful the bride looks. It could suggest nervousness and excitement. This phrase is less of a sure thing, but it occurs with such frequency that it provides you with a plethora of opportunities to key in on a subject for a portrait.

Often, the phrase precedes the kind of emotional reaction that causes other people to get involved. For example, during the morning preparations, let’s say the bride is opening a gift that her husband-to-be has sent as a surprise. She opens the small, carefully wrapped box and says in a low voice (or a high-pitched squeal), “Oh, my God!” This suggests the bride is shocked and overwhelmed, giving you your first photo opportunity: the bride’s reaction. Additionally, you know that all of the other bridesmaids are immediately going to crowd around to get a look at the gift. The air will be filled with excitement—everyone will be laughing, smiling, and talking, which means more great emotionally charged moments for you to capture.

When you hear “Oh my God,” all you’ll need to do is zoom in on the bride first, then zoom out to include the two people nearest to the bride, and finally pull back to show the rest of the girls and see whose reaction stands out to you. Be aware of the entire group at all times and look for their crucial reactions. Seek out movement and reactions laced with emotion.

The aforementioned phrases are usually good indicators that an emotionally charged moment is about to occur. Learning to predict when these moments are likely to happen is the most significant element in learning to photograph with emotional integrity and lasting impact.

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Creating Effective Group Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:19:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book The Best of Wedding Photojournalism (2nd ed.), by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Formal group portraits fall outside the area of interest of most photojournalists. However, they are still an integral part of almost every wedding. Most wedding photojournalists don’t exhibit their formal groups, but they do include them in their albums—usually because brides expect certain group portraits. Even purists will oblige the request for these images, but they will add the special twist that takes the images out of the realm of traditional wedding coverage.

Groups should be fun. Here, Marcus Bell gets photographed by the groomsmen with their point-and-shoot digital cameras.

Types of Groups
You will want to photograph the groom and his groomsmen, the bride and her bridesmaids, as well as the complete wedding party in one group. Depending on the wishes of the bride, you may also need to photograph family formals, extended families, or a giant group shot including all of the guests.

Opt for something completely unexpected. Incorporate the environment or architecture, or ask the group to do something uncharacteristic. Even though this is a “posed” shot, it does not have to represent a pause in the flow of the wedding day; it can be fun. You can get a wonderful group image if you exercise a little imagination.

Backgrounds
While it might be tempting to find a great background and shoot all of your groups using it, the effect will be monotonous when viewed in the album. Look for several interesting backgrounds, even if they are only ten or twenty feet apart. This will add visual interest to the finished album.

Composition
Successfully designing groups of people depends on your ability to manage the lines and shapes within the composition. The more you learn to recognize these key elements, the more they will become an integral part of your compositions—and the more dynamic your group portraits will be.

Groupings
Couples. The simplest of groups is two people. Whether the group is a bride and groom, mom and dad, or the best man and the maid of honor, the basic building blocks call for one person slightly higher than the other. A good starting point is to position the mouth of the higher person parallel to the forehead or eyes of the lower person.

Although they can be posed in parallel position, a more interesting dynamic with two people can be achieved by having them pose at 45-degree angles to each other, so their shoulders face in toward one another. With this pose, you can create a number of variations by moving them closer or farther apart.

To create an intimate pose for two, try showing two profiles facing each other. One should still be higher than the other, allowing you to create an implied diagonal line between their eyes, which gives the portrait better visual dynamics. Since this type of image is usually fairly close up, make sure that the frontal planes of the subjects’ faces are roughly parallel so that you can hold sharp focus on both.

Trios. A group portrait of three is still small and intimate. It lends itself to a pyramid or diamond-shaped composition, or an inverted triangle, all of which are pleasing to the eye.

Turn the shoulders of those at both ends of the group in toward the center of the composition to loop the group together, ensuring that the viewer’s eye does not stray out of the frame. Once you add a third person, you will begin to notice the interplay of lines and shapes inherent in good group design. The graphic power of a well-defined diagonal line in a composition will compel the viewer to keep looking at the image.

