Archive for 'Tech Tips'
Last August I met with Mel and Jay at a Boston restaurant in hopes of being their wedding photographer. A few minor flight delays, 4,000 photos and a sunburn later, I can say the meeting was a success!
Bobby and Medea are a wedding photographer’s dream couple. They’re laid back and willing to trust your vision, even if that means walking out onto some rocks in heels for a photo. The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in the East Village, followed by a very cool reception at Hill Crest Manor in Northport, Long Island. Here are some of my favorites.
They had the idea of taking a few quick shots where they met. The couple and bridal party walked the two blocks to the cafe just as the limo pulled up as my assistant Lindsay and I came barreling in with a bunch of camera gear. It was a scene. Though it’s amazing how people react to a bride. The girl behind the counter gave us the ok, so we snagged about 3 setups and 50 frames in under five minutes.
Photo Geek Stuff:
Everyone on the bench was asked to not look at the camera or the bride and groom. I wanted it to look normal that a couple on their wedding day would be kicking it just like them on a Saturday afternoon. A nice young lady even cleared her table of her computer and books so they could sit at the very table they met. Followed by a reenactment of how Bobby made his move, asking about Medea about her iPhone while waiting on line.
The reception was at a bed and breakfast, Hill Crest Manor in Northport, about an hour east of NYC. Great harbor a few blocks away and beautiful grounds. Perfect for a smaller sized wedding.
Photo Geek Info:
Shot mostly with D3, Lindsay mostly with a D200. Some of the portraits were shot with natural night, the rest with just one SB900 fired with a pocket wizard, into a 4′x3′ soft box, attached to a monopod, attached to Lindsay’s hands. The fact she’s so mobile saves me a lot of time. This is crucial as things are always running late and usually my time is the one to be cut short. For big groups indoors, I usually have to set up at least two lights to give it a little mood.
Only other thing that goes unnoticed is a secondary light in the dancing and tent photos, a SB800 with a 1/2 CTO gel attached, fired directly up into a corner of the tent to give some extra fill and a little warmth once the sun set.
The last image is pretty close to how it came out of the camera. I brought down the tent lights a bit in PS but the sky and house are from same exposure. Never under estimate a good tripod! This was f/5, 1.6″, 1000 ISO. To be honest it doesn’t make much sense shooting this at ISO 1000. If I have the tripod I could’ve just shot it at 100 for a guarantee noiseless image. Especially if you are going to start getting into compositing. This past weekend I played with a similiar shot, f/8, 15″, 320 ISO. I’ll let you know how it turns out.