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Wedding Photography: to move forward
 Part II

Bride

Photo: Elena DUBROVINA

The backlight hitting right into the lens caused the backlighting that ended up giving that extra artistic effect.

Your Lordship!

Two photographers having a drink.

– And your wife is beautiful?

– Well, that depends on how you set the light!

Bearded photographic anecdote

What makes a picture beautiful?? There are times when the first response that pops out of aspiring photographers is: “Photoshop!”
My God! How could they make beautiful photographs ten years ago without any computer intervention??

Let’s try to understand. The content of a picture can be thematic a well-captured emotional or “politically” significant moment and aesthetic. By aesthetics I mean purely visual moments: composition and pattern plastic and light .

Plasticity, including purity of lines, depth of field or absence of it in the form of beautifully blurred background, stretching out the picture to the Cheshire Cat smile with an extra wide angle and other visual tricks are provided by optics and a photographer’s ability to use it in time. But the question of lenses: how do discrete lenses differ from zooms, what are their possibilities, and what kind of cases are appropriate in relation to the wedding photography, we will consider in the next issue, and now we’re talking about the light component of photography.

Beautiful light is “our everything” of a true photographer! Despite the aggression of digital technology I’m not referring to the way images are taken and fixed, but to the substitution of some basic concepts that underlie the invention of photography , light painting has not yet been renamed “photoshoping”, so processing is the very last step, rather an additional one. On the computer you can clean up the picture, hide minor defects and add tonal coloring, but that’s more of a “finishing touch”. If we are talking about some fundamental changes issues related to collage and digital art are not taken into consideration , it’s easier to redo a photo than fundamentally change what was put into it when it was photographed. Magic light patterns cannot be created with a graphic editor, nor can joyful emotions be photoshopped into sour, tense faces.

There are two ways to achieve beautiful light: catch live or create artificial light.

Of the interesting solutions based on live sunlight, especially good:

  • backlight. Depending on the purpose you can shoot the foreground with a dark silhouette against a background of a detailed background, or, on the contrary, you can “pull up” the faces in the foreground and make the background look like “overlight. You can also shine a reflector opposite the sun to make a picture saturated with light
  • arched light. It’s a kind of soft shadowless lighting, it comes at a certain moment when coming out of a dark archway or under a bridge and is very good for creating portraits
  • “a ray of light in a dark realm.”. It’s like when you’re walking down a shady alley and suddenly through the leaves, there he is!

The main sources of artificial light that photographers use are external flash and video light, which not so long ago became widespread in photographic circles. Also for additional illumination it is good to use reflectors – special light disks or any available surface for example it can be walls .

Video light, which, as the name implies, was previously only used by cameramen, is now very much in vogue with photographers. It creates the effect of a frame from a movie with “real cinematic” light, and helps in those cases where the natural lighting is useless. Remember how great it would be to turn off the flash and, adjusting to the light from his camera, use this unexpected gift of fate at full throttle when shooting with a videographer in a dark hall at a banquet or in a dusky reception !

There are certain mobility restrictions associated with having your own video light: someone knowledgeable needs to hold it, as well as carry a spare battery. But the result is very effective, a lot of situations can be saved this way, turning an unremarkable picture if not a masterpiece, then quite interesting from a graphical point of view.

Speaking about the most operative ways to make a picture glow and “Hollywood”, a reflector light disk in professional terminology is a photographer’s best friend.

Lite discs come in three shades: warm gold, cool silver or white and neutral, when gold and silver stripes balance each other out. It’s a matter of taste, but for some reason I like the yellow one best. Fans of the precise color temperature values can blame me, but I love it when the picture contains light sources of different colors. It’s just a matter of taste and proof that there is no one right solution. In my opinion, the combination of warm and cold light adds volume and vibrancy to the picture.

A reflector works on the principle of a sunny rabbit familiar from childhood: it simply catches the light flux and directs it towards the desired direction.

When shooting against the sun a reflector can be used instead of a flash to illuminate shadows. But with frontal “head-on” illumination, you have to consider that the glare is very bright you’re essentially letting a giant hare into a person’s eyes . It’s hard to stand it for a long time, people start to crinkle, tear up, and get all cranky. the distance a person with a reflector is in relation to the subject also affects the intensity and “toxicity” of the reflected light. Of course, this is all mostly true for those cases where there is something to directly reflect, but even on a cloudy day, it is able to give a warm glow and liven up the picture.

The only disadvantage: a photographer can’t shoot and hold a reflector at the same time. Therefore, as in the case of video light, an assistant is needed. This is negotiated with customers in advance, and if the presence of an assistant does not fit into the budget, and the photographer’s style of work allows for mobility, you can use some of the guests. There is always someone who would love to play the role of a photographer’s assistant. The most interesting thing is that there are talented reflector holders and there are completely mediocre ones, even though it seems to be a very simple thing. But some people sense light, and some don’t. Besides a photographer and a light disk holder see a picture from different angles, and mutual understanding in this matter is necessary.

children at the wedding

Photo: Olesya GUDKOVA

The bride

Photo: Olesya GUDKOVA

The video light used in this photo is a great alternative to the flash when you need additional illumination.

In love

Photo: Edward Shcherbakov

The bride and groom

Photo: Eduard Scherbakov

The bride and groom

Photo: Maxim NIKOLAEV

Very interesting composition decision. Graphical framing is entirely the merit of the photographer and is used absolutely consciously, regardless of whether he builds the picture artificially or catches on the fly.

The bride

Photo: Asya GORDEEVA

A sunny square on the floor and a glare from a golden reflector on her face and shoulders. This combination was not made on purpose, just a good use of a naturally occurring situation.

Bride and groom

Photo: Edward Shcherbakov

The filling of the picture very much depends on the lens with what focal length the photographer uses. How the choice of optics affects the space in the frame, we will consider in detail in the next issue.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 3
  1. Everly

    This is an intriguing title, but I’d love to know more about what this article entails. Is it about the evolving trends in wedding photography? Or perhaps it discusses the challenges photographers face in the digital age? Could you please provide a brief overview of what to expect in Part II? Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Adam Robinson

    Can you please provide more insights in the second part of Wedding Photography: to move forward? I’m really interested in knowing how the industry has evolved and what innovative techniques photographers are using to capture those special moments on a couple’s big day.

    Reply
    1. Avalon

      Certainly! The wedding photography industry has seen significant changes in recent years. With the advancement of technology, photographers are now incorporating innovative techniques to capture unique and creative shots.
      Some popular trends include using drones for aerial shots, creating cinematic wedding films, and experimenting with different editing styles to give photos a more artistic touch.
      Additionally, photographers are focusing on capturing candid moments and emotions, rather than just traditional posed shots. This helps in creating a more authentic and storytelling approach to wedding photography.
      Overall, the industry has evolved towards more personalization and creativity, allowing couples to have a more meaningful and memorable documentation of their special day.

      Reply
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