Try different vantage points—a bird’s-eye view, for example. Cluster the group together, use a safe stepladder or other high vantage point, and you’ve got a lovely variation on the small group.

Even-Numbered Groups. You will find that even numbers of people are more difficult to pose than odd-numbered groupings. The reason is that the eye and brain tend to accept the disorder of odd-numbered objects more readily than even-numbered objects. (Note: As you add more people to a group, remember to do everything you can to keep the camera back parallel to the plane of the group to ensure everyone in the photograph is sharply focused.)

With four people, you can simply add a person to the existing poses for three described above. Be sure to keep the head height of the fourth person different from any of the others in the group. Also, be aware that you are now forming shapes with your composition—pyramids, extended triangles, diamonds, and curved lines.

The dark suits and hats contrast against the light colored wall, creating a composition that resembles musical notes on a score. The boy’s face, turned slightly toward the camera, adds an aura of solemnity to the observance. Bounce flash was fired at the taking aperture (f/2.8) to add highlights along the shoulders of the dark suits. This is an award-winning photograph by Michael Greenberg.

Larger Groups. With five or six people, you should begin to think in terms of creating linked subgroups. This is when a posing device like the armchair can come into play. An armchair is the perfect posing device for photographing up to about eight people. The chair is best positioned roughly 30 to 45 degrees to the camera. Whoever will occupy the seat (usually the bride) should be seated laterally across the seat cushion on the edge of the chair, so that their weight does not rest on the chair back. This promotes good sitting posture and narrows the lines of the waist and hips, for both men and women. With one person seated, you can then position the others close and on the arms of the chair, leaning in toward the central person. Sometimes only one arm of the armchair is used to create a more dynamic triangle shape.

What a wild and crazy group this is! It is completely unchoreographed in a wacky, vaudevillian way—groomsmen piggy backing bridesmaids, who buckle under the weight; guys dropping their trousers—it’s completely out of control. Yet, this is what it’s all about: having fun on a once-in-a-lifetime day. The photograph was made, and no doubt inspired, by the photographers, Jeff and Julia Woods.

Hands can be a problem in groups. Despite their small size, they attract visual attention— particularly against dark clothing. They can be especially troublesome in seated groups, where at first glance you might think there are more hands than there should be. A general rule of thumb is to either show all of the hand or show none of it. Don’t allow a thumb, or half a hand, or a few fingers to show. Hide as many hands as you can behind flowers, hats, or other people. Be aware of these potentially distracting elements, and look for them as part of your visual inspection of the frame before you make the exposure.

Really Big Groups. In really big groups, the use of different levels helps to create a sense of visual interest and lets the viewer’s gaze bounce from one face to another (as long as there is a logical and pleasing flow to the arrangement). The placement of faces, not bodies, dictates how pleasing and effective the composition will be.

Having the guests wave to the camera usually results in too many faces being lost behind raised arms. However, this is a good time for the bride to throw her bouquet. Ask her to throw it over her head into the crowd behind, mainly upward and slightly to the rear. Alternately, you might simply ask the couple to kiss and have all the guests watch them.

When you are photographing large groups, an assistant is invaluable for getting all of the people together and helping you to pose them. Keep in mind that it also takes less time to photograph one large group than it does to create a series of smaller groups, so it is usually time well spent (provided that the bride wants the groups done in this way).

This is a group of eleven groomsmen taken by Kevin Jairaj. If you let your eyes wander across the group, you will see three groups of three guys, plus a grouping of two on the far right side. This is intentionally done to subdivide the large group, preventing it from becoming a “team” photo all on one plane. Instead, it is a moody, introspective image of the young men, beautifully done with stage lighting and carefully composed to give the image rhythm and unity.

