Wedding shoot 1

Over the last month I have been out on location shooting shooting various weddings. I have completed two weddings recently one on my own and the second one which I was the second photographer.

Detailed below are some accounts of the day's photography,planning,techniques and equipment used.

I was commissioned by a colleague of mine to be the second photographer at one of the weddings he was shooting recently.We met a few weeks previously to pre plan the shoot and discuss all of the  business side of things.I was paid an agreed fee for this work and wasn't paid by the hour


We me up a second time at the actual location of the wedding to get ourselves accustomed with the venue and to plan out shooting strategies and to check on lighting and exposures

I was given the brief  for the day by my colleague shown here below which listed all of the shooting requirements for the day 


These were the costs I incurred for the day's photography


Petrol costs                                        £10.00
Batteries for flash photography       £  5.00
Meals and drinks at the location     £14.00


I arrived at the wedding location a local golf club and hotel at 11am with all of my equipment ready for the day. I was using 2  cameras  on the day a Canon 5D3 and a Canon 7D I was given a client brief of what I was to photograph on the day by my colleague the main photographer

It is very important to have two cameras at the ready to record images on the day as you cannot allow for mistakes on an occasion like this. A backup camera is essential because if you loose all images on one camera at least you will have some images of the day on the other camera to use as a back up

I particularly used a Canon 5D for most of the closeup portrait shots as this is a full frame format camera which produces really fine detail on its images.This allows for large print enlargements or close crops of the photo to be made with out without hardly any noise evident. Using a full frame censor allowed more light into the camera which enabled me to shoot at lower light levels as opposed to using my other Canon 7D camera which is a CSC crop sensor

My brief was to photograph the groom and the best man as they arrived at the golf course as my colleage would be phtographing the bride getting ready at her own house. I phtographed the pair in a variety of different poses and locations

My brief also needed me to capture the happy couple coming back down the isle out of the reception once they were married and to capture the spirit and emotion of their happy faces


For both weddings I used the software "Photoshop and Bridge" to post process my images


I used Photoshop to manipulate,crop,resizemy images which are are enhanced using these techniques.
I used a vignette on some of the images which gives a slightly dated kind of feel to my images this technique works really well on monochrome images. Other techniques include adding more noise using the noise filters which are built into photoshop. I also use a soft sharpen type of technique using different layers in photoshop which creates a nice soft focus

I use bridge for a variety of reasons and this software has a multitude of different uses. This software's main purpose is a file management  viewer which allows you to catalogue sort batch and batch process images. It is a very useful piece of software. Bridge is actually built into Photoshop so you are getting two pieces of software for the price of one

Wedding photography styles research

Shown here are the main phtography styles that photographers use for their weddings. I would say that I possibly use the first 3


1. Photojournalism style – This style is completely candid and is more of a documentary way of shooting a wedding. Few (if any) photos are staged and everything is shot in the moment, where the photographer roams around the ceremony and reception and captures the event as it’s happening. This style is very in vogue and popular among couples.

2. Traditional posed photography – This is the style of photography that your parents probably used in which most photos are staged, with participants facing the camera and smiling or otherwise posing for the photos. This is akin to traditional portrait style and is sometimes used in combination with the photojournalism style.

3. Fashion-shoot style – For brides who can’t get enough of Vogue or Cosmo, this style is for you. It is a much more modern style of shooting, with different camera angles and closeups, fashion-forward poses, unique lighting and lots of finishing touches with photography image software.

4. Vintage contemporary – Vintage clothing is back in style, and thus the demand for vintage contemporary photography, which is often staged with vintage or throwback props and attire. In addition, photos can be given an antique treatment with photography studio software.

5. Pre-wedding photo shoots – Because the big day can get so jam-packed with events, sometimes it’s a better idea to get some of the photography out of the way early. Because of this, some couples are choosing to have a pohto session with their photographer a day or two before the wedding. This is an opportunity to get more causal photos of the couple as well as family members who have arrived for the wedding.

