- Back lit
- calm
- Center Framed
- holding each other
- Mid range
- Natural Light
- Posed
- Rim Light
- Rule of thirds
- Soft Light
- sunny
- Sunset
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
At first, they were both looking away, but I thought it didn’t represent the tenderness I could see in their relationship. So I walked one step closer to them to get a feeling of intimacy, and by simply asking them to be even closer, especially their faces, Kelly then naturally grabbed Leila’s face.
What did you say?
Girls, I really would love to have your faces very close, so close that you can touch each other softly.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
It was all about focusing on them. So I decided to have them equal in the frame, in the middle, and very close. I moved them a little bit so the sun wasn’t between them but on the side. By using this technique I still have enough sun, but the light is creating a haze which adds to the overall mood of the image.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I bent down a little bit to get more sky and fewer bushes in the background. Using the viewfinder, the focus was on the right bride because I always try to focus on the eyes. But since the two brides are on the same line, they’re both in focus. Continuous autofocus mode helps to focus on the point even more if the subject is moving a bit.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The face on the right
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/1250 @ f/f/1.4 ISO160 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
I placed the couple to get the light slightly on their sides. By doing this, it created a softer light on their faces. It allows getting a graduated highlight (instead of one bright point) and more details in the shadows while keeping a good amount of contrast. Direct back light in the middle would have been too strong and probably too difficult to get the focus.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Sunset
Weather
Sunny
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I do like warm tones. To accentuate the sunset mood, I’ve raised the temperature and tweaked down the oranges to balance the skin tones. I reduced the highlights and whites a bit, and played with the curve to get more contrast in the black.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom CC
Preset Used
Own personal Presets
Challenges
As the scenery in the background was amazing, it would have been easy to always stay further back, and have a lot of wide amazing landscape images.
Solutions
I moved a lot, forcing myself to get wide, medium, and very close shots at all the spots we stopped at.
Location
Location Name
Parc national des Calanques
Location aDDRESS
Parc national des Calanques, Marseille, France
Loation Type
Mountains
Country
France
The lighting condition is the only thing we can’t control. It can be too harsh, too dark, too grey, or too orange. Don’t panic, and don’t be afraid to test different angles for your camera (lower, upper…), but also to move your subject in relation to the sun until you find the most flattering light. Also, having a mini reflector in your bag (some fits in a pocket when rolled), can really help to create shadows or ring light when needed.
