- afternoon
- almost kiss
- Artificial Light
- Back lit
- calm
- celebration
- Center Framed
- Close up
- Creative
- Fun
- holding each other
- intimate
- Intimate Framing
- Rim Light
- Rule of thirds
The story behind the image
But they finally did it! And this photo is the last one I took at the end of the day. It tells how happy and relieved they were after months of doubts. So relieved that she felt in the armchair with a long breath after the last guest departure.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
At first, the idea was to get a very posed shot in the armchair, in front of the tropical decor. So I asked the groom to sit in the chair, and I wanted the bride to sit on his side on the armrest. I had the idea of a “Mad Men” style picture. What was not planned is that the bride let herself fall down at the last shot.
What did you say?
To the groom: can you sit in the chair, face to me, very straight and serious?
To the bride: can you sit on the left armrest, slightly on your side, maybe with your legs crossed?
Composition
During the wedding day, this set up was used as a photo booth background. There were elements and people on the left and right. So I decided to shoot in portrait orientation to keep only the tropical elements in the frame. As at first, the idea was to get a very clean and posed shot, so I wanted the red chair and neon sign to be centered. They are strong elements with bright colors that needed to be seen. Putting them in the middle gives a direction to read the picture from bottom to top, or top to bottom.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I chose to focus on the groom’s face, as he was in the middle of my frame and he was static. I used single point autofocus using the viewfinder.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Grooms face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/125 @ f/f/1.6 ISO1000 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
We were inside a room with a glass roof and no windows on the sides. So my main light source was this super high natural light from the top. The only way to have their faces bright enough was to turn them towards the light.
Light Type
Artificial Light
Weather
Indoor
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I increased a little bit the exposure, to add brightness and make their skin “pop” a little more. I pushed the temperature a bit warmer, and desaturated the overall image to not be too vivid. I then moved the curve to get the shadows a bit darker and contrast and finally, I slightly changed the red tones to get a more orange tone that matches with the chair, the wooden wall and the lamp. I like to get no more than 3 different colors in a frame.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom CC
Preset Used
Personal Presets
Challenges
The main challenge was to be ready to capture the unexpected.
Solutions
Never take your eye off the camera right after you get your shot. When you’re saying to your subjet “ok we’re done”, there’s often a little extra, an expression, a move, a kiss, that can be interesting to capture.
Location
Location Name
Zazou
Location aDDRESS
10 rue desiree, 75020, Paris, France
Loation Type
Wedding / Event Venue
Country
France
Always have your camera on and ready to shoot. If your camera has the option, using the LiveView allows being even faster. That is the best way to capture those little things that are unexpected and really cool and natural.