Focus and Depth of Field
As your groups get bigger, it’s important to keep your depth of field under control. The stepladder is an invaluable tool for larger groups; it lets you elevate the camera position and more easily keep the camera back parallel to the group for the most efficient focus. Another trick is to have the back row of the group lean in, while the front row leans back slightly. This creates a shallower subject plane that makes it easier to hold the focus across the entire group.

If you are short of space, use a wide-angle lens or a wide-angle camera (like the Brooks Veri-Wide, a 35mm panoramic camera with a rotating shutter). Wide-angle coverage results in the people at the front appearing larger than those at the back, which may be advantageous if the wedding party is at the front of the group. Make sure everyone is sharp. This is more of a certainty with a wide-angle lens and its inherent depth of field. Focus at a distance one-third of the way into the group. This should ensure that everyone is sharp at f/5.6 or f/8 with a wide-angle lens.

After You’ve Snapped the Shutter
Many wedding photographers will tell you that the best groups and formals are often taken seconds after you’ve told the people, “Thanks, I’ve got it.” Everyone relaxes and they revert to having a good time and being themselves. This is a great time to fire off a few more frames—you might get that great group shot or formal portrait that you didn’t get in the posed version.

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The Psychology of Album-Making

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Creative Wedding Album Design with Adobe Photoshop, by Mark Chen. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

Designing a wedding album is a form of art, but you must also take the audience into account. After all, it is the newlyweds who will spend hours admiring your work. This actually creates a favorable situation: if we get to know the couple, we will know better what they are looking for. So let’s try to get into the psychology of the clients.

Make sure you showcase the full range of your creativity in your demos, then have your clients go through them. By observing their reactions, you will get a good sense of their taste. Ask them to voice their opinions.

Within limits, you can also have them involved in the creative process. For example, you may want to let the couple choose a certain number of the images that will be used.

Watch closely what they spent time and money on. The bride and groom are the lead characters in the album, but there will also be many supporting roles. If there was a fancy cake, show it off on a page. If the ceremony took place in the most grandiose church in town, make it a centerpiece on another page.

On top of the wedding photographer’s role as an artist, entrepreneur, and Photoshop master, he or she is also in the business of making people happy. You might find this a daunting task. It is. But once you get to know the psychology of your clients, you will have a much better chance of accomplishing the mission.

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The Key Shots

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book The Best of Wedding Photography (3rd ed.), by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

As part of the wedding photography, there are some key images that every bride and groom will expect to see. Including these is important for creating an album that tells the whole story of the couple’s special day. The following are a few tips on what to shoot and some ideas for making the most of each moment as it happens.

ENGAGEMENT PORTRAIT
The engagement portrait is made prior to the hectic wedding day, providing the time to get something spectacular. Many photographers use this session as an opportunity to get to know the couple and to allow the couple to get to know them. Engagement portraits may involve great creativity and intimacy and are often made in the photographer’s studio or at some special location.

The engagement portrait has become an integral part of wedding packages. It gives the photographer a chance to work with the couple before the big day so that the trio may get used to each other. Photograph by Tom Muñoz.

AT THE BRIDE’S HOUSE
Typically, weddings begin with the bride getting ready. Find out what time you may arrive and be there a little early. You may have to wait a bit—there are a million details for the bride to attend to—but you might find ample opportunity for still lifes or family shots. When you get the okay to go up to the bedrooms, realize that it may be tense in there. Try to blend in and observe. Shots will present themselves, particularly with the mother and daughter or the bridesmaids.

BEFORE THE WEDDING
You do, of course, want to photograph the groom before the wedding. Some grooms are nervous, while others are gregarious—like it’s any other day. Regardless, there are ample picture opportunities before anyone else arrives. It’s also a great opportunity to do formal portraits of the groom, the groom and his dad, and the groom and his best man. A three-quarter-length portrait is a good choice—and you can include the architecture of the church or building if you want.

Being a fly on the wall as the bride is getting ready can lead to some great shots. Photograph by Ron Capobianco.

