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Reflections : Thoughts on a Styled Wedding Shoot
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I n my last Shooting Star video post, I alluded to styled shoots and how they work...from my perspective. I understand everyone has different approaches to styled shoots, but I thought a few people might benefit from a behind-the-scenes look into this particular shoot from my angle.
Like I mentioned in the video, I lovvvvve photographing stylized wedding shoots. Love it. It allows my brain to think differently and challenge myself. I'm only ever approached for two types of styled shoots: 1. As a documenter (I show up and photograph the design); or 2. As a collaborator (I have a say in the overall design aesthetic). The 1950s Mod Wedding shoot I posted yesterday was the latter. I had lunch with Jesi Haack and we decided to work together. This decision wasn't arbitrary...we spoke about the trajectory of the shoot, our goals, and ensured it was mutually beneficial for everyone involved. |
Having said that, here's a few random things about the shoot you may or may not find helpful...why do I always feel like I talk too much?! Because I do. Wow, I just answered my own question...I'm cool.
*Finding a location is difficult.
If you're photographing in a field, this won't be much of an issue, but since our shoot had a distinct vibe to it, we needed to choose a very specific location. A ballroom wasn't an option (it didn't reflect the story), a hotel wouldn't work (too cliche), and a golf course wouldn't be a match. This limited our traditional shoot locations...a lot. It was actually one day before the shoot we nailed down confirmation to shoot at Memphis Cafe...but it had to be in between the lunch and dinner rush as to not disturb patrons.
*There's a TON of work involved.
This pertains more to the designer and florist, but as a collaborator, there's a lot of correspondence and throwing around of ideas. Oh, and there's a bit of stress...not gonna lie. Because everyone is contributing their time and effort (and funds), I felt an inordinate amount of pressure to deliver. At the end of the day, if the pictures suck...it's my fault. I couldn't sleep for two nights before the shoot.
*Things will go awry...deal with it.
The biggest obstacle on the day of the shoot was the location and time constraints. The Cafe itself was awesome...it's just that at 3pm, the light was unbelievably harsh as it glared through the windows. And due to the layout of the shoot, the table and whiskey bar had to be set up window-side. As I walked into the cafe for the shoot, Jesi and Carissa worried about the light. It limited the angles I could photograph the table details, but it didn't limit me shooting in general, so I did the best I could. The light also played an issue when shooting the models indoors, but instead of fighting the light, JD and I simply shot from one of two angles...and made it work. I guess that's the moral here: Take what you have and shake it.
*What's the theme/story?
Jesi and I debated the theme of the shoot, but we did know a few things: no pastels, birdcages or a sofa in a field. Maybe Peaches+Pearls...maybe using the Rhianna's "Rude Boy" music video as inspiration (Rastafari meets Andy Warnhol)...but the "story" was missing. Finding the theme is easier than finding the story. As a photographer, I create a story in my mind for the shoot so my photos can narrate it. It creates a tighter edit and vendors know, precisely, how the shoot will unfold and pictures captured.
*Do it DIFFERENTLY.
This ties in with the previous point. If you're planning to collaborate on an inspiration shoot, please don't do what you've seen hundreds of times on wedding blogs. This is an opportunity to redefine a potential trend in our industry. Do I think brides will wear three-inch fake eyelashes? Of course not...but it may encourage them to think differently about their makeup. Do I think brides will wear a long-sleeve sequince wedding dress? I'd hope so, but it's dubious...but it may encourage them to think differently about wedding fashion. Do I think Pucci-pattern table linen will be all the rage next season? No...but it may encourage brides to take more risks and have a wedding truly reflective of their personal style.
That's what I hope these types of styled wedding shoots accomplish...reminding brides to take the rules and BREAK THEM.
Happy Wednesday! |
    
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Reflections : Natural Light Photography
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A few days ago Chris Walters wrote and asked me on Facebook how I find and use natural light during an engagement session. More often than that, it's just something I do, not necessarily something I'm good at explaining with just words. But that didn't help Chris, nor would it help anyone else with a similar question so I got to thinking...and when I think, it usually requires JD to do something. Like I've mentioned before, I love ideas, but he's much better at executing them. Which leads me to today's Reflections Post.
