While my approach is very unposed, I’m constantly talking to the couple, cheering them on and encouraging them. I would have asked Arun to jump up onto that rock. I would have made sure I was in place with my composition dialed in, then would have asked Lauren to go join him on the rock. From there, the exact moment happened naturally. I would have taken 20+ frames of her making her way up the rock, then many more once they were on the rock. But as often happens, the best images are the in-between moments; the moments that are the most natural.
My approach to direction is to make it as informal as possible. To almost hide my directions in regular conversation. So we would have been talking about something irrelevant to the shoot, and I would have asked Arun to head up onto that rock, then carried on with the conversation. The less the couple are in their own heads, the better, so I try to minimise directions; I want to avoid every reminding them that this is a photoshoot. I want them to feel like they’re enjoying an amazing sunset with their love. I want my presence to be a by-the-by, not a hindrance.
“Arun, lets have you head up on to that rock! That’s perfect! Lauren, make your way up to meet him! Perfect you guys!”
Calm
A couple of key features of this composition are:
1. nothing is competing with the couple. They are in negative space, where there is loads of contrast around them, so they can draw the eye.
2. the horizon line is intentionally low in their bodies, so it isn’t competing with their heads.
3. the rock on the left, the couple, and the rock on the right following the rule of thirds
4. the couple and the ground is locked to the very bottom of the frame to allow for the grandeur of the trees to shine forth. If I had stood up, the trees would not have looked as big.
Lower Thirds
Any time I’m shooting into bright sunlight, the camera’s autofocus becomes less accurate and reliable. As long as the couple is not moving toward me or away from me, I can address this by focusing once carefully by using live view and zooming in, then putting the camera in manual focus mode.
Manual Focus
Single Point
the Groom
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.
I have set my exposure for the blue sky, not the subject. Since the subject is backlit, they become dark. The girl’s skin on the side facing the sun is roughly the same brightness as the sky, so you can see a hint of her face, as well as a little bit of light showing through her skirt.
Natural Light
Sunset
Clear
This was edited in Lightroom using a custom preset. The white balance has been warmed up considerably, the saturation of the blue has been reduced, and a gradient has been added to the bottom of the frame to reduce the exposure of the grass so it doesn’t draw the eye.
This shot was very straight forward and I didn’t face any major challenges with it. It helps to always keep up the compliments and words of encouragement as it makes the couple feel really, really good. And in the end, they trust you more.
It’s all about communication and keeping the vibes positive. When you couple feel good with you, they trust you more. That allows them to relax with each other and how you can capture truly authentic moments.
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand
Hill
New Zealand
The key to pulling of a shot like this is choosing a location and composition where there is a huge amount of contrast around the subject. They need to be very dark relative to the sky or whatever is behind them. This works less well on an overcast day, since the sky is less bright. Bright sunny days are perfect.
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