- Bridal Detail
- broken rules
- calm
- Center Framed
- Close up
- Dark
- Directional Light
- Dress Detail
- gentle
- Indoor
- Intimate Framing
- Moody
- Natural
- Natural Light
- Soft Light
- Window Light
The story behind the image
So there it was; a beautiful little elopement in the Bavarian Alps and with it, a much-needed family holiday. When I met the couple, they stayed at this incredible hotel and their getting ready room was the absolute bomb! Can’t say that about all the hotel rooms we’ve shot in.
As they were getting ready, I asked the groom to help zip up her dress from behind, and as I had them standing in the window light – I saw this frame before even putting my camera up. I knew I wanted to get a detail shot (so, close up) and all I did was just move my position slightly so I could frame more of the shadow/highlight play instead of going straight on.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
This was almost an unstaged shot, except for the fact that I asked the bride to turn her head to look behind her over her left shoulder. I did this because I wanted the light to hit the side of her face, keeping it still visible while also letting the shadows fall on the rest of her body.
What did you say?
Oh Wow! This look incredible! Let’s have you turn your head slightly, to look over your left shoulder as if you could see [Groom]. That’s it
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
Being a detail shot, the close-up framing was all intentional. I moved up close and filled the frame with the bride while paying attention to still having a bit of her face in the frame. This just helps tell the story even more than to just having a shot of the dress. There were no particular rules that I followed here, other than to find a point of interest (the light & the dress) and frame it so it took center stage.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I saw her hair fall just in front of her and realized that this would be a perfect spot to put the focus. Not only does it mean everything else will be sharp & focused that fell on the same plane, it also adds to the story of the detail shot. Not only do we explore the light, shadows & the dress – but the hair too.
Focus Mode
Live View Continuous
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
Hair
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/2000 @ f/1.8 ISO640 WB-Daylight
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
As we were indoors and by a massive window, we had plenty of light to work with. But fortunately, the light fell short which kept a part of the room quite dark. I made sure no artificial lights were on and saw how the light was falling on my couple. I had them stand in the window light and turned slightly towards it; and when I saw this shot, I had to move ever so slightly towards the back of the bride just so I could get my framing right & to capture more shadows than highlights.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Indoor
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
For this shot, I wanted to keep the highlights exposed and bring it a bit more shadows so after applying my base Protea Preset, I dropped the exposure and shadows, while slightly adjusting the highlights. I then tweaked the white balance and realized things got a bit too saturated/vibrant for the feeling I was going for. I then dropped the saturation & Vibrance slightly so I ended up with a more muted / dull palette.
Editing Software
Preset Used
Challenges
The only challenge I had was being fast. I didn’t want to stage this moment as these things generally look better as they happen naturally.
Solutions
It was all a matter of not hesitating. Being confident and just going for it. The moment I visualized this shot, I moved, got my camera up, and took the shots.
Location
Location Name
Boutiquehotel Werdenfelserei
Location aDDRESS
Alleestraße 28, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Loation Type
Hotel
Country
Germany
The main thing here is to just be confident in your skills and not hesitate. Weddings are full of little moments that vanish as fast as they come. Always be ready, always be on the lookout and when you see something – don’t hesitate, go for it.
