- calm
- Mountains
- Walking towards Camera
- Walking
- Trees
- Same Sex
- road
- Natural
- Light edit
- Center Framed
- LGBGT
- lesbian
- Leading lines
- holding hands
- hazy sky
- hazy
- clean
- Wide
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I am a huge fan of giving prompts instead of posing. I like my clients to move naturally within their environment and with each other. I think these images feel more genuine and less “posed” but still are directive for those that feel like they aren’t sure what to do in front of the camera. I asked Amy and Brittany to clasp hands and walk towards me while looking at each other. While it isn’t the most creative prompt, I think it creates an image with a physical connection (with the hands) as well as emotional (as they lock eyes). Often times this prompt will lead to real emotion on clients’ faces, which as wedding photographers is what we live for.
What did you say?
Okay guys, walk towards me and hold your hands. While walking, see if you can hold eye contact with each other.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I originally was planning on shooting this image on my 85 for the compression it would provide with the Half Dome in the background. As soon as we got on location I realized I wanted to incorporate the massive trees lining the road. I really like how they naturally framed the rock formation in the background, as well as the clients in the center of the frame. It also allowed me to include a bit of the road on the left, which I feel draws the viewer around the bend, past the background, and directly to the subject.
framing
Lower Thirds
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
This image is pretty straightforward. I Chose the clients as the main focal point. I knew that since I was shooting at around 40mm I would be able to incorporate the background without losing too much detail.
Focus Mode
Continuous Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The clients
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/1250 @ f/2.0 ISO400 WB-Cloudy
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
This location is typically shot at sunrise. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to be there due to the client’s schedule, so we ended up going up right before sunset. I was hoping for some hues on Half Dome, but the California wildfires had created a haze that stopped most sunset light from making it to the rock face. We were left with ambient light from the sky, making for a very flat image.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Afternoon
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I edited the image with basic color grading and the HSL panel in Lightroom. I like to keep my images pretty true to the color (minus a small shift in greens) as I want them to stand the test of time. I added a radial filter and a bit of dodging/burning to bring the focal point a bit more to the clients/road and also to bring out Half Dome a bit in the background.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Personal Presets
Challenges
The biggest challenge was the haze from wildfires. This created a very flat lighting situation, which made editing a bit more challenging.
Solutions
Using a brush and dehaze in lightroom, I was able to bring back some depth to the photograph while still maintaining a natural feel.
Location
Location Name
Yosemite National Park
Location aDDRESS
Glacier Point Rd, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389
Loation Type
Mountains
Country
United States
Creating images that hold special meaning to clients is one of the most rewarding things about photography. While this location wasn’t on our original shot list, just by making a quick pit stop we captured something that they will cherish forever.