Wedding photography is an evolving field that requires artistic talent, vision, and highly technical expertise.
In the past wedding photography was almost always limited to stiff posses without much regard for the underlying story, emotion, romance, and behind the scene events of the wedding day.
Although there is still a big segment of the wedding industry that practices traditional photography with its preplanned poses, and recreation of the wedding peak events such as the kiss, the ring exchange, etc., the modern wedding couple demands a more contemporary approach to their wedding day.
Wedding photojournalism has been in vogue for the past decade. The central idea behind it has been the capture of the wedding events without any interference or direction from the wedding photographer. The photographer is there to capture the true essence of the wedding day. As a result of this realistic approach the photographs are a true representation of the wedding day. Hard core wedding journalistic will be totally opposed to posing any wedding related event. If it doesn't not happen during the wedding it won't be recorded. This includes family group photos.
Several photographers offer a hybrid approach to wedding photography, usually a combination of traditional and journalistic wedding photography. In this approach the photographer focuses on documenting the wedding day but the coverage also includes a session with the couple for formal posed or semi-posed photographs and also family group photos.
The latest trend in wedding photography is toward a more fashionable approach. Inspired on high-end fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, GQ, American Photo, etc., and wedding magazines the photographer seeks to make the couple's fantasies real. In the fashion wedding photography approach the goal is to make the wedding couple look their best. Their romantic interplay is glamorized to its maximum expression. The everyday couple becomes like wedding celebrities. Attention to detail is required to achieve the perfect look. This approach requires a great deal of artistic talent behind the camera and also great computer image editing skill to produce a unique photo. Half the photo is made on the camera with the second half achieved though digital image editing and manipulation.
Which style is best, is for you to decide. In our experience a big segment of the wedding couples want to capture the reality, details and romance of the wedding day but at the same time they have fantasies about their wedding and the way they should look.
When making a decision for a wedding photographer look closely to the photographer's portfolio and see how it agrees with your philosophy on how your wedding day should be photographed. Regardless of your philosophy please make sure that you select a master of the craft, you and the next generation deserve masterpiece memories of your wedding day.
Juan Carlos Torres is a very respected and awarded wedding photographer in Oregon. He has a Masters Degree in Remote Sensing with a strong background in digital image processing and photography. His wedding photographs are unique and very artistic and have been featured in national and international magazines. For a sample of his works please visithttp://www.juancarlosphoto.com and http://www.willamettephoto.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Evening ambient light shoot with Studio lights on location

I was asked by a local model to produce a set of images of herself modelling different clothes which she wants to use to help her to promote her business and modelling career

This was a dual purpose shoot with the model which encompassed combining fashion and product photography in one evening's work

She particularly wanted some really good promo images taking of the red dress she was wearing for use in marketing campaigns to push her business and gain awareness

These will be the last images shot on this course as I will be concentrating more on finishing off all my blogs which will include labeling,adding more content and  adding additional images I have already shot

Shown here are my latest images from the evening shoot shot locally with my model helen. This was a TFP shoot where we both benefited from the photography 

The images were shot with my new Lencarta Safari portable studio light system that I took out on location with me. This was an evening shoot and I had specifically planed this shoot at this time to capture the ambiance of the summer evening skies

The setup cost a me over a £1000 at the time and I thought am I doing the right thing spending this amount of money on a portable lighting setup. But yes I think I can safely justify the costs as I am starting to achieve some really good results which can be seen from some of the images below

The setup allows me to shoot up to 600 watts out on location and even at 200 watts the unit delivers over 2300 pops from a single charge,amazing. Having this amount of power enabled me to shoot even with bright sunny skies as I was able to counter balance the light intensity from the sun and overpower the daylight with my studio heads

I had to consider the health and safety of my model at all times. We had blankets on hand for my model to use between shots when posing as the eveing was getting a little chilly
My model was also using a step ladder in certain shots but I had a collegeue and lighting man on hand during the whole shoot who helped getting my model up and down the steps

