BK09012023 – How I shot This

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Photographed by Bernadeta Kupiec

Before
the Shoot

Location Equipment

I’m fascinated by movement, so when I saw Frankie’s dress, I knew it would move wonderfully with every step. The trees around the track created a natural setting. I’m still playing with shutter and learning it. You have to be careful with the settings, but that’s the fun of shooting with slow shutter speeds. I always end up taking too many photos when I play with slow shutter speeds and pick a few (not all perfect, but it’s fun). And best of all, the results are never the same.

Location Name

Auchen Castle

Location aDDRESS

Beattock, Moffat DG10 9SH

Country

United Kingdom

Location TYPE

Castle

Equipment

Camera

Canon R6

Flash

None

Lens

Canon RF 35mm/1.4

Lens Filter

None

Other Equipment

No additional equipment was used.

During
the Shoot

Directions Composition Focus Light & Exposure

Tone of Directions

Calm

Action of Directions

Movement Playful Running

Description

We were staying on a path where the trees created a natural frame and I wanted to keep Frankie in the middle of it. I asked the bride to simply run. Not only to keep her warm but as well I saw the potential of that dress – it looked like a flame when she moved. I asked her to run a few times there and back while I was standing in one place.

What was said

Frankie, I know it’s cold so this is going to warm you up. Can you run with your dress back and forth a few times keeping to the path?

Why I composed the way I did

I wanted to keep Frankie in the middle of the frame created by trees and the path. I kept her in the middle of the frame on my camera as well so I moved the camera with her. But all of these compositional elements were kinda lost due to the blur and so through the editing, I also made it feel balanced by keeping the bride in the center of the image with enough negative space around the frame to “isolate” her.

Compositional Rules

Broken Rules

Compositional Framing

Center Framed Wide Full Body Negative Space

Focus

Focus mode

Autofocus

Focus Technology

Single Shot

Focused on

her back

Focus description

I focused on the bride and followed her with the autofocus as she ran back and forth.

Shutter Speed

1/10

Aperture

f/18

ISO

250

White Balance

Shade

Other Light Sources

No additional light sources were used.

How the light was used

This was taken purely with natural light in the forest and even though the sky was quite cloudy, I did notice that the bride was being lit from a gap in the forest off to the side. The forest was also very dense with huge trees which naturally created a dark background. This all worked well to create a natural contrast between subject and background.

Type of light

Natural Light

Time of Day

Afternoon

Quality of LIght

Soft Directional Front Lit

Weather

Overcast

After
the Shoot

Editing & Presets

Editing &
Presets

Editing Software used

Adobe Lightroom Classic

Preset Used

How I edited this image

I used Jennifer Moher Slate and Ivory preset. I wanted to keep this photo in black and white as the colour was too distracting. My eyes were drawn to the movement of the dress – as it looks like a flame. I used the brush on the dress to make it a bit lighter than the rest of the photo and to help it stand out from the rest of the image.

Conclusion

Challenges Solutions Advice

Challenges & Solutions

Events that were challenging during the shoot

The only challenge was trying to find the ideal shutter speed.

Solutions I found

I made sure to shoot a whole bunch of images, with varying shutter speeds which I would then have a deeper look at and find the shot that I loved the most. It’s all part of the learning process.

Advice

Just play with the shutter speed and don’t be afraid of it – sometimes you will get nothing but often the photos will surprise you.

Photographed by

Bernadeta Kupiec

Scotland Canon R6 & Canon 5d Mark IV Canon rf 35mm/1.4, Canon 50mm/1.4, Canon 85mm/1.8

Hi, I’m Bernadeta. Lover of dark chocolate, cappuccino with oat milk and exploring new places.

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