Even though it was raining my couple was incredibly calm and trusted me completely. I asked them to walk towards the chapel to seek cover from the rain, and when the moment was right I asked them to stop and face each other. Because it was raining, we did not plan the photo at all, it happened by accident as they were walking towards the Chapel. In any event, I hardly pose my couples, and I rely on giving them little actions to perform while playing some calm music in the background.
To me, that is what make makes the best images. Unplanned, unposed moments.
Walk toward the chapel. Stop and Face your bride, this looks amazing!
I made sure I stood in line with my couple as they walked towards the Chapel. The architecture and straight path did all the work for me, and I did not have to straighten it post-production.
The Chapel actually has wings on each side, but because it was raining and I had my 35mm on (at close range as I walked behind them), I could not get the entire Chapel in the shot without missing the moment.
I do however think that the image would not have been the same If I did move backward. I like that the couple is close and more visible and that the Chapel isn’t the only main attraction of the image.
Center Framed
I focused on the bride’s back, her shoulders to be exact. I wanted to make sure I got the dress movement in focus. I used Auto-Focus and took around 5 -10 images because it was unplanned and they were walking/ moving.
Single Shot Autofocus
Single Point
The brides Shoulders/ Dress
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.
It was late afternoon, about an hour before sunset. The clouds were behind the sun for most of the day, but it peaked through slightly every now and then. The sun was on the right side of my subjects, but there were no shadows because of the clouds. The cloudy skies made the light even, bright and beautiful all around.
Natural Light
Afternoon
Cloudy
I edited the image in Lightroom Classic and used Dirty Boots and Messy Hair (DB1) as a base. My style is moody and romantic, and I found that particular preset helps me to achieve that look. I adjusted the temperature quite a bit to add a warmer mood because the image was captured on a cloudy day.
I lowered the exposure and sharpened the image a bit. I then decreased the texture and minimised the red saturation on the Grooms hands as they were quite red from the cold and it was distracting me. I also removed some white flower petals from the water to create a smooth surface. The roof had some rain water stains on them, which I removed using the spot removal tool.
I used the gradient tool to darken the clouds slightly too.
Afterwords, I added a cloud overlay from Atmos in photoshop to create some extra drama in front of the Chapel.
The biggest challenge was the rain. I remember asking the couple if we could take photos inside the chapel until the rain stopped.
The Brides dress was completely soaked and very heavy! The groom had to literally twist the dress like a towel to get rid of all the water!
We were very lucky to have had a few minutes where it was only drizzling slightly and that is how this particular image came to be.
Luckily, the bride made the dress herself and she did not stress about it at all.
Bosjes
R43, Worcester, 6849, South Africa
Church
South Africa
Sometimes the best shots happen by total accident. Like running from the rain, or getting from one location to the next and accidentally seeing something that could potentially be a beautiful image.
Use the weather and background to your advantage. See how the subject can mimic the background and always keep an eye out for corresponding lines.
Where are we going?
Account
need help
This content has been marked as Premium and requires an active subscription in order to access it. We’re so sorry about that. But hey, here’s what you can do:
Get access to everything on the site as well as a ton of perks & benefits.
Well then, let’s get you logged in and hide this annoying thingy-ma-jig.