Wedding day portraits – Simplifying composition for effect
With this article I want to reinforce the idea from a few recent posts about being very specific about your composition. By simplifying the image, we have greater impact. We include only what we need to include in the frame to enhance it. Just as important, is what we exclude:
That is the pull-back shot. To my left were apartment buildings and the walkway along the Hudson river waterfront. To my right was the reception venue and chairs and the outdoor bar area. All visual clutter. If I had turned around, I would be facing the magnificent Manhattan skyline, but the sunlight was brutal at this time. Harsh. There would be no way to pose the bride, Jaime, and her bridesmaids without people squinting and being uncomfortable.
Foregoing the grand vista of New York as a backdrop, I was frantically looking for something – anything – to work as a simple background. Similar to this recent article, where I described how I shot tight with a longer lens, I decided to use the same approach here again. That pullback shot shows the wall and hilltop and buildings in the background. By shooting tight with a longer lens, I could be specific about what I included in the frame.
Better yet, in exposing correctly for the bride, the background would blow out completely. She would be rim-lit by the sun behind her. That creates separation from the already out-of-focus and over-exposed background. Now the background actually works for us. The light falling on her face now, is open shade. Clean open light. Now all we need to do is direct our subject, whether a bride or a model or family member.
settings: 1/400 @ f4 @ 200 ISO … with on-camera TTL fill-flash.
The point that I want to stress here, is that this approach simple but always an effective approach when photographing in bright sunlight. If I’m in trouble like this in terms of finding a suitable background, and I’m working in harsh sunlight, then this method is always a good way to get solid results quickly.
Related articles
- Simplifying composition with a fast telephoto zoom
- Bride and bridesmaids – finding a nice background
Hi Neil
what FEC did you used in this particular case ?
Thnx
This is a good demonstration of seeing through the clutter and finding good backgrounds. I can just see a bridesmaid standing next to you saying “Why are you doing it here?” One of my favourite parts of wedding photography is using creativity to find backgrounds where none seemingly exist.
Did you use a tripod or were your shots handheld?
Definitely a useful tip. Those tele-zooms are super useful when you are limited to an ugly parking lot or something. Speaking from experience ;-)
Neil
This is excellent post. I love the rim lighting effect and the way the bride is posed. Looking at your camera specs, i see that you were using a TTL fill flash with a camera shutter speed of 1/400 of a second. Does that mean you were at FP synch?
– Suresh
Thanks for reply and it makes perfect sense. I love your style of sharing your thought process and picture taking. I am a big fan of your site and almost visit your site 10 times a day. Thank you!
I also like the way you provide reference links to your previous post in your current post. this is very helpful.
I have a question, is there a way to access your old posts (search/index)? For example the links you provided in the current post, how can we search for it or look at it with an index or search?
Suresh, there is a search button in the blue column on the right.
On another article you chose to use an ND filter instead of going into high speed sync. There’s also the alternative of going to ISO100 (Lo whatever). ISO100 could further help to blow up the background even more, though I don’t know if it’ll also blow up the dress. How do you decide which of these three approaches work in each scenario?
Im reading and loving your blog since yesterday!Its great and you are very generous to share yor knowledge in photography. Can you tell me what kind of focus ajustments you use in receptions and weddings ceremonies? Is it manual or some AF? I didnt find anything about it yet in your blog.
Thank you!
This is the exact reason I just purchased the new Nikon 70-200 and added it to my lineup… I was shooting weddings with a 24-70, and if I needed to really throw take out the background I was using my 50 at a very fast f-stop… I know many wedding shooters who just use 1.4 or 1.8 as a modus operandi on their primes but even then the 70-200 produces an altogether different result of magnifying the background behind the subject the other lenses can’t produce regardless of how wide open and fast you shoot them… anything longer than 85 becomes really invaluable for isolation.. Just my thoughts..
Fistly thank you you post, it’s my favorite blog to use flash photogrpahy.
I would like to know, what king of Pocketwizard you use in TTL?
Is pocket wizard plus II or Pocketwizard flex TT5 to controle the high speed syncro wiht flash exposer compensation?
Thank for your knowledge.
Marius
Can you explain the concept of “open shade”? Is it just putting your subject into the shade, or is there more to it?
Thanks!
Hi Neil, great image!
I just returned from a weekend Geneva, Switserland. And you really had me going there, because I thought with a little bit of imagination, your model actually was in front of that lake (white fence) surrounded by the mountains (trees).
Pure. Awesome.
Hi Neil,
Fantastic creativity under pressure.
Did you use a softbox for this shot?