When photographing men, always check that the ties are properly knotted. If they are wearing vests, make sure that they are correctly buttoned and that the bottom button is undone.

Joe Photo tries to get a shot of the bride’s shoes as she’s getting ready. Be sure to make a nice shot like this if at all possible.

THE CEREMONY
Regardless of whether you’re a wedding photojournalist or a traditionalist, you must be discrete during the ceremony. Nobody wants to hear the “ca-chunk” of a camera or see a blinding flash as the couple exchange their vows. It’s better by far to work from a distance with a tripod-mounted 35mm camera with the motor off (or in quiet mode, if the camera has one), and to work by available light. Work quietly and unobserved—in short, be invisible. (Of course, it should be noted that recent SLRs—especially DSLRs—are much quieter than past cameras.)

Some of the events you will need to cover are: the bridesmaids and flower girls entering the church, the bride entering the church, the parents being escorted in, the bride’s dad “giving her away,” the first time the bride and groom meet at the altar, the minister or priest talking with them, the ring exchange, the exchange of vows, the kiss, the bride and groom turning to face the assembly, the bride and groom coming up the aisle, and any number of two dozen variations—plus all the surprises along the way. Note that this scenario applies only to a Christian wedding. Every religion has its own customs and traditions that you need to be familiar with before the wedding.

Some churches don’t allow any photography during the ceremony. You will, of course, know this if you’ve taken the time to visit the church prior to the wedding.

Regardless of your style of coverage, family groups are pictures that will be desired by all. You must find time to make the requisite group shots, but also be aware of shots that the bride may not have requested, but expects to see. The bride with her new parents and the groom with his are great shots, according to Monte Zucker, but are not ones that will necessarily be “on the list.”

FORMALS
Following the ceremony, you should be able to steal the bride and groom for about ten minutes—no more, or you will be taking too much of their time and the others in attendance will get a little edgy. Most photographers will get what they need in less than ten minutes.

In addition to a number of formal portraits of the couple—their first pictures as man and wife—you should try to make whatever obligatory group shots the bride has asked for. This may include a group portrait of the wedding party, a portrait with the bride’s family and the groom’s family, and so on.

If there are too many “must” shots to do in a short time, arrange to do some after the ceremony and some at the reception. This can be all thought out beforehand.

THE BRIDE AND GROOM
Generally speaking, this should be a romantic pose, with the couple looking at one another. While a formal pose or two is advisable, most couples will opt for the more romantic and emotional formal portraits. Be sure to highlight the dress, as it is a crucial element to formal portraits. Take pains to show the form as well as the details of the dress and train, if the dress has one. This is certainly true for the bride’s formal portrait, as well.

Make at least two formal portraits, a full-length shot and a three-quarter-length portrait. Details are important, so pose the couple. Make sure the bouquet is visible and have the bride closest to the camera. Have the groom place his arm around his bride but with his hand in the middle of her back. Have them lean in toward each other, with their weight on their back feet and a slight bend to their forward knees. Quick and easy!

THE BRIDE
To display the dress beautifully, the bride must stand well. Although you may only be taking a three-quarter-length or head-and-shoulders portrait, start the pose at the feet. When you arrange the bride’s feet with one foot forward of the other, the shoulders will naturally be at their most flattering, one higher than the other. Have her stand at an angle to the lens, with her weight on her back foot and her front knee slightly bent. The most feminine position for her head is to have it turned and tilted toward the higher shoulder. This places the entire body in an attractive S-curve, a classic bridal pose.

Have the bride hold her bouquet in the hand on the same side of her body as the foot that is extended. If the bouquet is held in the left hand, the right arm should come in to meet the other at wrist level. She should hold her bouquet a bit below waist level to show off the waistline of the dress, which is an important part of the dress design. Take photos showing the dress from all angles.

