Tangents

photography tutorials, reviews & workshops

tangents photography blog
learn : discuss : share
  • Tangents
  • Tutorials
    • Flash Photography
    • Wedding Photography
    • Studio Photography
    • Posing People
    • Understanding Your Camera
    • Exposure metering
    • BFT
    • Best Photo Books
  • Reviews
    • Sony
    • Nikon
    • Canon
    • Fuji
    • Profoto
    • lighting gear
  • Workshops
    • Info: Workshops
    • In-person
      tutoring sessions
    • Online
      tutoring sessions
    • Workshops in
      New Jersey (NJ)
    • Workshops in
      New York (NYC)
    • Photo walks in NYC
    • Studio Workshop
    • Video tutorials
    • Workshop results
  • Books
    • On-Camera Flash (revised ed.)
    • Direction & Quality of Light
    • Off-Camera Flash Photography
    • Lighting & Design
    • On-Camera Flash (1st ed.)
  • Projects
    • Two Perspectives
    • B&W Infrared
    • Vintage lenses
    • Time-lapse photography
  • Info
    • About
    • Contact
    • My Photo Gear
    • Books by NvN
    • Join us on Facebook
    • Acclaim
    • Success Stories

Using a video light for wedding portraits

October 11, 2010 Neil vN 8 Comments

Using a video light for wedding portraits

When possible during a lull in the wedding reception, I like to sneak the bride and groom away for a few minutes to do romantic portraits. Since time is usually tight, and the couple wants to enjoy as much of their reception as possible, I like to work efficiently. Jessica and Michael had their reception at a venue where I hadn't worked before, so during dinner time, I quickly went around the venue with my assistant, to scout a few places to photograph the couple. In the basement of this venue, I noticed the light shining through gates ...  Read more inside...

the moment after ‘the kiss’

October 11, 2010 Neil vN 10 Comments

favorite image from the weekend – the moment after the kiss

I'm normally in the center aisle when I work as a solo photographer at a wedding.  But with the wedding on Saturday, I knew I could trust my 2nd shooter to nail the photographs I needed.  This allowed me the opportunity to move around, looking for other angles. I was hoping that Lori-Ann would hug her husband, George, in the first seconds after The First Kiss. I was hoping to get her expression in that hug. She did hug him, but with her face over his other shoulder.  I had a 50% chance of guessing that right! So I didn't  Read more inside...

Photographing wedding portraits in bright sunlight

October 5, 2010 Neil vN 60 Comments

Photographing wedding portraits in bright sunlight

Hard sunlight overhead is some of the most difficult light that you can find yourself shooting in. When you aren't able to position your subjects, then your options are limited - fill-flash or working with the RAW file in post-processing. However, when you're able to move your subjects, but don't have the opportunity for off-camera lighting, then your best two options are: - have your subjects turn their backs to the sun, - use the light from the sun so that there are no harsh cross-shadows. Here are typical examples of  Read more inside...

fire performers … at a wedding

October 2, 2010 Neil vN 33 Comments

The bride and groom at last night's wedding are veteran burners - people who attend Burning Man - and several of their guests are fire performers. Later the evening during the reception, four of the guests showed their skill in juggling and dancing with fire.

Photographing fire performers

Photographing the fire performers, especially in such low light - i.e. near darkness - was a challenge.  A slow shutter speed to show the movement of the fire, would cause the performer to be completely blurred.  But a fast shutter speed would not show enough movement in the fire.  A fast shutter  Read more inside...

Wedding day portraits – Simplifying composition for effect

September 19, 2010 Neil vN 23 Comments

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:  Read more inside...

review: Litepanels MicroPro LED Video Light

September 13, 2010 Neil vN 31 Comments

review: Litepanels MicroPro LED On-Camera Light

I've been using the Lowel ID-Light whenever I wanted the specific effect that a video light gives when used for stills photography.  The not-so-gradual fall-off in the light's spread gives a dramatic quality to images. However, the Lowel ID-light can feel clumsy with the handle and battery pack that needs to be attached via the thick power cable. So I've been looking at various options to replace it ... or at least use at times that I need something compact and simple. Enter the Litepanels MicroPro LED video light (B&H) ...  Read more inside...

Portraits of the bride & bridesmaids – location and direction

September 7, 2010 Neil vN 19 Comments

Portraits of the bride and bridesmaids - location and direction

One of the series of photographs that I like to "have in my pocket" are the individual photos of the bride with each bridesmaid.  This is the kind of photograph you can hammer out very quickly, one after the other. The bride with a bridesmaid, hugging each other.  I always make time for this. One stumbling block might be a lack of place to do this.  But there is usually somewhere to do this, by isolating your subject with a long lens against an out-of-focus background. Still at the bride's house, we had a few minutes  Read more inside...

portraits of the bride – looking for the less obvious image

August 30, 2010 Neil vN 26 Comments

wedding photography - looking for the less obvious image

While waiting with the bride and her bridesmaids before the ceremony, their excitement made for good candid photos.  But, as ever, I was on the look-out for the less obvious photo. Trying to find something unexpected ...  Read more inside...

best lenses for wedding photography

August 18, 2010 Neil vN 69 Comments

wedding photography - best lenses

With this recent review of the Nikon 24mm f1.4 the question came up about which lenses I use when photographing a wedding, and how I use them. How do you juggle the various lenses you have for weddings and decide which ones to bring to a wedding and when to use them? Do you carry them all and just use them when you feel, or do only take specific lenses knowing what the wedding/venue will be like and know in advance that you will certain lenses at various times during the day? Choosing which lens to use while photographing a wedding, is obviously an  Read more inside...

favorite recent images – portraits of a bride

July 25, 2010 Neil vN 36 Comments

I frequently post a favorite image from the past weekend.  This time, I'd like to post a few images.  All are portraits of the bride, Denise, on her wedding day.  This might show some of my approach and style in wedding portraits ...  Read more inside...

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • Next Page »

categories

Articles & Tutorials

  • • About myself & this site
    • Books by Neil vN
    • Best photography books
    • Black foamie thing
    • Photographers’ success stories
  • • Flash Photography Techniques
    • Natural looking flash
    • Flash + Ambient light
    • Dragging the shutter
    • Bouncing your flash
    • On-camera flash outdoors
    • Exposure metering
    • Flash exposure compensation
    • Bounce flash examples
    • Which is the best flashgun?
    • Flash brackets
    • Off-camera flash photography
    • Flash photography basics
    • Using video lights
    • Flash photography tips
  • • Photography workshops NJ / NYC
    • Models @ photography workshops
tutorials:
flash photography
Photography
Workshops

All rights reserved. Copyright © Neil van Niekerk 2025 · Customization by The Traveling Designer

Copyright © 2025 · NvN on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in