Lighting is your Key to Success
For years and years, the mantra among photographers was “F8 and be there” meaning pick the sharpest point on the lens and be in the right place at the right time. F8 was a reasonably safe f-stop to capture the subject in sharp focus, covering the inadequacies of the days auto focus and our own eyesight. Without today’s high speed sync, it was more like “F16 and be there”
Now, things have improved dramatically. Auto focus is much more accurate, modern lenses are sharper at wider apertures, and high speed sync allows us to pick the aperture we want, instead of what we were forced to.
What I have noticed in the industry is people are generating more and more captures on the wedding day, but we are losing many of the reasons professionals were hired to begin with. What is sorely missing is the quality of light in the images. Many photographers can produce excellent images on perfect days at perfect time of day. But true professionals have the know how to make quality images in any situation. That is why having a strong battery powered strobe is essential to battle the sun if the need arises.
I see photographers using on camera flash (or no flash at all), and there are times for both on the wedding day, Now, I do (Usually) use a weak flash to fill in shadows, but I combine that flash with other strobes off camera. I strive to make each and every bride look fantastic in the venue at hand.
Let’s discuss the bride’s dress. Often its covered with exquisite detail and beadwork. The bride may have spent the equivalent of a new car on the dress, and we don’t want to capture it with FLAT LIGHTING. My mentor Monte Zucker, drilled into his students head’s – Body turned away from the light, head back towards the light.—In short, show detail in the dress and flatter the face as well. There are times when the rule is made to be broken, but learn those rules before you start shooting weddings.
If you are shooting on a cloudy day, or the light is wrong for the background, off camera flash on a light stand is the answer much of the time. The size of modifier will depend on the distance the strobe is from the bride, and the wind. Sometimes the wind will preclude using any modifier at all. If this happens, placement of the main light becomes critical. Generally, the position of the flash is 45 degrees off the side of the bride, with light height is slightly above her eyes. To make sure the bride stands out from her surroundings, I often have a small flash (AD200 pro) behind the bride to help separate her from the background set of the veil light is 6 feet behind the subject. I use all Godox strobes now because I can change power and also turn off and on flashes from camera position, which is a Godsend. I have the Nikon D850 and used the 24-70 2.8 and the 70-200 2.8 for this shoot. I carry 3 camera bodies, multiple lenses and 5 Godox flashes to just about every wedding. Get your exposure right in camera, and photograph in RAW mode because weddings are crazy sometimes!
The first shot is in front of college hall at New College in Sarasota Florida. I chose the front of the building because it faces East, and the sun was behind the building. The session was at 5pm. She had two different dresses to try on, so we had to work quickly. Photo 1 is in profile position, so my Godox AD600 Pro was coming into her face placed slightly behind her to create a short-lit pattern. A veil light Godox AD200 pro was used behind her. She is quite short so main light was adjusted to a lower height than normal. Camera height was waist level. Exposure was f4 at 1/1000 second. Pose #2 was chosen because of the depth of the background, and the bride is still not hit by the sun. The fact that the area I placed Crystal in is about 1 and 1/2 stops darker than the background, This situation is perfect because it lets me add lighting without darkening the background. I placed the main light through an arch having her body turned away from the light to show detail and her head turned back towards the light. towards the Main strobe. In a different situation with no shade, I would turn the bride away from the sun and use HSS with a powerful strobe (Like pose 3)
The last shot was not planned, but the light in the sky beckoned me. To produce the effect I wanted. The sky needed to be underexposed by quite a bit and my Godox AD600 was turned to maximum power. To make sure the sky was exposed the way I envisioned, I had to expose the image at f6 at 1/2000 of a second. Also, I removed the umbrella and turned the strobe for direct light on her face. Always remember to lean her body and face to the camera to avoid shooting up her nose. To be honest, It is not comfortable for the bride, and she will feel awkward, but the results are worth it.
A huge problem with the stigma of being a “Professional” photographer is that we consume their day taking photographs. That is why you need to plan as much as possible and be comfortable with your gear. Take the time to do it right, but don’t WASTE the bride’s time. Every wedding is different but keep the formal portrait session short as possible.
Nowadays I choose the aperture for the image on how soft I want the background. Many backgrounds NEED to go out of focus because of the number of distracting elements, but just as many “Tell a story and need to be in focus” I select the aperture first and adjust the rest accordingly. There are times when everything comes together perfectly and no flash is needed, but a professional needs to be prepared for everything! I challenge you to bring out the detail in the dress that the bride paid for! The results will give you higher quality weddings. The industry is changing by the minute, but good lighting and posing will always be in style, and don’t forget to get the expression! A perfectly lit and posed shot does nothing for the bride if she isn’t happy!! Posed pics are just a small portion of the wedding day coverage but strive to make those shots the best possible in a timely manner., She will thank you for it in spades. Study the masters that cared about te lighting and the pose, like David Ziser, Monte Zucker, and modern masters like Clay Blackmore. Learn their techniques and add it to what you are already doing. Be able to produce quality images in ANY situation.
He holds the Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees from PPA, as well as a host of other degrees from Florida, Tennessee, and WPPI. He is a Past President of Florida and Tennessee Professional Photographers.
He is a student of the late Monte Zucker as well as other photographers who has shaped his career. He currently operates Gordon Images in Palmetto Florida.
View his work at GordonImages.com
- Lighting is your Key to Success - August 5, 2023