THE WEDDING PARTY
This is one formal group that does not have to be formal. I have seen group portraits of the wedding party done as a panoramic, with the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen doing a conga line down the beach, dresses held high out of the water and the men’s pant legs rolled up. And I have seen elegant, formal pyramid arrangements, where every bouquet and every pose is identical and beautiful. It all depends on your client and your tastes. It should be a portrait that you have fun doing. Most photographers opt for boy–girl arrangements, with the bride and groom somewhere central in the image. As with the bridal portrait, the bridesmaids should be in front of the groomsmen in order to highlight their dresses.

Titled The Pall Bearers, this image by J.B. Sallee is a tongue-in-cheek portrait of what the groom and his groomsmen might term “his last day of freedom.” In postproduction, the groomsmen were darkened to make the groom stand out.

LEAVING THE CHURCH
Predetermine the composition and exposure and be ready and waiting as the couple exits the church. If guests are throwing confetti or rice, don’t be afraid to choreograph the event in advance. You can alert guests to get ready and “release” on your count of three. Using a slow (1/30 second) shutter speed and flash, you will freeze the couple and the rice, but the moving objects will have a slightly blurred edge. If you’d rather just let the event happen, opt for a burst sequence using the camera’s fastest frame rate—up to eight frames per second with high-end DSLRs—and a wide-angle to short-telephoto zoom. Be alert for the unexpected, and consider having a second shooter cover events like this to better your odds of getting the key picture.

ROOM SETUP
Make a photograph of the reception site before the guests arrive. Photograph one table in the foreground and be sure to include the floral and lighting effects. Also, photograph a single place setting and a few other details. The bride will love them, and you’ll find use for them in the album design. The caterers, decorators, and other vendors will also appreciate a print that reflects their efforts. Some photographers try to include the bride and groom in the scene, which can be tricky—but their presence does add to the shot. Before the guests enter the reception area, for instance, Ken Sklute often photographs the bride and groom dancing slowly in the background and it is a nice touch.

THE RECEPTION
This is the time when most of your photojournalistic coverage will be made—and the possibilities are endless. As the reception goes on and guests relax, the opportunities for great pictures will increase. Be aware of the bride and groom all the time, as they are the central players. Fast zooms and fast telephoto lenses paired with fast film or high ISO settings will give you the best chance to work unobserved.

Be prepared for the scheduled events at the reception—the bouquet toss, removing the garter, the toasts, the first dance, and so on. If you have done your homework, you will know where and when each of these events will take place, and you will have prepared to light it and photograph it. Often, the reception is best lit with a number of corner-mounted umbrellas, triggered by your on-camera flash. That way, anything within the perimeter of your lights can be photographed by strobe. Be certain you meter various areas within your lighting perimeter so that you know what your exposure is everywhere on the floor.

The reception calls upon all of your skills and instincts. Things happen quickly, so don’t get caught with an important event coming up and only two frames left or a CF card that’s almost full. People are having a great time, so be cautious about intruding upon events. Try to observe the flow of the reception and anticipate the individual events before they happen. Coordinate your efforts with the person in charge, usually the wedding planner or banquet manager. He or she can run interference for you, as well as cue you when certain events are about to occur, often not letting the event begin until you are ready.

I have watched Joe Photo work a reception, and it is an amazing sight. He often uses his Nikon D1X and flash in bounce mode and works quickly and quietly. His Nikon Speedlite is outfitted with a small forward-facing internal reflector that redirects some of the bounce flash directly onto his subject, making the flash both key and fill light at once. If he is observed and noticed, he’ll often walk over and show the principals the image on the LCD, offer some thoughtful compliment about how good they all look, and quickly move on. Other times he just shoots, observes, and shoots some more. His intensity and concentration at the reception are keen and he comes away with priceless images—the rewards of good work habits.

RINGS
The bride and groom usually love their new rings and want a shot that includes them. A close-up of the couple’s hands displaying the rings makes a great detail image in the album. You can use any type of attractive pose, but remember that hands are difficult to pose. If you want a really close-up image of the rings, you will need a macro lens, and you will probably have to light the scene with flash—unless you make the shot outdoors or in good light.

