Dad, Groom and In-laws

[RodneyBlair]

It was 2pm, no clouds, no good shaded areas and way too hot. I couldn't keep their faces cleaned fast enough so despite my greatest efforts I still ended up with shine on the faces.

I used a studio strobe high above the camera...maybe slightly to my left. I sharpened this as I do prints so it's a bit much for the web...sorry about that.

[vIZnquest]

I find that the flowers really grab my interest here. The picture as a whole is very good and the lighting is very natural looking.

[VTphotog]

Using the bridge to frame the shot is a nice touch. I take it the groom is the one who ISN'T smiling? :roll: Great symbolism. Will he cross the bridge or jump off? :evil:

Good use of natural light, and some fill as well (?)

brian

[RodneyBlair]

VTphotog wrote:

Using the bridge to frame the shot is a nice touch. I take it the groom is the one who ISN'T smiling? :roll: Great symbolism. Will he cross the bridge or jump off? :evil:

Good use of natural light, and some fill as well (?)

brian

The sun is above, but slightly behind the subjects. Though there are trees behind, they are not providing any shade due to the position of the sun. The sun provides my hair light(see top of head and shoulders) and fill. The sun bounced from the bridge flooring provides nice even frontal and side fill. I used a studio strobe(key light) to provide frontal lighting. The bounced fill from the flooring also contributes to the key light exposure.

The groom not smiling is per my request. I think it is a nice touch. I also shot one with all subjects smiling because his wife would kill me if I got a shot of her new hubby without a big smile on his face. :-)

The shot is a pre-ceremony shot so I wanted a shot of him looking somewhat weak-kneed. He was very excited about getting married, but men always joke about getting cold feet. I asked the brother in-law on the right to give me a devilish grin. :-)

Rodney

[RodneyBlair]

vIZnquest wrote:

I find that the flowers really grab my interest here. The picture as a whole is very good and the lighting is very natural looking.

The flowers have a little more impact for the web version because I did not do an edit specifically for the web so it's a bit over sharpened.

Though you see them as a distraction, it is the flowers that pull this group together and give the viewer a clue why these men are together dressed as they are. Here, the clothing and any accessories are important elements.

The overall scene is bright with dark elements(distractions) therefore, it is the flowers that quickly draw the viewer near the area we want them to be.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Rodney

[vIZnquest]

I did not find the flowers as a distraction. It complemented all of them very well. I prefer this over the bland white or the overdone red that I have seen many times over.

[KENNETHD]

A picture of the bride in the middle might have put a more visual wedding atmosphere before the viewers.

[vIZnquest]

RodneyBlair wrote:

I don't understand why you would even suggest something that absurd. This is a pre-ceremony shot. A traditional no-no to see the bride before the wedding. I am sure there is something to what you suggested but it was not shared in this post.

How about technical merit in your reply rather than adding say a car or a boat for that matter.

[rjseeney]

KENNETHD wrote:

A picture of the bride in the middle might have put a more visual wedding atmosphere before the viewers.

I like what Rodney has done here. It is pretty obvious what this group is gathered for. The fact that people have been able to pick out who the groom was validates the composition and expressions. I know one of my favorite pictures from my wedding was the one with me and all of my groomsmen. Having the bride in the composition would be nice, as would shooting the same pic of the bride with her bridesmaids, but this thread is about the technique of this particular shot.

I appreciate the difficulty in getting exposure correct in this situation. I recently took pictures at a First Communion under the same conditions and struggled with not overexposing the whites. I will try to duplicate this technique in my future attempts at event photography.

Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad to see you back in this forum Rodney:!:

[KENNETHD]

Weddings tend to be creative affairs these days, and imagination is given free rein in many creative ways. I realize pictures of either the groom and his stalwarts or the bride and her bevy are standard wedding shot fare. For good reason. They document part of the ceremony. Fine for documenting. The most creative shots reflecting the union are of the bride and groom. Just linking the shot with the titles of the subjects, and not trashing the shot itself. My comment was pointing out an artistic view, with an insight into the usual run of the mill shots weddings generate. This shot will be a treasured document, and has technical merit to be sure. Well done!