- Attention
- lower thirds
- Unposed
- Unaware
- Sunset
- Soft Light
- Sitting
- Puglia
- Natural Light
- Natural
- Leading lines
- Blue Hour
- holding hands
- holding each other
- full body
- Free
- Framed below
- Evening
- Center Framed
- calm
- Wide angle
The story behind the image
While waiting for one of the photographers to come back from picking up something he left behind (a monopod), our couple sat down next to each other and just… relaxed. Without any directions on how to sit or cuddle each other, they just did their thing.
By having one eye on them the whole time, we were able to silently turn ourselves into position to capture this moment. 100% real. 100% them. And that is the trick – is to always be aware of what is going on around you. Even when you think nothing of it. It’s always worth being vigilant.
Composition
We were fortunate to have our wide-angle lens on and ready to go as the composition we saw worked perfectly with this lens. We placed our couple in the lower middle as we wanted to keep a bit of the sky visible (even though it was blown out – it just adds a bit of breathing room) and to capture even more of those leading lines. Check out the walls – see how some of them converge towards our couple? That’s directing the viewer’s eyes and attention straight to our couple. The subjects. The highlight of the image.
framing
Lower Thirds
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Our focus was immediately on our couple for this shot. We simply moved our focus point over them (we didn’t mind who) and let it lock on. Because this was a wide lens, it’s a lot more forgiving with the unintended depth of field and focus.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Couple
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/160 @ f/2 ISO400 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
For the last part of the couple shoot, we moved to the top of these roofs to catch the last bits of the sunset before it vanished. Our couple just so happened to sit in an area that was shaded from the sunset, meaning the light was soft. Regardless of what position they would have been in.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Sunset
Weather
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
The edits are made to be warmer with a big focus on skin tones and light play with shadows and highlights. A few minor local adjustments were made (Gradient and Brush) as well as finishing off with a fine layer of grain. The whites are not blown out nor are the blacks 100% crunched.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The main challenge we faced here was not disturbing our couple. This moment was delicate, and we didn’t want them to suddenly realize we had a camera on them causing them to stiffen up or lose that connection they had.
Solutions
We stayed absolutely silent. We didn’t say anything at all. We just raised the camera, exposed, focused and then fired away. Of course, they heard the camera’s shutter and looked up at us, but we had the shot already. We just gave them a huge smile and a big thumbs up to let them know we just nailed a killer shot. Needless to say, they were just as stoked as we were.
Location
Location Name
Masseria San Nicola
Location aDDRESS
Strada Provinciale, SP3, 72015 Fasano BR, Italy
Loation Type
Wedding / Event Venue
Country
Italy
The main piece of advice we keep giving people when it comes to capturing moments is to always be on the lookout. Is to keep your eyes open because the moment you look away, that’s when something happens that you miss and wish you could have been ready for.
Another tip and piece of advice is that you can always tell your couple to take a few minutes break just by themselves (you can say you need to gather your thoughts or visions). This works in a lot of ways since being photographed can be quite tiring. Your couple may even be relieved to have a few moments to just breathe. Take that opportunity to be a ninja and pay attention for a sweet little gesture from either of them to capture.
