- branches
- calm
- Center Framed
- Evening
- intimate
- Lying
- Natural Frame
- natural frames
- Natural Light
- Roots
- Sitting
- Soft Light
- symmetry
- tree
- Wide
The story behind the image
After their emotional forest ceremony, we jumped in the car and drove 10 minutes to a nearby loch that we’d scouted the day prior. It was a real honor to be asked to photograph their day as we had already documented such an important moment in their lives (their surprise marriage proposal). The bride and groom are genuinely two of the nicest people and I think it really shows through in their photos. It was heart-warming seeing them so happy to be marrying one another joined by their loved ones in Scotland.
I wanted to create a dark and romantic looking shot that featured the roots from the tree. I scouted the location the day prior to the wedding and already had a rough pre-visualization in my mind of how I wanted the shot to look and how they would be sitting. We always scout before each wedding and the day prior we discovered this cool little nest of roots beside a loch that was shaped in a way that was perfect for a couple to squeeze into.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I asked the groom to sit down first and make himself as comfortable as possible. It was a tight space and a small root of the tree was poking into him so I knew I had to work quickly as it wasn’t too comfortable. I then ask the bride to sit in-between his legs and fall back into him and curl up with one another. Basically, I wanted this shot to be very still and quiet so I simply asked them to close their eyes for the moment.
What did you say?
If you could place yourself down first that would be awesome. Now if you could try and fit in-between his legs that would be great too! Now, let yourself relax and get nice and cozy and rest your head on his chest. Close your eyes guys and we’re just going to snap away for a minute or so.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
We composed the trunk of the tree in the middle of the shot and positioned the couple right in the middle nestled in between the tree roots. I wanted to capture all the roots spreading out around them so I stood back as far as I could (the water from the Loch was literally just behind me) and used a 35mm lens to frame the shot. If I could take this photo all over again I would perhaps consider using a 24mm and standing a little bit closer which would probably give an even more dramatic effect with the roots due to the lens distortion.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Single point continuous focus (center frame) with the viewfinder, I focused on the bride’s face, locked the focus, and then recomposed the shot (‘focus and recomposing’ technique).
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Brides face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/800 @ f/f/2.2 ISO100 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 sun was behind me but it was a really cloudy afternoon in the Scottish Highlands so the light was very soft and diffused and easy to work with. The great thing about diffused outdoor light is that you can place the couple in any position and photograph from any angle as the light will always look flattering.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Evening
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
The image was cropped, centered and our Emotive color preset was applied. After that, we adjusted the white balance to make the photo feel a bit warmer. We then did some extensive brushwork on the roots to bring out some more detail on them and also made the couple pop out more by brushing on a bit more exposure on their bodies.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
a. The little space between the roots they’re sitting in was mega-tight so it was difficult to squeeze them in and it was a little bit uncomfortable for the groom. They are both absolute champions though and willing to do anything for a good photo.
b. Also, whenever scouting for locations sometimes you have to take things like sun position, wind direction, and even the tide into consideration. This particular spot was right next to the shores of the loch and I knew that sometimes the water level rose up covering the roots of the tree making the location inaccessible.
Solutions
a. I knew it was uncomfortable for them so I simply worked really quickly to get the shots I needed.
b. I reached out to the park ranger about what time the tide would come in the next day and he said it will still be out at 6 pm. Sometimes it’s beneficial to plan ahead and have a plan B in case things don’t go according to plan.
Location
Location Name
Loch An Eilein
Location aDDRESS
Cairngorms, Scotland
Loation Type
River
Country
United Kingdom
If I didn’t take the time to familiarise myself with the location I likely wouldn’t have taken this shot. Sometimes it pays to visit the portrait shoot location the day prior (or the morning of) and make some time to scout and visualize your photos. Sometimes I’ll find a composition or location that I like, stand there for a few minutes, and try to visualize how the couple will be posing, which direction they will be facing, and what they will be doing.