Joe Photo always makes it a point to photograph the rings with the wedding invitation. That makes it imperative to carry a macro lens.

THE CAKE CUTTING
Cakes have gotten incredibly expensive—some cost more than $10,000! For this reason, a stand-alone portrait of the cake is a good idea, both for the cake-maker and for the bride and groom.

THE FIRST DANCE
One trick is to tell the couple beforehand, “Look at me and smile.” That will keep you from having to circle the couple until you get both of them looking at you for the first-dance shot. Or you can tell them, “Just look at each other and don’t worry about me, I’ll get the shot.”

Often, photographers will photograph the first dance by whatever available light exists (often spotlights) on the dance floor. This is possible with fast lenses and fast ISOs. Just as frequently, the photographer will use bounce flash and a slow shutter speed to record the ambient light in the room and the surrounding faces watching the couple’s first dance. The bounce flash will freeze the couple but there is often some blurring due to the slow shutter speed.

THE BOUQUET TOSS
Whether you’re a photojournalist or traditionalist, this shot looks best when it’s spontaneous. You need plenty of depth of field, which almost dictates a wide-angle lens. You’ll want to show not only the bride but also the faces in the background. Although you can use available light, the shot is usually best done with two flashes—one on the bride and one on the ladies waiting for the bouquet. Your timing has to be excellent, as the bride will often “fake out” the group just for laughs. This might fake you out, as well. Try to get the bouquet as it leaves the bride’s hands and before it is caught—and if your flash recycles fast enough, get a shot of the lucky lady who catches it.

TABLE SHOTS
Table shots don’t usually turn out well, are rarely ordered, and are tedious to make. If your couple absolutely wants table shots, ask them to accompany you from table to table. That way they can greet all of their guests, and it will make the posing quick and painless. Instead of table shots, consider one big group that encompasses nearly everyone at the reception.

LITTLE ONES
A great photo opportunity comes from spending time with the smallest attendees and attendants—the flower girls and ring bearers. They are thrilled with the pageantry of the wedding day and their involvement often offers a multitude of memorable shots.

The little ones are especially fragile on the wedding day and present some wonderful photo opportunities. Photograph by Marcus Bell.

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Why Is Wedding Photojournalism So Popular?

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Today's post is an excerpt from the book Wedding Photographer's Handbook, by Bill Hurter. It is available from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.

One of the reasons wedding photojournalism has taken off in popularity is that it emulates the style of photography seen in the bridal magazines, like Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Modern Bride, and Town & Country. Before brides even interview photographers, they have become familiar with this type of storytelling editorial imagery.

Even if a shot is scripted, its execution will be much less formal than in past years. This image by Brian Shindle captures a spontaneity that is quite appealing.

TRADITIONAL WEDDING IMAGES LACK VARIETY
A big reason for the backlash against traditional wedding photography is the “sameness” of it. When this type of scripted coverage is employed, similar if not identical shots will show up in many different albums done by like-minded photographers.

Another reason for the similarity is the types and numbers of formal group portraits. Even with the most elegant posing and lighting, shots can look similar if they are arranged similarly (e.g., bride and groom in the middle, bridesmaids and groomsmen staggered boy-girl to either side). In contrast, when a wedding photojournalist makes group portraits, he or she might make them from the top of a stairwell, or put all the subjects in profile marching down a beach, or have them do something otherwise unpredictable and different. This results in more personalized images and greater variety. Today’s bride doesn’t want “cookie-cutter” wedding photographs. She wants unique, heartfelt images that tell the story of her important day.

TRADITIONAL WEDDING IMAGES ARE MORE TIME-CONSUMING TO MAKE
Another potential drawback of the traditional type of wedding coverage is that all those carefully posed pictures take lots of time. In fact, the bigger the wedding, the bigger the bridal party and the bigger the list of “required” shots to make. As a result, the bride and groom can be missing for a good part of their wedding day while they are working with the photographer. The less formal approach leaves couples free to enjoy more of their day.

