- calm
- Center Framed
- Crying
- Directional Light
- gentle
- Indoor
- intimate
- Mid range
- Natural Light
- Quiet
- Rule of thirds
- Soft Light
- tears
- Unposed
- Window Light
The story behind the image
It was a moment I remember vividly and a moment that I knew I had to capture properly to do it justice.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
The only direction that went into this moment was the positioning of the bride before the moment began. It was important that the light from the window was touching her face as the room was dark. Once the bride was in position, the moment started and I was quiet for the entire time.
What did you say?
If you (bride) could position yourself here against this wall and look towards the window in front of you as much as possible when the groom is playing the song that would be great. I’ll be discreet and keep my distance so please enjoy this moment for yourselves.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
When I was taking this close up portrait of her crying I chose to shoot vertically as I wanted to make sure that her hands were also in the photo as well. It’s always a good idea to observe hands as I feel that they sometimes add to the overall emotion and intensity of the photo. I was also conscious of the picture and lamp on the far wall to her right so I framed the shot so they wouldn’t intersect with her face (and cause distraction).
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Single point autofocus (centre frame) with the viewfinder, I focused on the bride’s eye, locked the focus and then recomposed the shot (focus and recomposing).
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Brides face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/640 @ f/2.0 ISO6400 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
It was a dark and cloudy day in Scotland so the light coming through the window was very small. When scouting for a location in the house for the bride to stand I knew that she would have to be facing a window so that her face and body would be illuminated and her reaction could be clearly captured. You can see from the shadow behind her that the window is directly in front of her (about 3 meters away) out of frame.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Indoor
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
Edited with The Kitcheners ‘Emotive’ color preset as a base. Some correction to exposure and white balance was made as well as a little bit of extra exposure on the bride’s face using the exposure brush tool.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The main challenge was how to get a closer up shot of the emotion without being too physically close. The last thing I would want to do in a moment like this is be physically close to the bride causing distraction.
Solutions
Lens choice can be very important on the wedding day and have lenses that cover a wide range of focal length is important. This this particular moment I chose to primarily use the Nikkor 85mm f1.8 as it allows me to be zoomed in enough to capture intimacy and emotion but I don’t have to be physically too close to the subject. Using this lens with a wide open aperture (f/1.8) meant that I could separate the bride from the background by throwing the background completely out of focus. This straight away allows the viewer’s eye to concentrate on what is important (the bride obvs).
Location
Location Name
Glencoe
Location aDDRESS
Glencoe scotland
Loation Type
Private Home / AirBnB / Apartment
Country
United Kingdom
If you can, always carry 2 or 3 lenses that span over a wide range of focal lengths so you’re ready for any situation. Sometimes space is limited (small rooms) so a wide angle lens such as a 24mm or 35mm would be beneficial. Other times you might find that you’re not able to be (or don’t want to be) physically close to the subject (eg. a church ceremony or emotional moment) so a lens such as an 85mm or 135mm could be more ideal for this. I personally carry a 35mm and 85mm lens to every wedding and 90% of the time that is all I need for every situation.
