- Backlit
- Celebrating
- Center Framed
- Ceremony
- full body
- Fun
- Funny
- Natural
- Rain
- Soft Light
- Stormy
- Unposed
- Warm
- Wet
The story behind the image
As for the photography, it was a challenge as I had never photographed in the rain before, but I didn’t think about stopping for a second. The umbrella I took for myself I had had to lend to the couple’s parents so I was without any protection. There were times when the water drops on the lens didn’t allow the camera to focus on the couple, I needed to dry but my clothes were all wet. I would go up to some of the guests sheltered in their umbrellas and dry the lens on some piece of dress, and go back to photographing the bride and groom leaving.
This photo and this wedding were very memorable for me. If you believe in God, He was at that wedding, He even helped me record these moments. It was very special and emotional. This is just one of the many amazing photos that were taken that day. It marked my life as a person and as a professional. And no equipment was damaged by getting wet.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
As it was a wedding, and an unusual occurrence like the rain, the only thing I remember telling them was to walk slowly (as they wanted to run from the rain) and look at each other. I was shouting from afar “enjoy the rain” “feel the rain” and then they did a sequence of movements celebrating, thanking the heavens and smiling a lot, because even though the rain had “over” the wedding, they were very happy. I tend to direct couples so that they do natural things, that the result of the photo is as authentic as possible, even if there is a direction.
When they were walking, I would shout things like “enjoy the rain” from a distance “feel the water falling from the sky” “feel the rain, enjoy this moment”.
In this situation, it was a wedding, but normally in any job I don’t ask them to smile or look at me, my intention is that everything becomes as natural as possible. My direction always leads to the path of sensations, I want people to feel the other person’s touch, the scent of their hair, the kiss, the hug, and the reactions to that is what I want. The smile comes, the laugh comes, sometimes the emotion comes. It has feeling.
What did you say?
Carol and Vitor, I know you want to get out of the rain, but let’s enjoy it! When you come out, walk slowly and look at each other, kiss, hug, all while walking towards the exit.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
Even though it’s a quick moment, the composition is very important. At that moment, as it was something totally “unforeseen”, I worried about choosing the lens I would use, and as they were in the exit hallway, I left them centered. In the editing I needed to correct the angle a little, I left a small space below the feet so that the subject was not so close to the edges, and the same at the top, also enhancing the lighting.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
It is noticeable that the focus in this photo is not excellent, but considering the conditions in which they were taken (in the rain without protection, wet camera, and lens, walking backward without looking back, poor lighting, no time to configure better) I believe that it’s actually an excellent photo.
I always try to focus on the face of one of the two as they are always close so the focus will catch both of them. But in this case, it was a pretty complicated mission. Also, note that you can see the raindrops blurring and forming “lines”. This is because the speed is a little low, and it wouldn’t have such a nice effect if it were different. But in this situation, there wasn’t even time to configure better.
It’s also worth mentioning here that I’m the type of photographer who cares more about the meaning of the photograph than the perfection of it, so the “lack of focus” didn’t bother me in this photo.
Focus Mode
Continuous Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
Bride's Face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/125 @ f/2,0 ISO500 WB-6.650K
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 only light available was natural, late-day and cloudy, meaning it wasn’t much, and the decorative lights. A curiosity is that I was the one who convinced the bride to put the clothesline on the ceremony, as at first, it wasn’t even planned. I called attention to the importance of lighting for photography, and even if a clothesline with stringlights doesn’t shine that much, it certainly makes all the difference, even in the composition.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Stormy
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I find my editing process quite simple. I created my presets, based on the situation of the light. For example, on sunny days I use one, on cloudy days I use another, on night photos with artificial lights I use another. For this particular photo, I adjusted the white balance to bring out more warmth while also playing with the exposure, contrast, highlights, and shadows to get the overall feel I was after. I adjusted the orange luminance too to enhance the skin tones and finally added on a layer of grain to help with the texture of the image.
Editing Software
Preset Used
Personal Presets
Challenges
Certainly, it was the rain. But in a general context, we already knew that it would rain, at any time it was expected because it was cloudy all day and the forecast was rain. I had already made my decision that if the marriage continued, then so would I. I took an umbrella but I couldn’t use it at the time, because I gave it up to use it on the altar because it was aesthetically better. Then the challenge started because it rained a lot, in less than 2 minutes my clothes were all wet, there was no way to dry the lens, sometimes I got desperate because I couldn’t focus with so much water in the lens.
Solutions
I usually wear a hat, which helped a little at first where I held it above the camera, but it didn’t last long as it quickly got wet too. For the problem of lack of focus due to water in the lens I needed to think very quickly, I looked around and saw the guests with partially dry dresses. I went to some of them a few times to get a piece of their clothing to dry the lens and go back to shooting. All of this lasted about 10 minutes, and then we all ran for cover. As soon as I could, I dried every bit of equipment, and by luck or God, nothing went bad.
Location
Location Name
Recanto da Reconciliação
Location aDDRESS
Recanto da Reconciliação, Brasília, Brasil
Loation Type
Garden / Field
Country
Brazil
This photo (the photos of this wedding in general) marked my history as a photographer a lot. Due to the challenge, as it was the first time I took pictures in the rain, despite the fact that I was not obliged to expose my equipment to such risk under the contract, I realized that there was something very beautiful there, a unique opportunity. If I had chosen to stop shooting I would have simply missed the moment that changed my gaze on my photos and also brought great recognition to my work. What I learned from these photos is that we must seize certain opportunities as they may never happen again. Follow your heart, your intuition, have the sensitivity to see beyond chaos.
