HOW i SHOT THiS

  • Blue Hour
  • calm
  • Center Framed
  • full body
  • High Angle
  • kissing
  • Leading lines
  • Natural Frame
  • Natural Light
  • Roof Tops
  • Sitting
  • Soft Light
  • sparklers
  • view point

The story behind the image

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Roxanne and Josh celebrated an intimate Elopement in Santorini. It was the first time, we got the chance to travel to the Cyclades and Santorini blew our mind from the first day on. Even though it can be very busy with tourists in some places, you can still find spots away from the beaten track. These two rented an AirBnB in order to have their own private space. High up on the Caldera, it really had one of the best views of the island. They had their intimate ceremony at the venue as well as the dinner. Before dinner, we went out for some couple photos at sunset. When we came back to their place, it was already dusk and time for a little dance over the roofs of Santorini. Before the dance, the wedding planner mentioned she brought sparkling lights just in case we need them. After the dance we were all just like standing on the roofs, gazing out over the deep blue Aegean Sea while the cruise ships were leaving with a loud honk. The city lights in the back turned on and we all enjoyed this unique moment. Then we got the idea to use the sparkling lights for a few pictures. We thought it would look cool together with the city lights in the back.
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Directions

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

We asked the couple to sit down next to each other on the roof… We asked them to hold the sparklers in front of them but not in front of their faces. Then we asked the couple to kiss.

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What did you say?

“Guys, would you sit next to each other right here. Once we lighten the sparklers, you just hold them in front of you. Guys, time for a little kiss“

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Tone of Directions

Calm

Composition

The “Sitting Pose“ allows us here, to have the couple surrounded by the white houses with the city lights. We shot from a slightly elevated angle in order to not have the horizon crossing their heads. Also thereby we get a better feeling for the depth. We kept the couple in the center of the frame.

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Compositional Rules

Leading LinesRule of Thirds

framing

Center FramedWideFull Body

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

Our focus point was on Joshua’s head since he’s got the clearer light from the right side. Both of their heads are almost on the same line so Roxanne would not fall out of focus.

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Focus Mode

Single Shot Autofocus

Focus POints

Single Point

Focused on

His face

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens
Canon 35mm f/1.4 L
Flash
none
Filter
None
1/320 @ f/1.8 ISO640 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 amazing. The sun had set behind our right shoulders from where the couple got slightly illuminated. Place your couple in a way, that their faces still get enough natural light from the direction where the sun had set.

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Light Type

Natural LightSparklers

Light Quality

Soft,Directional

Time of day

Blue Hour

Weather

Clear

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

Blue hour/After light is one of our all-time favorites because it’s super easy to edit :D. The light was super equal here and we only had to use the brush for the brides face a bit. We used our CxR Preset to give the pic the color look we love. We increased the whites to create a bit more contrast. We also decided to retouch the burned sparkler on the floor, because when looking at the pic it easily distracted.

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Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used

Challenges

It was a little bit challenging to picture the city lights in the back. Depending on the shutter speed we used, the lights were not visible in some of the pics. The same thing can happen to you with light chains or the typical Christmas lights. It is caused by the frequency of the light and can vary from place to place.

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Solutions

Once we adjusted our shutter speed, it was not a big deal. We had to experiment a bit to find the right shutter speed to match the frequency of the city lights, but fortunately, it didn’t take too long.

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Location

Location Name

Firostefani

Location aDDRESS

Firostefani, Santorini, Greece

Loation Type

Rooftop

Country

Greece

Dusk is the ideal time for the sparklers to be visible in the pictures, plus still having some natural light on the couple.
Take your time to do some experimental shots as well. For example, you could get closer and focus on the sparklers using an open aperture for some pics. It will look beautiful in your gallery. Last but not least, bring something to sit on for your couple so their clothes won’t get dirty.

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