DC24012023 – How I shot This

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Photographed by David Conaty

Before
the Shoot

Location Equipment

Sarah and Mike travelled all the way from the US to elope on the Isle of Skye, where I live. They have very busy lives at work and home, so this was their chance to spend quality time together, just the two of them and celebrate their love. This shot was at the very end of our day, which is when I find I often take the best images – the couple are relaxed, they’ve gotten over the nerves of vows, and can be fully present with each other. We’d explore most some pretty epic spots on the island and I wanted to finish at blue hour to get some beautiful low light images.

Location Name

Isle of Skye

Location aDDRESS

Sligachan, Isle of Skye.

Country

Scotland

Location TYPE

Mountains, Outdoor

Equipment

Camera

Sony A7IV

Flash

None

Lens

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART

Lens Filter

Nisi Allure Mist Black Diffusion Circular Filter (1/8 Stop)

Other Equipment

No additional equipment was used.

During
the Shoot

Directions Composition Focus Light & Exposure

To get to this scene, we’d walked for around 10 minutes through pretty wet and muddy terrain. I got some great shots of them helping each other over rocks and laughing because of how wet and muddy the dress was. I know the area pretty well and aimed to do some portraits on top of a small hill. When I got there, I noticed the clouds looked epic and there was a lot of texture in the wild grasses. I tried to photograph them climbing up the hill from above, but it didn’t work. They just got lost against the grassy background. Instead, I chose to put them against the dark sky so they’d pop in the frame. I got lots of variations of this from different angles, but I just loved how wild this photo came out. It looks like they’re running off into the mountains, the wind is blowing her hair and dress, and he’s holding onto her.

Tone of Directions

Excited Energetic

Action of Directions

Hand Movements Holding Hands Movement Natural Running Walking

Description

I simply told them to hold hands, keep their heads up, looking towards the mountains, and to walk fast or run, being mindful of their footing.

What was said

“Okay guys, I’d love it if you could head to the top of this hill right there. Mike, if you lead and hold Sarah’s right hand with your left. Try to jog or run, but keep an eye on your footing so you don’t trip. Also, keep your heads up and look out to the mountains”

Why I composed the way I did

This shot was kind of in the moment. I naturally tend to frame my subjects in the centre of my image, but needed to crop it in post to achieve this. I wanted to emphasise the sky, so made sure I had enough of this in the frame, as well as the rough grass below them.

Compositional Rules

Leading Lines Rule of Thirds

Compositional Framing

Center Framed Wide Lower Angle

Focus

Focus mode

Autofocus

Focus Technology

Continuous

Focused on

Couple

Focus description

I focussed on the couple using continuous autofocus. I use back-button autofocus, so held that down and tracked them as they ran up the hill, taking lots of shots.

Shutter Speed

1/250

Aperture

f/1.4

ISO

125

White Balance

Auto

Other Light Sources

No additional light sources were used.

How the light was used

The light was hitting them from the side in this shot. It was a pretty cloudy day, so I could have taken it from pretty much any angle with a similar effect. But, it meant that the sky in the frame wasn’t too light and harsh, otherwise this image may not have worked quite as well. The dark sky with a bit of light hitting them from the side meant they stood out well and in the scene.

Type of light

Natural Light

Time of Day

Blue Hour

Quality of LIght

Soft

Weather

Cloudy Overcast Stormy

After
the Shoot

Editing & Presets

Editing &
Presets

Editing Software used

Adobe Lightroom CC ["Adobe Lightroom CC"]

Preset Used

Personal Preset

How I edited this image

I originally used my standard preset, which is warmer in the shadows. Although it looked fine, I wanted to bring out the mood in the image and to cool it off. So, I changed the colour grade to add greens to the shadows and then warmed up the highlights and midtones so that the skin tones still had some warmth to them. This emphasised the cooler tones I remember seeing and feeling when I was shooting and helped to make it look a bit more cinematic.

Conclusion

Challenges Solutions Advice

Challenges & Solutions

Events that were challenging during the shoot

The auto white balance tends to not perform well in low light conditions on my Sony and I forgot to set it manually in camera.

Solutions I found

I had to manually adjust it in Lightroom, which took a bit of time. In future, I’ll make sure I set it in-camera so it quickens up my editing workflow.

Advice

Don’t be afraid to direct your couple so they know exactly what they’re doing. If you feel like you didn’t get the image the way you want it, that’s okay. Adjust your settings or composition and go again. In my experience, couples love it when they get direction because it gives them confidence in what they’re doing.

Another tip is to absorb inspiration from what you like. I love watching movies and I’m always trying to analyse scenes and frames to understand the intentions of the director and cinematographer. It’s really helped me to train my eye to see images as I’m walking around with my couple.

Photographed by

David Conaty

Isle of Skye Sony A7III Sigma Art 85mm f/1.4

Hi, I’m David, an elopement photographer based on the Isle of Skye, and I’ve been shooting elopements in the UK since 2021. It all started when I took up photography as a way to spend more time with my Dad when he got ill. When he passed away, I inherited all of his gear and wanted to make the most of it. And, well, here we are. I found comfort in photography in a way I never thought possible and it has allowed me to express the creative side of myself which had become lost. I’m fascinated by human connection and feel honoured to peek into the lives of my couples for their elopement, telling their story in a way that reflects their true spirit. I’m a bit of an introvert, a lover of wild and epic landscapes, and a sentimental romantic at heart. In my spare time, you’ll find me in full on Dad mode to my twin girls, Eisa and Reina, who keep me on my toes!

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