I usually tend to be discreet and talk very gently with the couple in order to make them more comfortable. Then I let everything happen naturally. The couple was great and acted naturally, which made this so much more special. At this very moment, Erik was looking at the vines and Carlos was feeling a moment of affection toward Erik. It was a special moment because this couple easily forgot that they were being photographed. And it is so good when this happens
Guys, it’s a beautiful day in a beautiful place – just enjoy this moment together and take it all in.
Calm
I initially photographed the couple from a distance as they walked through the vineyards to capture all the beauty of the place. Then to finish off we did some more intimate shots. In this photo, I had to frame them in the corner to avoid some electricity cables that were just above us as to avoid it being in the frame. Later while editing, I refined the crop to have them in the middle bringing the attention straight to the couple, their moment and their emotion.
Center Framed
I am a viewfinder guy. I rarely use live view. I used single-point focus on their face. I was shooting in backlight but fortunately, I didn’t have any difficulty in focusing.
Single Shot Autofocus
Single Point
First groom face
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.
Since I had already taken a bunch of shots of my couple in this environment, I felt that I could experiment with something more challenging. That’s why I decided to have the sun behind them and shoot backlit. Normally this can be quite difficult but the flare that it created was worth it. I also found this piece of acrylic on the ground and placed it around the lens of the camera which helped to create this beautiful haze effect.
Natural Light
Afternoon
Cloudy
I just applied my preset and adjusted the exposure and warmed up the white balance. I adjusted the orange tones a bit for healthier skin and I cropped to center the couple.
The challenge here was to make the acrylic work the way I had in mind. I made a few attempts until I got what I wanted.
I rotated the acrylic and directed it towards the sunlight until I got the effect I wanted. All in all, just trial and error.
Quinta Branca
Quinta Branca N313 Lamego, Portugal
Vineyard
Portugal
Sometimes if you try to be creative and think outside the box, even in a normal situation you can do something different and with a lot of impact. This photo that I created in a test manner turned out to be one of the couple’s favorites and one of my favorite photos from last year’s editions! I made a large print so I could see the grain from a distance and it turned out amazing.
Don’t be afraid to push your camera to it’s limits, especially if you have your safe shots. And if you want to have even more control with your compositions, shoot a bit wider and crop closer while you’re editing.
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