Sunday, November 13, 2016

Photographing Details...exposure and placement

When it comes to the "getting ready" part of the day (as it relates to weddings) I will often encourage my brides to allow me to be there while they're having their hair and makeup done.  Sometimes they visibly wince...why would they need an hour or two worth of photos of THAT?  And my answer is..you don't.  BUT it's the only time of the day that I have access to the details.  Wedding gown, shoes, special jewelry and family keepsakes.

Having access to these things is just one part of the equation.  Deciding where to bring them and how to photograph them is the other. Here's a preview into a couple of scenarios...

When I photograph weddings (and in particular...DETAILS), I show up really early.  If you think I'm starting at 1, I usually show up a little after 12.  Why?  Because I want the extra time to arrange things and decide on how to light them.  And to do this properly, I need time to think and try different ideas out.

This first shot is a great example of available light and manual camera settings.  I set the shoes on a window ledge.  The manual exposure I chose gave me the image above (awesome!).  Then, I laughed to myself as I looked out the window at the parking lot and buildings.  No one would believe I shot this with all of that distracting stuff behind it.  So I exposed for the background instead, and shot the picture below.  It never ceases to amaze me what you can DO with a camera if you control the settings manually.  

Shoes on the ledge...exposed for the background, not the subject.

For this photo, I was trying to find the right background t make the lettering on her hanger show up the best.  The wall worked alright (above), but I wasn't sure that was the best I could do. 

...so I brought it over and hung it on the darkest thing I could find...the TV set!  (See photo below) I like this one best, but I will give both images to my bride, so she can decide which one she prefers.  

One of the few times I've appreciated a large TV set in a hotel room.  Mounted on the wall, it could easily hold the weight of the brides dress while I shot this detail.  

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