- Blue Hour
- calm
- Center Framed
- Cold
- full body
- holding each other
- Middle Thirds
- Mountain
- Natural Light
- Playful
- Rule of thirds
- Sitting
- Soft Light
- view point
- Winter
The story behind the image
We took the cableway to the base station and had to walk the last 500m or so. The thermometer at the station showed -24°C (-11°F) (goodbye flower bouquet). There were only 2-3 other people around and we felt like we were on a different planet. Due to the temperature, we knew we would not be able to have more than 10-15 minutes for pictures. We scouted the best spots while our couple was waiting in the station. When we started we did 5 minutes of pictures, then 5 minutes of cuddling together (the 4 of us) to warm up and another 5 -10 minutes of pictures.
This shot was one of the last photos of the day. The last cableway was about to leave and they already blew the horn 5 minutes before but the light and the colors in the sky were insane. Thank god they waited for us. When we went down Chris had to realize he’s got black fingernails – they luckily recovered after a week.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
We asked the couple to sit next to each other on the rug. Then we asked Amelie to lay her both legs over Alex left leg. We asked them to get really close together – to bring their foreheads together. We asked Alex to stroke over Amelie’s cheek with his right hand and to hold her head.
What did you say?
“Guys can you get really close together and touch each other with your foreheads. Alex can you stroke over Amelie’s cheek and then hold her head. now close your eyes both.”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
We pictured the couple almost exactly in the middle of the frame as well as in the middle of the rug. We were standing in order to shoot slightly from above… That way we don’t have the horizon crossing their heads which would be distracting. Also, we get a better feeling for the height as the valley of trees would probably not be visible as well as the glacier in the background if we wouldn’t have been elevated.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Our focus point was on Amelies head. Due to the aperture of 2.5 (24mm lens) we still have a lot of sharpness in the entire picture and we have a lovely view of the background.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Grooms face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/250 @ f/2.5 ISO320 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
The light after sunset was absolutely magical.. The sun had set behind our left shoulders from where the couple got slightly illuminated. The opposite side of the sunset has got these amazing colors in the sky which was the perfect backdrop for this picture.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Blue Hour
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
Since the light was perfectly equal due to the time of the day we didn’t need to edit a lot. In our opinion a good photo is always about the light and never about the preset. The preset is just the final touch. We used our CxR Preset to give the pic the color look we love and used the brush to brighten up the grooms face plus another brush to brighten up the couple a bit.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The main challenges were all caused by extreme temperatures. The fact that we would not have a lot of time to get the pictures we wanted was a challenge. Another challenge was the technical aspect since our cameras really were on the limit and worked very slow. Also, it was challenging to press the buttons after a while.
Solutions
We’ve had a clear vision of pictures in mind in order to don’t need too much time… Also we scouted and made a plan while our couple stayed inside the warm station. We were well prepared with clothes from a recent trip to the polar circle… We brought heat pads for us as well as the couple. We used gloves where we could stick out only the index finger to press the shutter.
Location
Location Name
Nordkette
Location aDDRESS
Innsbruck, Austria
Loation Type
Mountains
Country
Austria
If you shoot in extreme conditions a good preparation is everything.. Create a mood board for yourself as well as the couple so you are on the same page.. bring the right clothes, a blanket for your couple, maybe hot chocolate or tea, and some heat pads.
