A selection of images from Jill and Stuart's recent wedding at Brandshatch Place Hotel near Fawkham. Please check out their wedding gallery.
HDR (-2, 0, +2), f/5, ISO 100, 27 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
A high-dynamic range (HDR) shot to start off with. Hand-held.
1/1600, f/1.2, ISO 200, -2/3 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
The 85mm lens is great for candids when there's a bit more space. Negative exposure compensation (EC) adjusts for the dark tones.
1/160, f/1.2, ISO 200, -2/3 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
Her face was lit beautifully by window light. Neg EC again.
1/640, f/1.6, ISO 100, 0 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
Enough light was being reflected back from the white front of the hotel to reduce contrast on his face.
1/125, f/2, ISO 400, -2/3 EV, 35 mm, 35mm f/1.4L
I had to hide behind a curtain to remove my reflection. A young Robbie Williams joined us for the shot.
1/250, f/1.4, ISO 400, -1 EV, 35 mm, 35mm f/1.4L
Illuminated by window light (my shadow is visible in the reflection on the picture). Neg EC prevented her face from being over-exposed.
1/160, f/2.8, ISO 500, 0 EV, 29 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Goodness knows what cheeky comment I made here but it seems to have done the trick.
1/125, f/2.8, ISO 2000, 0 EV, 0 FEC, 25 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
The ceremony room was quite dark and their faces were poorly lit. I added some flash, diffused by a Lastolite micro-Apollo. It's a subtle addition to the light.
1/250, f/2.8, ISO 2000, +1/3 EV, +2/3 FEC, 24 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
I had the table moved at an angle so that there was no mirror behind them.
1/80, f/2.8, ISO 2000, 0 EV, 0 FEC, 16 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Post-ceremony relief is clearly captured on Jill's face.
1/80, f/2.8, ISO 800, -2/3 EV, -2/3 FEC, 16 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Another subtle addition of flash light. This time I had a Speedlite fitted with a StoFen omnibounce in my left hand, triggered by an ST-E2 on camera. This is a good alternative to using the micro Apollo with a bracket because:
a) it's lighter!
b) it's good for crowded rooms where the Apollo would blast those closest to the camera with light, even though they might not be the subject of the shot.
c) a StoFen on a Speedlite resembles a bare bulb flash. It's only of use when there are surfaces to bounce light back. Do not use it outside!
1/200, f/2.8, ISO 200, 0 EV, 35 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
1/200, f/8, ISO 1600, -2/3 EV, 32 mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II
I always feel more relaxed when I have the group shot of everyone under my belt. Finding a suitable location can occasionally be a challenge.
1/250, f/2.8, ISO 500, -1/3 EV, 35 mm, 35mm f/1.4L
1/200, f/2.5, ISO 250, -1/3 EV, 35 mm, 35mm f/1.4L
Between takes the ladies relaxed their facial muscles.
1/160, f/1.2, ISO 200, -4/3 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
Some significant neg EC prevented Jill's dress from being nuked.
1/400, f/1.2, ISO 320, 0 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
1/250, f/1.2, ISO 400, 0 EV, 85 mm, 85mm f/1.2L II
I love shooting at f/1.2. It's very unforgiving though. I put the camera on AI Servo for the shot above as they were walking towards me.
1/100, f/2, ISO 1250, 0 EV, -2/3 FEC, 35 mm, 35mm f/1.4L
A subtle kiss of off-camera flash to light their faces. I often feel in need of a power nap after a wedding too!
Comments and queries welcome as ever.
Comments and queries welcome as ever.
My website: Kent wedding photographers
Posts
4 comments:
Hello David,
It's been a while since I left you a comment so I thought I would ask you a few questions at the same time if you don't mind.
Thanks to the excellent way in which you post your images and Metadata I am really starting to understand how you use the EC/FEC to control exposure in scenes which are particularly dark or bright. Do you happen dial in these adjustments from experience or do you use the Zone System? I guess you don't get much time to analyse the scene at weddings so what exactly is your technique for dialling in the correct amount?
I too have the 85mmf/1.2L II but find it very hard to use. Get it right (which is more luck than judgement for me) and its is awesome, but I find that using f1.2 to be very hit and miss with regards to focus and the DOF, i'm interested to know at what distances you are standing in some of the recent photos shown here, are these cropped or as taken?
Another area I really struggle with is low lighting, particularly the usual yellow/orange found indoors. I see that many of your shots where high ISO is used you convert to B&W, I know I do this to try to 'rescue' shots where I haven't got the WB right, do you have any pointers on how to overcome this problem? I did a Registry Office Wedding for a friend of the family recently and it was very low ceilings, filled with very yellow lights and worst of all the walls were covered in a yellow material which made my shots look frankly awful, I only managed to rescue a few good ones with the B&W conversion, so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Keep up the great work, Stephen.
Hi Stephen,
Many thanks for the feedback and comments.
EC/FEC tweaks are instinctive (read my post on unconcious competence). I can look at a scene and know what's required. This comes from experience.
When I shoot wide I only use the central focusing point. The others sometimes struggle. Some photos are cropped but not significantly.
I give my clients all the shots in colour and then convert a good selection to B&W. The photos I choose to put on the blog just depend on what catches my eye at the time.
The Canon automatic white balance system struggles with tungsten light and always needs tweaking.
When a scene has a mix of light sources with different colour temperatures the problems really start. You can get some really unpleasant results! A B&W conversion may then look better than the colour version.
All the best,
David
David, I notice in your comments that you used a StoFen omnibounce. What was the reason for this instead of your usual diffuser?
Hi Dominic,
I use the micro Apollo when I have the flash on camera (with a bracket) and am directing the light forwards - I can see exactly where the light is going. The light is softened because of the larger size of the Apollo compared to the flash head. It's just like having a softbox in the studio.
In the scenario you refer to I had the flash off-camera. I was holding it at arm's length and triggering it remotely. Obviously I can't be spot-on with my targeting and the light source is small, and therefore hard, and so I use a StoFen to diffuse it.
Do you understand the distinction?
Yours,
David
Post a Comment