HOW i SHOT THiS

  • afternoon
  • kaleidescope
  • white background
  • Unposed
  • Soft Light
  • simple
  • Prism
  • Natural Light
  • Natural Frames Soft Light
  • Natural
  • Mid range
  • Indoor
  • Bride
  • HD Presets
  • gentle
  • dark skin
  • Dark
  • curly hair
  • Creative
  • Closed Eyes
  • Center Framed
  • calm
  • Bright
  • Window Light

The story behind the image

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After slipping on her dress, I had Breanna stand in front of a window that looked out onto the city and takes a moment to breathe. Wedding days can often be fast-paced and a bit stressful, so I always strive to create quiet + intentional moments for the couple to soak things in.
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Directions

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

I asked Breanna to stand in front of the window and take a moment to breathe. When I realized how beautiful the light was reflecting on her face, I asked her to close her eyes and think about some of her favorite memories with her partner, Chris. The direct sunlight from the window created the most perfect glow along her face and I positioned a glass prism in front of my lens to add a bit more depth to the image.

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What did you say?

This light is so nice! Would you mind standing in front of the window and closing your eyes?

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Tone of Directions

Calm

Composition

I try not to get too caught up in the rules of composition and instead aim to focus more on capturing the emotion behind a moment. For this shot, I noticed how beautiful the light was shining through the window and knew I had to take advantage of it. I asked Breanna to stand directly in front of the window it so it would create a soft glow across her face. I used my 50mm lens and positioned her in the center of the frame to create a simple portrait. When I noticed how powerful the moment felt, I pulled out my glass prism and placed it directly in front of my lens to create a more artistic effect. I wanted to highlight the depth of her expression by adding additional layers of her face across the image. This draws the viewer in and highlights the emotion behind the photo.

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framing

Center Framed

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

I used single-point focus to lock focus on the bride’s eyes. For still shots with little to no movement, I find single-shot autofocus to be the best as it creates incredibly sharp images.

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Focus Mode

Single Shot Autofocus

Focus POints

Single Point

Focused on

the bride's eyes

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Flash
None
Filter
None
1/1600 @ f/2.0 ISO320 WB-6400K

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 overcast day, so the light shining in through the window wasn’t too harsh. Normally when I shoot with direct window light, I incorporate more negative space and shadows, but this light created a soft glow across Breanna’s face without losing detail in the rest of the image. On cloudy days, light from a window can be your best friend for creating some dreamy + dramatic portraits.

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Light Type

Natural Light

Time of day

Afternoon

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

I’m drawn to more neutral and muted colors, which is usually reflected in my editing style. I used the Whidbey preset by Henry Tieu (he is incredible!!) and played a good bit with the tone curve and colors to create more peachy skin tones. I wanted the image to be timeless yet bold and I altered the shadows a bit to achieve this look. I don’t do much retouching to skin and always aim for edits to be a natural and authentic reflection of the beauty people hold.

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Editing Software
Lightroom Classic

Challenges

The biggest challenge was making sure the light wasn’t too harsh on the subject’s face.

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Solutions

I repositioned her a bit to make sure the highlights didn’t blow out and I didn’t lose any detail in her face. Overall, the light was quite nice and there weren’t too many challenges with creating this image.

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Location

Location Name

The William-Oliver Building

Location aDDRESS

Atlanta, Georgia

Loation Type

Private Home / AirBnB / Apartment

Country

United States

You don’t need epic backdrops to create meaningful + beautiful portraits. This was shot in an apartment before heading outside for a couple’s portraits and it was my favorite image of the day.

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