Eliminating Dark Shadows

As for the other details, I try to find a clean background; this way, the details don’t get lost if the background is too busy and distracting. The problem was that I had to work with a white desktop, but it was far away from the window, and the light wasn’t pleasant. So my solution was to use my Reflex as a portable window light. I used the light thru a basic 33” translucent umbrella, and now I created a portable window light for the rest of the details.

The second most crucial detail shot is the wedding dress. Some may say it is the most important, so it’s debatable. Here’s the problem, where do you shoot the wedding dress in a standard hotel room where it is impossible to go outside and hang it on a tree or somewhere interesting?

My standard procedure that works every time is to hang it on a large window with some backlight. Backlight creates romance and mood. I bring a large hook on a suction cup, so I always have a place to hang a dress on a window if needed. I then ask the bride to come by the window and pretend to get it ready. Makes for a great shot every time.

The light was so bright coming thru the window it created a very dark shade on the side I was photographing, and I had to open my exposure so much that I was losing detail on the dress. Because the Reflex is a powerful light source, I could shine a light on the dress, eliminating some of the shade, and now I could bring more detail and contrast back on the dress by lowering my exposure.

The one thing you can’t control at a wedding is sunlight. The wedding photographer has to negotiate all types of lighting situations from overcast, to bright, harsh light which is the most difficult situation to deal with. If the photographer can create a compelling portrait in harsh sunlight, everything else will seem easy.

Here are two tips when shooting in this difficult situation:

1. Keep the nose to the light. This will eliminate dark shadows in wrong areas of the face which can be very unflattering on the subject. Bright and harsh light is very unforgiving, meaning if you don’t position the light correctly on your subject,the shadows will usually make the photo unpresentable because it’s very hard to remove harsh shadows in post. Keeping the nose to the light makes sure the face is always lit correctly.

2. Add a strong light directed at the dark shadow side to show more detail in the portrait. The sun is your main light and the Reflex is your second light controlling the shadows.

Note: Subjects with dark hair have the dilemma of blending into the background and getting lost. I use the Reflex to easily create separation between the subject and the background, defining and outlining my subject while adding glow. It’s like creating dramatic sunset lighting whenever and wherever you want. Romantic Couple Portraits For me, the most important shots of a wedding are formal; these photos are essential to establishing a career- if done well. The problem is… time; it is usually insufficient and can be very stressful.

Here are some tips on creating great bridal photos quickly and easily.

1. Look for the backlight. Backlight creates mood and makes every shot look romantic. Could you position the subject's heads with the light behind them so you can see a clear head shadow on the ground? This will create a light halo around the heads and veil for a glowing effect.

2. look for glowing trees or leaves that seem to light up because of the sun backlighting them. This will make the perfect backdrop.

3. Add light to your subjects, especially if there is a strong backlight. The added light on your subject will help balance the exposure- meaning the exposure in the background vs. the exposure of the subject is balanced. I use my Reflex to do this, and I can create the perfect ratio to my taste.

The brighter your background light, the more light you will need on your subject, and the Reflex has enough power. I usually would require a flash to output this much power, but now I can use my Reflex, which is perfect for capturing video too. Your stills will match the video.

I also use the same technique with my group's bridal formals. Typically photographers would need to use a powerful flash to add light on the subjects. Still, my Reflex has enough power to do the job and is very easy to set up because I can see the amount of light on my issues and adjust the light for the perfect blend- background exposure to subject exposure. When making the group interact for candids, I shoot many frames per second to capture those perfect moments of expression. Typically, a standard flash could not keep up because of recycle times a flash needs before it can fire again. However, when you use constant light like the Reflex, you never have to worry about recycle times and can fire 20-30fps if you want. By using the Reflex, I am capturing more beautifully crafted moments.

Cinematic First Dance Images

It took me a long time to figure the mood I wanted to capture during the first dance. This is probably one of the most emotional and endearing moments of the wedding. Lighting makes a considerable difference. The problem is that the photographer has to create their own light with an indoor reception because most reception lighting is very dim and dark. Using constant light with the Reflex in this situation has many advantages and makes capturing my signature cinematic style easy. Warning, this takes a little practice, but the results are fantastic.

Here is my step-by-step process:

1. I look for an exciting background and where I want to position myself for the first dance. I usually look for beautiful lights in the background and steer clear of having the DJ or distracting elements in my framing. I often take a low position, shoot up at the hanging lights, and eliminate the guests in the background. In this case, I had some beautiful string lights to work with.

2. I set my exposure to the background, but I keep in mind my shutter speed has to be around 1/160th to 1/200 of a second or more significant to capture and stop the motion of the subjects dancing correctly. So I set my F-stop to the lowest. I love using my 50mm F1.2 lens.

3. I add a backlight with my two Reflex lights. One in each corner of the dance floor points to the middle behind my subjects. Each situation is different, but usually, I set my lights at around 1500 lumens. This will give me some excellent rim light and make my subjects glow.

4. I add a touch of soft light to my subjects to ensure they are not too dark. The light on the issue has to be equal to the light in the background for a perfectly balanced exposure.

To do this, I used a third Reflex and point it up at the ceiling on the opposite side of the dance floor next to me. This will give me some beautiful soft light reflecting down on my subjects and creates a wide spread of light needed as the couple moves around the dance floor. The results are outstanding and I never have to worry about my flash trigger not firing or figuring out the right power of my flash units which can be difficult for the beginner. What you see is what you get. I can now shoot 3-5 frames per second or higher to capture the perfect moments, something I could never do with my traditional flash units. I use the same set up for all the dance floor reception shots with the guests but I just turn all my Reflex lights up at the white ceiling. This gives me a very broad spread of light all over the dance floor and I’m free to capture images no matter where I’m shooting. I adjust the power according to taste.

Reception Table Shots

It is standard that the couple will ask you to take group shots with their guests. You can use an on-camera flash, but that type of light tends to look, as they say, “flashy” and not natural. I love using soft light, and the Reflex makes it easy to do this while walking around the reception area. I don’t have to carry a lot of bulky and cumbersome light stands. I fire a Reflex up at the ceiling. The reflected light is beautiful and soft. It flatters my subjects with beautiful off-camera lighting. I usually set my ISO to around 800 or higher and use a low f-stop like 2.8. The 24-70 lens is perfect for these types of photos.

The Toast and Speeches

The problem with wedding speeches:

1. They are usually too long
2. You don’t know where they are going to stand and where they are going to look- at the couple, at the audience, etc. The best way to tackle this situation is to create a broad spread of soft light across a large area giving it a cinematic and natural look yet still being able to shoot any direction. My solution is to take two Reflex lights and set them on each side of the couples table and point them up at the ceiling and towards the middle of the table so I have two lights at 45 degrees covering a broad range. This creates soft, beautiful light in almost all directions. I can now move to any angle to get the shot I need.