I asked JD to come with me to Eileen and Joel's engagement session to photograph behind-the-scenes photos of me shooting, specifically showcasing the environment and the light source(s). I think this is the best way I can approach this question without demonstrating in person. But, lemme tell you, I'm way more fun in real life. Honest. |
| I usually start the session 1-1.5 hours before sunset, but since we were shooting in an urban area, I knew the tall buildings would block a bit of light, so we started 2 hours before sunset. Because the sun was quite bright, I started the session in shaded areas, but ensured there was natural light reflected from nearby buildings. Here Joel and Eileen stand on a shaded street... |
| As you can see in the window reflections, the caramel colored building across the street poured a dose of warm light to illuminate the location and minimize the muddiness an overtly shaded location can provide. |
| Ever since buying the Canon 35mm, 1.4, I've become smitten with up close and personal photos. Smitten. Yes, I stand close to my clients, but it gives an entirely different feel to the photo and I'm a fan. |
| Yes, THIS CLOSE. The light source is behind me and you can see how bright it was (right side of the photo) and I'm standing just to the right of Eileen so I am not blocking it from illuminating her face. |
| Nice glowy light...in an alley? (Yes, I realize 'glowy' isn't a word) |
| Clearly there wasn't exposure compensation done on this photo, but I'm using it to show, precisely, just how strong the light source was...you know I love me some natural reflectors! The illuminated wall behind my left shoulder is reflecting light onto my subjects making an otherwise darkish alley shootable (again, I'm not sure shootable is a word either). Oh, and in case you're wondering, I'm holding Eileen's purse because I couldn't bear to see it placed on the floor...lord only knows what would've ended up on the bottom of her Louis Vuitton... |
| Like I mentioned in their blog post, this was the last frame from the session and as we were walking back to our cars, I stopped when I saw the light pouring down...I live for light like this... |
| Now here's a pulled back version of the photo. Clearly it's not a cute location...and it smelled just as funky as you think it would. But this light was amazing and the overhead bridge provided a frame for me that I might not have seen walking through another alley. Sometimes it takes me walking backwards (which I did when I talked to them) to see light and locations differently. |
Okay, so now I'm at the end of this post and I feel a bit lame because I'm not sure if this was helpful, but here's the point: I had an idea...and JD made it happen. That right there? Well, I think he deserves an "A" on this project. You see, I'm not as cold and heartless as some of you think I am with my grading!
**EDITED TO ADD**
For those who asked, I used the 50mm for every photo except the one I highlighted with the 35mm. For the entirety of the shoot, however, I also used the 85mm. Also, for those who asked what I was doing with my hand in the last photo: I was shielding the sun so I could focus on my clients (sometimes when the sun is too harsh and pointed into my lens it prevents me from doing so). Thanks, friends! :) |
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Reflections : Family Wedding Portraits
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W ell, it's Monday. Wheeee. Or should I write, Wheeee!! Don't exclamation points change the tone of a post? A period could make it sound sarcastic or matter-of-fact-ish. An exclamation point? I'd say exclamation points show team spirit. They're like the mascot of a paragraph.
I thought it'd be nice to start this week with a Reflections post. As I've said before, Reflections posts are entries dedicated to addressing an issue I faced during a shoot and the decision I made to change the outcome. At my last wedding, I spent a wonderful morning with the bride, Tina, while JD hung out with the groom, Vince. They did their First Look at The Standard Hotel and wedding photos in Downtown Los Angeles. I suggested completing family formal portraits before the ceremony and the couple readily agreed. We decided to meet at the church for these pictures and take things from there.
Sounds straight-forward, right? Not so much. When we arrived at the church, the wedding scheduled before Vince and Tina's was running late. In a relatively short amount of time, hundreds of guests would pour from the church and disrupt family pictures outside of the church if I posed them outdoors. The areas surrounding the church weren't exactly picturesque (nothing against the church...I'm speaking from a strictly photographic perspective) and the space I needed for group shots wasn't available. |
| Still determined to make things work, I started taking small group photos as we waited for others to arrive. |
When I viewed these pictures on my LCD screen on the back of my camera and immediately went into panic mode. Not okay. TOTALLY. NOT. OKAY. I was just picturing an album spread filled with that yellow and red background and then I got a nervous twitch in my left eye. I smiled and politely said I'd wait for the others to arrive before completing the rest of the photos. Then I ran across the street to look for an alternative location.
