- calm
- Center Framed
- Contemporary
- Forest
- full body
- Harsh Light
- Hold hands
- Leading lines
- Natural Light
- Posed
- Serious
- Shade
- Soft Light
- Trees
The story behind the image
In this case, we had our first couple shoot in the mid afternoon with the promise of taking our couple out again as the sun set later on. The light was not too great and so we chose to bring our couple amongst the forest. Not only did we quite like the feel of having them amongst the trees, the light was somewhat broken and softened by the tall trees.
We did have to pay attention to not let them stand somewhere in a patch of light as we would have had a nightmare with blown out highlights.
One of the best things you can do in unforgiving light is to just expose for the brightest part of your couple and then soften everything up in post.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
We wanted a strong, contemporary shot here as we felt it complimented the busy background of the trees. We had our couple stand facing us with a slight gap between them, and to hold hands. We asked our groom to have his free hand in his pocket while our bride held her flowers. We shot a variation of this pose with where they were looking, and we loved this shot when our bride turned to look at her groom. It adds to that connection between the two.
What did you say?
Stand straight on towards us and keep a little space between you two. Look straight into our camera. Great! Now, [bride] turn and look at your groom!
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
As we wanted to go for a strong image, we had our couple framed directly in the center. The background was pretty busy and so by having them right in the middle, we were able to bring the attention directly to them first.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
We focused with our usual method of single point auto focus as we could control where the camera was locking on to. If we had used the full range of the focus points, theres a chance that the camera could have confused what we wanted in focus as the background had a lot of contrasty, focusable elements.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Grooms face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/400 @ f/2 ISO100 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
As the light was not exactly ideal, we chose to have our couple amongst the forest. This did help soften the light slightly as the sun had to pass through the tree tops before reaching our couple. We paid careful attention to not let them stand in patches of light as well.
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
Paying attention to patchy light, especially in a forest, can be quite challenging when you’re also dealing with your couple, how you want to shoot them and all of those little things. And if you forget about the light, you probably will regret it later on.
Solutions
It helps to take a moment and put your camera to your side and just look. Your couple are not going to pressure you and if they look a bit confused, just explain that you need to “see” the location. 99% they will understand and let you do your thing.
Location
Location Name
Faber-Castell Waldhütte
Location aDDRESS
Faber-Castell Waldhütte Faberhof 1, 90596 Schwanstetten
Loation Type
Forest
Country
Germany
When going for strong, contemporary poses like this one; try and keep your couple relaxed and less “energetic”. It works best when they can assume a “serious” look with a slight smirk.
Keep your eyes open for patchy light as it’s quite easy to miss when you’re in the moment. It’s always good to put the camera down for a moment and just observe the surroundings.
