- 9 people
- men and women
- wedding party
- warm haze
- sunny
- sun behind
- Still
- Soft Light
- simple
- Shade
- Rimlight
- Rim Light
- Outdoor
- Natural Light
- Natural
- Leading lines
- 9 person group
- Haze
- Group Photo
- Group
- full body
- Forest
- Energetic
- Center Framed
- boys and girls
- Big group
- Barn
- Backlit
- backlight
- Back lit
- afternoon
- Wide
The story behind the image
Since this barn was the center of attention I knew I had to use it as a backdrop for some of my images of that day.
Once the ceremony ended and after finishing family pictures of the couple and their closest relatives I took the entire Wedding party out for photos and decided to start at a different spot. The day was a cloudy one with very few sunny breaks and sometimes a very bright harsh light during the ceremony (it was so mixed and I had to adjust to conditions really fast), so in order to get the best of what the current -and constantly changing- lighting situation I took the group to a different setting to ensure I could get the best images with what I had at hand.
On our way to the spot, we had to walk right in front of this beautiful barn. Our spot was going to be just behind it with lots of shade and more uniform lighting circumstances. I noticed that we were going to hit an area in which a sunny break was going to create an opening for the light to come through the clouds and through some trees to create this beautiful backlit scenario and I asked the group to come back to this particular place in front of the barn to create a really cool shot.
I asked them to stand; alternating positions between girls and boys and leaving the newlyweds in the middle of the group. All of them on the same plane, to get them all in focus as well as keeping the beautiful building behind them in the shot. And I asked them to smile for me, which is something typical in these circumstances.
That sunny break came in and illuminated them from behind. What is not shown was my excitement once I saw the light coming out and my reaction as I yelled “THIS IS AMAZING” to the group. You can see how happy the couple was after I yelled that :)
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I asked the group to do a simple alternating formation of boys and girls and leaving the newly-married couple in the middle, focusing right on the couple to drive the attention on them. All guys had their hands together right in front of them and the girls had their bouquets at the front. Everybody followed directions pretty nicely and they enjoyed that I could share with them some snaps and show them my intention on this particular occasion.
I engage a lot with people during my shoots and the larger the group the better. I try to “hype them up” as much as I can during this time of the day as I know sometimes their attention can be diverted to other things (like wanting to have drinks and celebrate) and they will definitely have their time for that, lol. I try to make this time as fun and entertaining as it can be because if I have my couples and their friends have fun during this time I will capture the best images possible.
What did you say?
Ok, guys, we have this beautiful spot here for a group photo and the light is just amazing right now. Let’s stand up forming a single row, everybody at the same level as the rest so I can have you all in the same plane. Let’s have you guys alternating boys and girls. Ladies, you all look gorgeous today, please put your bouquets at the front, waist level, and guys, in order to make you look even cooler, please give me a little bit of a power pose / wide stance with your hands together like this (showed them the hand positioning I wanted by doing it myself). All of you square towards me, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Please leave S and K in the middle and let’s smile for this one, we’ll do “the smoldering ones right after” -entire group laughs-
Composition
I used the lower third on the frame to get the group while leaving enough space for nature, the Barn at the back and that light that was coming from the top. I tend to do this a lot when photographing groups as I believe provides a nice balance between all the multiple hits (especially the Barn in the back) and the group.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I focused on the couple and because everybody was standing on the same plane I got the majority in focus. That was my intention and has always been when doing these types of images. Focused on them and then recomposed a bit to get the trees and the Barn in the back. Quick, simple, and easy.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
Bride and Groom's heads
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/320 @ f/4.0 ISO200 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
I love shooting backlit images and this was one of those cases. I took advantage of having a beautiful sunny break with light coming from behind my subjects and proceeded immediately to take this image. I’m a fan of rim light and I could see how this highlighted their hair, especially the women part of this Wedding Party. The result ended up being much better than the one I had in my head. We had this crispy, warm light coming from behind. I love it!
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Afternoon
Weather
Sunny
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
Most of my work starts using Greg Petersen’s presets (G-Presets). For this one, I started with Pack 3 (Clean) and then went to adjust the temperature of the image as I shoot a lot on Auto WB. I like my images to be warm, with contrast and punchy tones. I find Greg’s presets give me a good foundation to start working on the tones, especially on skin tones. I also use a lot of local adjustments to brushes I’ve created through the years. Lots of adjustments and tweaks on clarity, highlights, shadows, and others.
I’m also a fan of using gradient tools to reinforce where the light is coming from, adding more drama to an image. I love it! Finally, if I saw something on the grass (like leaves for example) that looked like they are out of place, I cloned them out. I tend to work on an image until I’m happy with what I’m seeing. Sometimes this happens on a single sitting, sometimes it requires multiple sittings/looks until I’m satisfied. One more thing, I used Photoshop to “open” the eyes of one of the groomsmen (the one on the far left). His eyes were closed so what I did was to clone his “open” eyes from another shot I took (I shoot a lot of pictures of the same image just in case this happens).
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Preset Used
Challenges
The constantly changing lighting conditions were the biggest challenge of this day. We had a little bit of everything: overcast during the first part of the ceremony then direct harsh light at the end. Then sunny breaks during Wedding Pictures and direct sunlight after.
Solutions
It was a day that definitely kept me on my toes and had to adjust rapidly to all lighting conditions. Look for opportunities to enhance the attention on your subjects and having this backlit scenario was one of the best choices I made on this Wedding day.
Location
Location Name
The Red Tin Barn
Location aDDRESS
51318 RR265, Spruce Grove, Alberta. Canada. T7Y 1G1
Loation Type
Forest
Country
Canada
Be prepared, scout your locations and try to anticipate how the light can be used to enhance your subjects. Besides the wind, in my opinion, Light is your best friend. No matter what the conditions are you have to adjust to these and if it happens on a Wedding Day you have to do this quickly. Sometimes magic happens in the most unexpected moments so keep your eyes and mind open at all times!