When I found a spot that worked, I ran back across the street (no one saw me running...Internet, I'm totally CLASSY) and made a tough decision. I asked everyone to move. I can't tell you how uncomfortable this made me (partly because I didn't want them to think the church wasn't working and partly because I didn't want to bother 25 people), but my request was greeted with total support. I believe the support came from a few things, but mainly: 1. My clients trusted me; 2. They, too, saw the environment and potential obstacles and; 3. I acted in control and made a professional request as kindly as possible. I can't tell you how thankful I am for my amazing clients. |
| Because it was an overcast day, the afternoon light was pretty much perfect, so JD was able to shoot from an entirely different angle and diversify the family portrait portfolio... |
| Vince, Tina, and his ever fab sisters...love these girls! |
| Because of their trust and support, I believe they'll have stronger family photos that are simply prettier. I created a win-win for myself and my clients...and this makes me happy. |
| If you're ever in a situation when you feel like you need to make a tough decision, trust your gut. As professionals, we're in charge and we hold the key to narrate our clients' wedding day in the best possible light. Happy Monday. Wheeee!! |
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Reflections : Natural Reflectors
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H appy Wednesday, y'all! I decided to revisit a post from last week and create a Reflections entry about it because it was one of the toughest shoots I had in regard to lighting. This time of year can present tricky lighting situations and when I shot this photo session a couple weeks ago, it was no exception. I usually arrange the a session about an hour and a half before sunset if I'm shooting along the coast. I can usually find open shade to shoot the couple in until the sun has fallen and created a nice, orangey glow around sunset. However, when you're shooting on a boat dock, you're not given that luxury as open shade isn't readily available.
I arrived early to scope out the location and realized there was, literally, no where else to shoot besides the dock. And it was blazing. That's when I went into red-DELAY-THIS-SHOOT-alert, but kept my demeanor calm on the outside. I needed to buy some time before getting the boat on the water because it was far too bright to shoot, so I assessed my options and here's a photo of what they were: |
| You can see from the photo above the light was scattered in between each boat, but I made mental notes of where the natural reflectors were and where I could place my subjects on open shade. Now, the photo below didn't make the final edit because I felt the natural reflector was far too distracting, but I'm showing it here to put into context how I positioned the bride and groom in relation to the reflector, which was about 3-4 feet from them. |
| Whenever I'm using natural reflectors, I try to omit them from the frame so I don't reveal the light source, as it's usually blown out and distracting in a photo. In the photo below, the natural reflector is just left to the frame and is bouncing light back onto their faces. If the reflector wasn't there, their faces would be far too shadowed since the sun was so harsh. |
| In the following photo, I had about four feet of shade to work with...which is less than ideal, I know...but you have to take what you have and make it work. I grabbed a stool and asked the couple to share it. The main natural reflector for this shot is about two feet in front of them on the pavement, which bounced light back onto their faces. |
| I hope this helps put into context how I shoot using only available light. Yes, it's sometimes difficult, but I prefer natural, life-like imagery and using artificial reflectors or fill-flash takes that away from me. If this explanation was confusing...forgive me...it's all I have and maybe I'll try again in the near future to explain my approach and thought process! :) |
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Reflections : Mistakes + Previsualization
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I took a break this morning from packing for our upcoming trip to Texas and I've been thinking quite a bit lately about posing. Having respite from intensive weeks of shooting allows me to think of poses and creating situations for my clients to be comfortable and have fun. Most of the time I'm not thinking of poses, necessarily, but actions that will lead to a picture that was, yes, posed, but natural in its formation. My clients aren't models, so in our short time together on an engagement session, I have to--essentially--teach them how to move into poses without the Stand-in-front-of-this-brick-wall-and-kiss directive. Because, really, the posed kissing shot is just never fun.
If I see an advertisement or photo I like, I ask myself how the photographer might have directed the models into such a position. No, like, really I make the conversation in my head...so I can later use it if I'm put in a similar scenario. It's not enough to simply like a picture and then assume I'll be able to do the same thing. It's called practice because I'm practicing.
Often times, if I think of a pose I want to create, I try it with JD. At home. Yes, it's totally weird...but I'd rather be weird in the confines of my home than make my clients feel awkward at a shoot in the future. I previsualize because I want to move confidently at a photoshoot and explain with precision the vision in my mind and it comes easier if I've done it before. Now, that's not to say all my idea are awesome. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Just last month--when our friends visited and we ventured to the beach--I asked Amy to snap a photo of me and JD while I did a pose I've been working on for a while in my mind. I explained to her what I wanted, but she stood with a big question mark above her head. I shrugged my shoulders and just told her to shoot away.
Well, the pose didn't really work. At all. In fact, nobody understood what I wanted to do and it ended up being a communication disaster. Clearly, this was NOT the photo I had in my mind: |
Oh well. It didn't work. I'm still trying to refine my directives to see if I can bring my idea to life at a engagement session in the near future, but until then, I'll keep thinking of ideas and having conversations in my head.
I might sound crazy, but I promise I'm totally normal. Seriously. |
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