- Back lit
- Middle Thirds
- Soft Light
- Slightly Cloudy
- Shade
- Rim Light
- Portraits
- Playful
- Natural Light
- Mid range
- Center Framed
- Laughing
- Jokes
- Hand in pocket
- Groom Portrait
- Groom
- Funny
- Close up
- Tease
The story behind the image
This was one of our bride’s favourite photos of her groom. It was a moment that reflects him and what he would do. This all happened simply because we got to know our couple throughout the day and picked up on what humor they like and what things get them smiling. When photographing a groom, get to know his style and where he feels most comfortable. If he is the joking and teasing type – use that to your advantage. You could even turn the tables and harmlessly tease him too.
If he is more reserved, use those cues for your portrait. In the end, just paying attention to who is in front of your lens and how they are feeling can go a long way.
Quick tip – do some research on portrait tutorials. No one ever said you can’t take what you learn from one genre of photography and apply it to weddings.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
We had our groom stand straight on to us with his hands in his pocket. Normally from here we’d have him walk towards us with looking out in different directions, but this time we threw in some jokes. We caught him off guard with a rather “raunchy” joke and he just burst out laughing.
What did you say?
Stand with your shoulders facing me and have your hands in your pocket. Oh great, we can see your !@#$! Just kidding!!
Composition
After getting our full body shots, we wanted to come in closer and see if we could bring emphasis to an emotion. We framed it so we had him contained within the background elements (buildings and trees) and paid attention to not let those cut through his shape.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Our focusing was very straight forward. We simply used our Single Point AF over our groom and made sure that he was being locked on by the camera.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Grooms face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/2500 @ f/1.4 ISO200 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 just on the horizon when we were taking these photos, and so it allowed us to shoot pretty much anywhere. We did keep an eye on where the sun was as it still was high enough to create dimensions through the highlights and shadows on our groom.
Light Type
Natural Light
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
Making someone laugh on command is not always the easiest. Sometimes people are more reserved than others.
Solutions
It helps to really get to know your clients. Not just on a professional level, but on a personal level. Listen to how they talk, their mannerisms and the sort of jokes that are shared throughout the day. You’ll get an idea of how far you can go with them.
Location
Location Name
ConneKT Technology Park
Location aDDRESS
ConneKT 1 ConneKT 1, 97318 Kitzingen, Germany
Loation Type
Garden / Field
Country
Germany
If you find yourself stuck on what to learn next in Wedding Photography, try look to other genres for ideas and inspirations. There is so much that applies to wedding photography and the more you know, the better your “product” becomes.
Really aim to bring out the character of your portrait subject. Get to know them and know how far you can go with jokes, and how
comfortable they feel in front of your camera.
