- Blue Hour
- holding hands
- Wedding
- Walking
- Sunset
- Soft Light
- Natural Light
- Leading
- Last light
- Guide
- calm
- full body
- Evening
- Directional Light
- Dark
- Couple Shoot
- Coast
- Center Framed
- Wide
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Have your couple hold hands and walk towards your next spot as well as to have one of them lead. Make sure you tell them to look at each other every once in a while and if your bride has a long dress, ask her to hold it up (It also makes it easier to walk).
What did you say?
Right guys, we’re heading over there. Take her hand and lead her with you. Don’t forget to look back and make sure she’s doing okay. Hold your dress up if it makes it easier.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
We wanted to show off the incredible landscape features here on the coastline as well as to capture our couple in full. We framed them so they were contained within the rock features as well as slightly lower than the horizon. This meant we could avoid cutting them off with the distant horizon and also keep them framed within the rocks.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
As the light was fading very fast, we did struggle to focus for these moving shots. What we did was switch our camera to live view (with the 5D Mark IV) as it allowed us to use a different method of focusing. With Live view focusing, the camera is looking for strong contrasts and will automatically increase your ISO just to get that lock on correctly.
Focus Mode
Live View Single Shot
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Brides body
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/100 @ f/1.8 ISO250 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
At this point, the sun had pretty much dissappeared under the horizon and it was this “blue hour” that happens just after the sun sets. The light is incredibly soft and beautiful, but it also fades very fast. Time is of the absolute essence at this point in time.
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
Our biggest challenge was the speed at which the light was fading. We only really had about 5 to 7 minutes left of any form of light that our cameras could use and so we had to be quite efficient with everything.
The fading light also made it pretty tought to focus as through our viewfinder, there simply wasn’t enough light for the camera to find something to lock onto.
Solutions
It always helps to prepare your couple on what you want them to do before hand, especially when you have a time limit. Give them a brief heads up on the poses you’re going for and to then just go ahead. Also, don’t stress if you don’t get all the shots you had hoped, in the end – it’s important that your couple enjoy every moment out with you and it’s not always nice to have stressful photographers around.
As for the focusing, we switched our cameras to live view which really helped with the focusing. We can’t speak for every camera out there but the 5D Mark IV does wonders with its live view.
Location
Location Name
Le Calette hotel
Location aDDRESS
Le Calette hotel - Cefalù Via Cavallaro, 12, 90015 Cefalù PA, Italy
Loation Type
Hotel
Country
Italy
Don’t forget to have your couple look at each other and to genuinely care for one another. Walking on sand in heels is no easy task, and so make sure your groom is there to help his bride.
If you have the chance, shoot until you can no longer shoot any more. Until your camera simply cannot focus. That blue hour / evening light can be incredible to work with and it’s definitely worth sticking around for.
