![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Francesca-Stephan-1232-900.jpg\")
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The processional is technically probably the most difficult part of a wedding to shoot and get right. Light levels are low in cavernous churches, while people are walking towards you. Getting enough light on them, and<\/strong> having that light look good, as well as getting the image sharp .. that’s a tall order.<\/p>\n In the photo at the top, the adorable flower girl\u00a0 just had to stop and check in with dad half-way down the aisle. I use on-camera flash to photograph the wedding processional. I always try to find a way to bounce the flash so that the light is soft and flattering. I want the\u00a0flash to enhance the available light.\u00a0I nearly always\u00a0gel the\u00a0flash for incandescent\u00a0lighting indoors<\/a>\u00a0to make the flash not be as obvious.\u00a0 This way I am adding tungsten light to the tungsten light and the flash therefore blends more easily with the prevailing light.<\/p>\n I find my settings so that the available light is about 1 stop (or a little more) under-exposed, and then bounce flash behind me into the church .. but still making sure I have a useful shutter speed.\u00a0 By the way: \u00a01\/60th isn’t necessarily a useful starting point<\/a>.<\/p>\n This does mean cranking up the ISO considerably … I’m often somewhere between 1600-3200 ISO, at wide apertures.\u00a0Therefore a high-ISO capable camera \u00a0is essential for me to work in what\u00a0is usually under-lit scenarios.<\/p>\n I really really really try my best to stay away from using a diffuser cup of any kind, since this most often just makes for ugly flash photos.\u00a0 But sometimes when the church is simply\u00a0too large, or has wooden paneling, then I am forced to accept that compromise.<\/p>\n Here are a few more examples:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below is the image from my second photographer on that wedding, where you can see me at the very edge of the frame. Well, not quite me, but The Black Foamie Thing<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0the flash modifier I still prefer to use with processionals.\u00a0Even though it isn’t an efficient use of the light from the flashgun, I want\u00a0“pretty light” instead of volumes of light from my flashgun.<\/p>\n By bouncing flash into these large places, I use a battery pack to make sure the flash recycles fast enough.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This technique would obviously also work for the second processional. Apparently that is the correct phrase: “second processional”. Not the\u00a0 “recessional”, as I was once corrected by a priest when I talked about the recessional. It’s the second processional.\u00a0Now you know.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ideal is to have a photo of the groom’s expression as the bride comes down the aisle. So do swing around at some point to grab a shot of the groom watching his bride walk towards him.<\/p>\n Just to make sure I have this type of photograph, I do take a shot or two\u00a0the groom just before<\/strong> the bride comes down the aisle. You have such a limited time-frame, and you could be up against wedding guests stepping into the aisle<\/a>, or family members with iPads, that it is too unpredictable to rely purely on the authentic moment happening for your camera.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So there is my approach to photographing the processional.\u00a0 No specific settings that I could advise to be used, but rather a range of settings.\u00a0 I really much more prefer a natural look to the lighting, but\u00a0with the light being “open” rather than the top-heavy light you usually find in a church.\u00a0 I therefore use my flash to augment the light in the church .. and for that, I need high ISOs and wide apertures and a sensible shutter speed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n[\u00a0 1\/80th @ f4 @ 1600 ISO\u00a0 \/\/\u00a0 Nikon SB-900, Nikon D3,\u00a0\u00a0Nikon 24-70mm f2.8\u00a0 ]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Jane-Graham-0303-900.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Jenn-Chris-0896.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Dana-Chris-1960-900.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Dana-Chris-1957m.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhotographing the second processional<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Dana-Chris-2253-900.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Tara-Rob-1814-900.jpg\")
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Photographing the groom’s reaction<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Megan-Brendan-1073-900.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/images\/weddings\/Megan-Brendan-0973-900.jpg\")
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<\/div>\nSummary<\/h2>\n
Related articles<\/h2>\n
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