I wanted to mix ambient light with a studio quality light out on location and this system allows me to achieve this. I shot and metered the images for the ambient light available then introduced power from the flash heads in increments until the desired effect was achieved. i wanted to use a second flash head as a rim light to light the models hair and side physique. I found I didn't need the second head as the sun did an excellent job for me which can be seen from the top image below 


I had planned this shoot for a long time and had to wait for the right day with the right weather and cloud formations to achieve the desired results. I used photoshop and Bridge to manipulate an embellish my final images chosen from about 200 shots.

The images are now being used in E-commerce and marketed on various websites,social media websites and also used in publicity materials for advertising and promotions
Shown here are some of the images from the shoot

I have slightly sharpened the images in photoshop and cloned out unwanted articles such as telegraph poles and pylons which were a distraction in the images

Shown below is an screen shot of an advert of my model Helen advertising her services on the modelling agency website Purpleport using my images

I will be using a lot of the images produced on this shoot for my own continuing marketing plan which I use to sell my services and products. These will be included on  my website,blogs and printed media to push and advertise my business to greater levels

Shown below are some of the images I used for research and ideas which were copied fron the Internet

Jordan Model shoot

 (Jordan) Male Model Shoot

Under construction

I was commissioned by a work colleague to photograph a relation of her family who has the potential and ambition and to become a male model. Jordan a 13 year old teenager shown here in the college studio is a trendy 13 year old guy with the good looks and the confidence to possibly make some money out of a modelling career.

I used the college Photography studio to produce the images and I worked to a brief which was to produce a set of images which would be good enough to send to model agencies and catalogue companies that require male models on their books

I was given a brief to photograph Jordan in a variety of different outfits ranging from football kits to casual wear in a variety of different poses 

I researched a variety of different model poses which I new would suit a 13 year old teenager,some of these are shown here below:

I used a variety of different lenses for the assignment but the main ones were a Canon 24-105 F4  L series and a Canon 50mm 1.4 usm

Jordan was very nervous at the beginning of the shoot and he found it hard to achieve certain poses which were required in the brief. I new I had to bond with him to form a repour and gain his confidence which would enable him to relax and feel at ease. I find chatting and joking with my subjects helps them to relax and feel at ease. After 20 mins or so behind the camera Jordan started to come out of his shell and I and eventually got the shots I was looking for. 

Shown on this blog are a few images from the shoot which I am quite pleased with. I used the combination of 4 Bowens studio heads with a combination of various soft boxes and beauty dishes to manipulate my lighting setups

I was trying to achieve a type of Butterfly/Paramount lighting which eliminates any shadows on the models face

I used a main modelling light with a soft defuser and a secondary soft box light under construction

Shown here is my studio setup.

The eyes of any portrait are the heart of the image and these have to be pin sharp. If you can include catchlights all the better. I deliberately included catchlights in Jordans eyes when I shot my images, adding catchlights to a subjects eyes gives them a sparkle which makes them stand out from the rest of the image


I used 1 single Af point through my camera view finder,this allowed me to position my focal point on the most critical point of the the image the eye

It's important to form a good rep

our with your subject and to gain their confidence
,showing the recorded images juring playback to my model helps to booste their confidence

Bec's Yorkshire Wedding

I was asked by Rebecca, a close friend of mine and photographer to be the second photographer for the day at one of her friend's wedding up in Selby, North Yorkshire

I was hired for the day for the shoot  and was paid a nice fee up front for my services

I consider myself to be a good organiser, so had arranged with Rebecca to check out the venues earlier in the day. I pre planned lighting, positioning, weather conditions and checked out all equipment ready for the shooting at 1pm. These checks and precautions are all paramount as to avoid any complications later at the actual wedding.

