When I first started as a wedding photographer, the biggest hurdle for me was feeling like I had a grasp over the entire day's time-line. For 8+ hours, you have to balance so many things - being creative, working with people, dealing with ever-changing environments and lighting situations, while still hitting every beat. You have to stay on top of things, and deliver the best images you can, as your clients expect of you. It felt over-whelming at the beginning, but eventually I found my stride - my own rhythm where I could more effortlessly do my work as a Read more inside...
An interesting conversation I had with another photographer a few years back, had a surprisingly energizing effect on him. At a get-together at one of the photo conventions we struck up a conversation, and he told me how as a newer photographer, he was completely intimidated by the magnificent images he sees on the best photographers' websites and on their FB pages. He felt he would never be able to match those.
My comment was that he doesn't have to match those at every wedding. What we are seeing are the cherry-picked "hero" shots. We Read more inside...
Wedding photography moments - Anticipation & being ready
Wedding photography has fortunately come a long way since the times when it was more portrait dominant. Now there's more emphasis on the story-telling aspect - the photojournalism - where the moments that happen as the day unfolds, gets rightful attention. Obviously this means you need to have a watchful eye, and be ready to respond. This also means you have to have your camera ready - appropriate settings, and an appropriate choice of lens. You have to be able to anticipate what is likely to happen where you are right Read more inside...
Bounce flash - Adjusting the black foamie thing to be a snoot
During the day, as I photograph a wedding, I am continually mixing up the lighting, adapting and adjusting. It's part of the process of giving my clients as much variety as possible, and also just being flexible in adapting to the demands of the various locations. It's therefore a varied approach in using all kinds of light sources: off-camera flash, on-camera flash, video light and available light. It's part of the fun, and part of the challenge of being a wedding photographer - thinking on your feet. Of course there's Read more inside...
Wedding photography - Dealing with the DJ's lights
As wedding reception venues and DJs are becoming more sophisticated in their lighting, there's now the added challenge of spotlights and lasers and other lighting effects that compete with the simplicity of just using flash.
So how do you deal with this? You just deal with this. One way or another.
You can either embrace the colors (as in the example above),
or you can use flash to neutralize some of the wild color casts.
Just how do you do that? Well, there's a little bit of homework at the end of this.
Very often, I Read more inside...
Wedding photography: Bounce flash "indoors" … in the limo
This is a reminder that when you have a high-contrast situation such as when photographing the bride and groom inside the limo - then using on-camera bounce flash is your easiest way to control the lighting. Simply bounce your flash behind you into the limo. Even with the dark interior and fittings inside a limo, enough light should spill back to lift the shadow detail.
The trick here of course is to expose correctly for the ambient light, if possible. With the camera settings then dictated by the ambient light coming Read more inside...
In taking these kinds of candid images, I set the camera so that there is enough light recorded on the test shots without flash. No real metering technique, but I judge by the LCD to see that there will be enough detail in the background. It is kinda the dragging the shutter technique, but not as specific perhaps. I just want some ambient light to register.
Then I simply use TTL flash to expose correctly for any subject which is turned away from the main source of ambient light - the window. Without flash, these kids' features Read more inside...
Photographing the wedding processional with extreme bounce flash
As mentioned in the article on photographing the wedding processional, in my opinion, the wedding processional in the church is likely the most challenging part of the day in terms of our technique. People are moving towards you - admittedly at slow pace, unless the bridesmaids are nervous. Then they can easily just zip right up to the front! The light levels are low, and the light is most likely uneven. Adding flash to this is a reliable way to get clean open light on your subjects, but bounce flash can be a bit of a Read more inside...
Wedding photography - Lighting large groups with a large light
Relating to the article positioning your flash for the wedding formals, where the family portraits and groups where photographed with a single umbrella and two speedlights, the question then inevitably comes up - what do you do when you need to photograph a large group of people.
The obvious answer is - you need a lot more juice! You either need to add more flashguns, or use a more powerful unit.
As a wedding photographer of Indian weddings, I know that I will be dealing with huge groups of people. And that means a Read more inside...
Podcast with Ed Verosky - Wedding photography tips
Over the weekend, Ed Verosky did an interview with me for his latest podcast.
The topic is wedding photography tips.
It's nearly half-an-hour of me motor-mouthing it on various wedding photography related items. Not only does it sound like I am in a rush, I sound serious too!
There is one "typo" that I picked up listening to it now. At one point I mention the "first 30 books" on photography. What I meant to say was, the basics covered in the first 30 pages of any good introductory book on photography. I'm sure there are other Read more inside...
