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Wedding portrait ideas

February 20, 2019 Neil vN 9 Comments

Wedding portrait ideas

The part of photographing the wedding day that I enjoy the most, is the romantic portraits. I believe this is where photographers are more able to assert a style. Especially in comparison to photographing the ceremony as an example, where you have to record the proceedings, as they are presented. Sure, the final result would depend on composition and timing - all crucial elements. But there isn't a way for the photographer to really influence the look of the ceremony photos as compared to what is possible in photographing the wedding portraits, and specifically  Read more inside...

Bounce flash photography and dark ceilings

May 21, 2018 Neil vN 32 Comments

Bounce flash photography and dark ceilings

With the tutorials here on how to bounce flash, the questions inevitably come up - what if there is nothing to bounce your flash off? What if there are dark ceilings? Well, these limitations do affect how I use flash at events - but I still work according to a few set guidelines that give me the best results with bounce flash. I bounce my flash into the direction that I want to come from, regardless of whether there is a white wall or ceiling. It really is all about the Direction of Light. I also shy away from using any of the  Read more inside...

One Perfect Moment – wedding photography

April 18, 2018 Neil vN 2 Comments

One Perfect Moment - wedding photography

I have opinions. This time, wedding photography. Greg Riccardi, one of the top wedding and event videographers in north Jersey, asked me a few questions in this interview - my start in photography, as well as what a bride and groom should look for in wedding photographers. He also asked me about trends I may have noticed in wedding photography. My business name is One Perfect Moment for specific reasons. The name is derived from Henri-Cartier Bresson's ideal of the decisive moment. That slice of time when everything just comes together  Read more inside...

Wedding photography – Style & Serendipity

January 1, 2018 Neil vN 6 Comments

Wedding photography - Style & Serendipity

There's this balance I feel I need to maintain in my professional photography, and especially with weddings. The photos I take, need to solidly be within the style that I show on my website - this is what my clients hired me for. On top of that though, there is the urge within as an artist, and as an obligation to my clients, to produce more. To deliver photos with a little extra. Something slightly different. I want to expand what I do, and expand on my style and 'look'. So with every shoot and every wedding, I'm always looking for  Read more inside...

Lighting styles in wedding photography

September 1, 2017 Neil vN 7 Comments

Lighting styles in wedding photography

Two interesting questions came up in the Tangents FB group - both posted by Matthew Ciscart, one of the regulars: The first question was whether a client had ever asked for a specific lighting? Such, hard light, soft light, natural, or ocf?  The other question was whether any of the photographers had a specific go-to style of using lighting. That one thing they do. My reply to this, relating it to lighting styles in wedding photography, was I haven't had a client ask for any specific lighting. However, I do believe my website shows a  Read more inside...

Bounce flash and choice of background & backlighting

August 8, 2017 Neil vN 16 Comments

Bounce flash and choice of background + backlighting

This is where style and technique intersect - the choice of how to use flash (or any other kind of additional lighting) at wedding receptions. Many photographers prefer the crisp look of multiple off-camera flash setups at wedding receptions. While I do think some of the photos look incredible, I am not convinced that the success rate is all that high. Hot spots in the background, and weird cross-shadows will mar many of the photos. My preference has always been for the predictability and flexibility of using on-camera bounce  Read more inside...

Using grids with flash for a spot of light

March 10, 2017 Neil vN 4 Comments

Using grids with flash for a spot of light

My preference is for softer, flattering light. When I use off-camera flash, I really try to use a softbox if at all feasible. It's easier to use in that you have leeway in how your subject is posed.  For with a smaller, harder light source, you have to be much more specific about posing. A bigger light source is therefore easier to work with when you shoot fast - such as at a wedding. But there are times when you just want to light up a portion of the scene, or want to specifically light your subjects. The photo above is an example. I am  Read more inside...

Which direction to bounce on-camera flash?

January 20, 2017 Neil vN 12 Comments

Which direction to bounce on-camera flash?

When photographing any kind of portrait with on-camera bounce flash, my main consideration is that I want flattering light. For example, this photo of the bride dancing with her dad, I want flattering light to illuminate her face. It should be obvious that I decided to bounce the flash towards camera-right, so that the light comes in from that direction. I don't want to light up the side of her head. I want to light up her face. This means that as the couple rotate, I will continually adjust the direction that I bounce my flash into. This  Read more inside...

Dynamic off-camera flash – New York elopement wedding

January 1, 2017 Neil vN 12 Comments

Dynamic off-camera flash - New York elopement wedding

This photo is my favorite taken during Ruth & Philip's New York elopement wedding in Central Park. The genuine affection between them as the couple hugged their children closer during the ceremony in the park. The essential element in photographing weddings is to capture the revealing moments and all the important points of the event. As a photographer, you can't skip a beat. That's a given. What you add to that in terms of composition and choice of lenses, and how you use light, (as well as post-processing), will define  Read more inside...

Romantic wedding portraits with incandescent light

December 11, 2016 Neil vN 8 Comments

Romantic wedding portraits with the modeling light from a flash

Defining your style in wedding photography is, for me, as much about the way you use light and lighting, as it is about composition and posing, and timing. All the facets have to come together, continually through the day to create a successful and representative view of the wedding day. When it comes to the romantic portraits of the couple, posing and lighting are inter-twined. You can't think of them as separate things. With the way I use light, I don't want to be fixed with one specific way of doing it - the style  Read more inside...

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