I checked out the venue of the church well before I arrived in Yorkshire on "Google Maps" on the internet which gave me a good view of the church. From this information I was able to work out certain lighting conditions  and the position of the sun at 1pm on this particular day. I also used  the"street view" in Google which enables you to view and travel along streets and roads which enabled me to build up a picture of the wedding venue

Shown here above is one of my first mistakes, "a one legged best man", even though I was quite pleased with the majority of the results these are just some of the errors that sometimes you don't see in your images. This error was pointed out to me by another photographer, I think it's always best to let another photographer view your work to eliviate these mistakes before print or publication

I was given a brief and shooting list by Rebecca of her requirements for the day which are 

shown detailed below:

Steve to photograph:

The groom and best man:

Getting ready at home

With the wedding car

Arriving at the church

The Church:

Church interior and exterior

Friends arriving at church

The bride and bridesmaids arriving at church

The bride and groom exiting the church

Flowers in the church

The wedding reception venue:

Bride and groom arriving in the wedding car

Groups seated at there tables

Flowers and decorated tables

Cutting of the cake

The first dance

Candid shots of all wedding guests throughout the day

Rebecca to photograph:

Rebecca was to take all of the formal shots of the wedding where the majority  were taken at the  reception venue.The reception had some immaculate gardens which  was the ideal location for the photography

This was my first wedding and what a challenge it was. A red hot day (26C) in brilliant sunshine.One minute full sun a few seconds later full cloud the meter was up and down like a yoyo. We were shooting from 10 in the morning until 9 at night

I used 2 camera's on the day a Canon 7D with a F2.8-17-55 wide angle zoom for most of the shots and a Canon 5D with a F4-70-200 zoom for the close ups. It is absolutely vital that you have at least 2 cameras prepared and ready to shoot on the day

Most of the shots were taken flash using ETTL,adjusting Flash Exposure Compensation to banish the those nasty shadows.

I made a whole lot of mistakes on the day but found this to be a great learning curve. On my next wedding I will be well aware of all the mistakes I made and hopefully produce some much better photography and rectify the things I got wrong

Techniques

Detailed below are some of the techniques that I used on the day to produce the photography

Fillin Flash

The shots above were all taken using fill in flash as the sun was at it's highest point of the day when the wedding started. The harsh sun light above created very harsh shadows underneath people's faces. To rectify this problem I added a small amount of fill in flash to the photo's to take away the shadows from the faces, I used only a small amount of flash, any more would have started to "wash out" the images

I metered first for the ambient light hitting the camera, then slightly underexposed for the shot. Adding a small amount of flash to the under exposed images balances up the light to produce the correct type of exposure

Available Light

The shot below was taken using available light that was streaming through the church windows

I was positioned on a rear balcony at the back of the church. I used a Canod 5D mk11 with a 70-200 L series F4 lens to record the shot. The camera was mounted on a sturdy tripod and I used the largest aperture on the lens which enabled me to let in the maximum amount of light available and to use quite a fast shutter speed to prevent any blurring of the image. Shown below is some of the meta data of the shot captured in photoshop.    

I decided to add another dimension to some of my images by adding a photography technique called  "Coulour Popping", this is a technique that I use regularly in Photoshop. The technique involves making a stack of various layers which are then masked to reveal various colours which are exposed from the underlying layers by removing parts of the mask and letting the colour "pop" through

Another technique that I added to some of the images was "Vignetting", an occurrence that is evident on some photo's which produce a dark encroachment on the edges of an image. This is produced as the light of the image falls off towards hedge of the photo

This is normally attributed to using cheap lenes or tele photo zoom lenses that obstruct the field of view which produce the dark edges unsightly edges on images

However, this type of obstruction on the image can be used creatively to produce a dark atmospheric ambience, when used wisely this produces an added dimension to various images. I have applied a small amount of vignetting to the image above together with some dodging and burning

Taken with ambient light F8 1/125 sec 800 ISO

Shown here are some of the other images of the day. The wedding couple requested a selection of various candid shots of the wedding which would depict the happiness and ambience of their special day