Working with light part I

Here is Rebecca. Her wedding was in Lynchburg and I don't get down that way too often. Upon arrival I was faced with a challenge. She was getting ready in what appeared to be a sunday school room, chalkboards, school desks, a piano and one window. It was time to get creative and fast. Now I am a strong supporter of natural light and minimal flash or strobe lighting. I had two options. Strap on the flash and just take pictures that would be basic and photojournalistic or find a way to use the available light and take the images to a different level, perhaps a more artistic level of photojournalism. I love windows and I think they add great highlights to photos so I instructed my subjects to use the area next to the window as much as possible. I used the light from the window to light the whole scene, capture silhouettes, and get artistic. I had to shoot around 400 ISO at 2.8 for almost every shot and hold the camera super steady. Bracketing shots that looked good and using a lot of my spot meter to get the exposure I was looking for. Photographing the whole session before the wedding was basically consistent adaptation to the light and the subjects. The result is photojournalistic and artistic images I really like. These images are expressive a moody. For finishing touches I add a little vignette and increase the contrast a bit. Overall the images in my opinion came out better than if I has just blasted them with my flash, bounce or no bounce.

Rebecca also had a great idea. She found a picture she liked where the bride and groom were holding up "thank you" signs. and when we met to discuss her wedding she asked if I would be willing to get something similar. She planned on using the pictures to make what else but thank you cards. I think the idea is great and the image came out perfect. This is a good example of a bride telling me exactly what she has always dreamed of in wedding photographs and in the end getting exactly what she had hoped for simply because I took the time to get to know her and incorporate the style of my client in the commission.