HOW i SHOT THiS

  • afternoon
  • Center Framed
  • Dancing
  • Harsh Light
  • High Angle
  • Lake
  • Moody
  • natural frames
  • Natural Light
  • sunny
  • top down
  • Water

The story behind the image

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One major advantage of shooting as a team is that there is always the opportunity for one of us to find a different perspective on what is happening. The first dance was extra special to the couple as the bride’s brother + sister-in-law was singing live. As we knew the first dance would be happening outside we looked for an opportunity to get a second perspective. This venue had a balcony that would allow for an overhead shot and we made sure to take advantage of that. Our only direction was to let the couple know the area we wanted them to dance. The rest was up to them!
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Composition

We placed the couple in the bottom third of the image and leaned out as far as possible above them to ensure they were entirely framed on the patio with no lines going through their bodies. We shot portrait orientation as we wanted to capture some of the setting along with their first dance. We love the leading lines the shadows created, adding to the image + drawing your eye right to the couple.

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framing

Center Framed

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

For this image, I held my camera over the balcony and shot in live view in order to get the angle I wanted. As I was shooting handheld as opposed to using the viewfinder I used single point AF along with a slightly higher f/stop to give me a better chance at getting my subjects in focus.

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Focus Mode

Single Shot Autofocus

Focus POints

Single Point

Focused on

The Couple

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens
Canon 24mm f/1.4 L
Flash
None
Filter
None
1/2000 @ f/3.2 ISO200 WB-6500K

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

To ensure the couple would be in the evening sun + not shadowed by the venue, we asked them them to dance on a specific section of the balcony to be able to use the side light coming from the west. I made sure to position myself at a slight angle in order to capture the majority of their bodies in the light from my perspective.

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Light Type

Natural Light

Time of day

Afternoon

Weather

Sunny

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

We added our preset which warmed up the image. We removed anything distracting + added some grain. We have been tweaking a VSCO Preset for 10 years to get it just right.

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Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom CC
Preset Used

Challenges

I think the biggest challenge in taking this image was getting up to the balcony, finding the right perspective, and ensuring it was in focus all before the dance was over.

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Solutions

I was able to find a sturdy chair to stand on and achieved the angle desired by shooting in live view.

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Location

Location Name

Pointhouse Suites on Sargeant Bay

Location aDDRESS

7747 Kenyon Rd, Halfmoon Bay, BC V0N 1Y1

Loation Type

Wedding / Event Venue

Country

Canada

Don’t just settle for the safe shot. Yes, make sure you get it but once you do challenge yourself to find a unique outlook to a common event you see at every wedding. Look for ways to take your images to the next level through interesting compositions + different perspectives.

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