- bouquet
- Center Framed
- Courtyard
- Dark
- eyes closed
- full body
- Harsh Light
- looking towards sun
- Moody
- Outdoor
- Shadows
- strong contrast
The story behind the image
The couple was getting ready at the same hotel and during this time, the sky was clear and the sun was out in full force. This created the usual harsh and generally unpleasant lighting that we often run away from. However, when we arrived at the hotel, we noticed the shape of the light & shadow created by the building and immediately thought about trying a shot here and embracing harsh light.
When it came time to do the portraits, we had our bride stand in the sunlight and we gave it a shot. We knew just off to the side in the shade was going to be perfect & easy to work with light so we didn’t hesitate to try something new and different.
Finally, when it came to the ‘pose’ we had our bride in, we really wanted to have her calm and simple; eyes closed, and to have her almost ‘absorb’ the sunlight as it hits her. This was important as the goal of the image was meant to show peace and tranquility in this spot of light amongst the darkness of the shadows.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
We asked our bride to simply stand with her body turned slightly towards where the sun was coming from, and had her close her eyes (also to protect her eyes, and stop her from squinting). We then encouraged her to turn her head even more towrads the sun and to just ‘enjoy the sunshine’ and to keep the bouquet nice and relaxed as she held it up.
What did you say?
“[Bride], let’s have you stand here and turn ever so slightly towards the sun! Awesome! Close your eyes, and turn just your head even more towards the sun and I want you to really “feel” the sunshine. Enjoy it. And take a deep breath”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
We wanted the highlight to form a part of the composition, however we were not able to capture it entirely – so what we ended up deciding on was to have the bride positioned more on the left side of the frame to allow more space for the light to have a roll. It’s definitely not perfect, but it feels a lot more balanced than if we had the bride straight up in the middle.
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
Since our goal of this image was to capture the expression on the face of our bride, the focus point was simply moved over her eyes. We had plenty of light & contrasts to work with so we had zero issues finding focus.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
The Bride's eyes
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/8000 @ 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
We had our bride stand just at the corner of the spot of light that was falling on the ground to help us find a balance in our composition. We then had her turn and look towards the light since we wanted her face to be lit – and to still have some shadows visible to give dimensions. The light was incredibly harsh so we did have to expose with a fast shutter speed to keep the details in the highlights.
Light Type
Natural Light
Time of day
Midday
Weather
Sunny
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
We applied our protea preset as a base but since this was shot in harsh light, we did have to tweak the white balance and the orange tones to calm them down a bit. Apart from this, we kept the edit dark and punchy by keeping the shadows really low down as well as the blacks.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
The only challenge we had with this image was controlling the saturated oranges that came with our preset. Since our presets are not built for such harsh lighting conditions, we did have to pay attention to what we were doing.
Solutions
We experimented with the White Balance and HSL sliders to control the warm tones and find a nice balance that kept the skin looking good while also keeping true to our own style. It’s a lot of trial and error.
Location
Location Name
Gasthaus zur Sonne
Location aDDRESS
Gasthaus zur Sonne, Hauptstraße 18, 97334 Nordheim
Loation Type
Courtyard
Country
Germany
Guys – don’t be afraid or hesitate to try something new. Even if it doesn’t work and looks utter rubbish – at least you tried and you can learn from your mistakes. That’s one of the main things that separates those who make it to the top, is that they try new things. Sure, you don’t always see their mistakes but believe me – they have them. Just try.