In this aspect, the photojournalistic system has mutual benefits. While the bride has more time to enjoy her day, the photographer also has more time to observe the subtleties of the wedding day and do his or her best work. I have heard many photographers say that brides and family have told them, “We don’t even want to know you’re there,” which is just fine for most wedding photojournalists.

So much of what is included in today’s wedding photographer’s skill set comes from the world of editorial and fashion. This shot by Becky Burgin is a classic fashion image treated with split-toning by printing master Robert Cavalli.

NO INTRUSION

Because the traditional photographer intrudes on the naturalness of the scene, the coverage is structured and in the view of many, fictional. When the photojournalist covers the same event, he or she does so without interference and intrusion, allowing the scene to unravel with all of the spontaneity and surprises that will occur at such wonderful events. As a result, the photographer tends to be quietly invisible, choosing to fade into the background so the subjects are not aware of his presence. The event itself then takes precedence over the directions and the resulting pictures are more spontaneous. Many wedding photojournalists even photograph groups with this non-intrusive approach, preferring to wait until things “happen.”

EMERGING STYLES
Despite the advantages of wedding photojournalism, photographers who still provide traditional coverage argue that the photojournalist’s coverage produces below-average photographs. Indeed, one must acknowledge that some of the most elegant features of traditional portraiture are being thrown out in this creative new approach. After all, the photojournalists can’t possibly be as in tune with posing and lighting principles as the masters of the traditional style. Even in many masterful bridal portraits taken by skilled photojournalists, the trained eye may observe poorly posed hands, a confused head-and-shoulders axis, unflattering overhead lighting, and so on. As a result, formal and casual techniques are intermixing more than ever, allowing both photographers and brides to benefit from the best of both styles.

This mixing is particularly evident in group portraiture. The near elimination of formal group portraiture in photojournalistic wedding coverage is now swinging back the other way. All types of wedding photographers are making more group portraits. The main reason for this is that groups sell, and sales mean increased profits. Also, failing to offer such coverage limits the photographer in his or her professional approach. As a result, photographers are offering brides more options, including posed formals. Because the choice is theirs, brides (and their parents) seem to be ordering them.

The difference between this shot and a traditionalist’s version of the same subject is that the photojournalist prefers to capture the unscripted action as it occurs, much like the stop-action coverage of a sports photographer. Photograph by Michael Schuhmann.

Marcus Bell can make himself disappear into the woodwork. Here an exhausted bride and groom take five without a hint that Bell is recording the scene.

The nature of formal photos is changing, as well, adapting more informal posing and lighting techniques in an effort to preserve the same carefree, relaxed attitude found in the rest of the album. You will also see group portraits made with much more style and elegance than the traditional, straight on-camera flash you saw in wedding groups only twenty years ago. Again, brides are demanding ever more sophistication in their photographs.

Yes, the classic poses are fading in consideration of a more natural style. However, greater attention to posing fundamentals seems to be evident, as well. After all, these techniques represent time-honored ways of gracefully rendering the human form and revealing character. In the words of Monte Zucker, well known around the world for his traditional wedding portraits, “Photographers are well aware of this [divergence], so they’ve combined a little of both. My particular style of wedding photography still comes from the fact that I’m more interested in faces and feelings than I am in backgrounds and trends.”

The nature of formals is changing, incorporating elements of traditional styles with a more casual look. Here, an unusual pose and composition along with pristine lighting and exposure make this Drake Busath image an award winner.

This combined approach opens up the best of both worlds for the bride and groom. With an adherence to formal posing principles comes a type of classic elegance that is timeless, with the finely tuned skills of anticipation and observation, on the other hand, the photojournalistic coverage unearths more of the wedding day’s wonderful moments. By pairing both approaches, wedding photography is expanding its horizons, and the quality and character of wedding coverage is better today than at any time in the past.

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