HOW i SHOT THiS

Laura and John
  • Artificial Light
  • Cabin
  • calm
  • Center Framed
  • Dark
  • Evening
  • Gazebo
  • kissing
  • Lanterns
  • Natural
  • negative space
  • night
  • Outdoor
  • Stars
  • String Lights
  • Wide

The story behind the image

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We love creating beautiful images for our couples. The location, setting with a string of the festoon lights already created a dreamy image. We also added a couple of lanterns from the wedding and placed them on the side. Adding a couple to it just was like a cherry on top of the cake.
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Directions

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

We asked the couple to stand in the middle of the gazebo and simply hug and reach for a kiss. We spent the whole day with the couple and so they didn’t need a lot of directions by this point.

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What did you say?

Laura and John, can you now hug each other, reach for the kiss and hold it at least for 10 seconds.

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Tone of Directions

Calm

Laura and John

Composition

I used a 50 mm lens to take this shot. I was on the other end of the pond, quite far away from the main subject as I wanted to have a few reflections in the pond. I kept the couple in the middle of the frame slightly lower in the center to see more of the sky. I chose to shoot in the portrait as this would allow me to capture not only the sky and the subject, but also the water & reflections too.

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framing

Center Framed

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

I focused on the main subject – the couple. The challenge was to keep camera straight as I was on uneven surface and very close to the water.

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Focus Mode

Single Shot Autofocus

Focus POints

Single Point

Focused on

the couple

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Canon R5
Lens
Canon RF 50mm f/1.2
Flash
None
Filter
None
1/60 @ f/1.4 ISO800 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

It was an evening summer light, so it was perfect for a night shot. I’m not a huge fan of the flash for photos. The only artificial light in this photo is from the string of the festoon lights. Timing was everything for this shot, as if I had waited a bit longer the night got darker – it would have been much harder to expose and keep enough details in the highlights & shadows.

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Light Type

Artificial Light

Time of day

Night

Weather

Clear

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

I used my usual color preset as a base. I wanted the image to have a dark and dreamy feel. I kept the overall exposure on the darker side to compliment the mood I was after, but made sure to pay attention to the couple in the warm light in the cabin. Lastly, I added some stars to create a more dramatic look through photoshop.

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Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Own Custom Preset

Challenges

The biggest challenge was to have couple in focus and have steady hands whilst taking the shot as I wasn’t using a tripod.

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Solutions

I took a several shots to make sure the couple is in focus and the image is sharp. You can use a tripod to make sure the image quality is better due to the slow shutter speed or just rely on your hands.

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Location

Location Name

Solton Manor, Kent

Location aDDRESS

Solton Manor, East Langdon, Dover, CT15 5JB

Loation Type

Wedding / Event Venue

Country

United Kingdom

Go out there and shoot as much as you can, play with the settings and play with the light to achieve the best image. Always ask your couples to come out for the night shot if there is an opportunity. If you have time you can try this at home with fairy lights.

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