Venue: Freestone Inn 2nd shooter: Chantal Andrea It's been a while since I posted a wedding. I'm still on a natural color kick - no actions (other than sharpening) have been applied to any of these images. (1) left: 5D/24mm, ISO 1000, f2.0, 1/30 sec middle: 5D/24mm, ISO 320, f2.5, 1/50 sec right (Chantal): 5DMkII/35mm, ISO 400, f2.2, 1/160 sec
(2) left: 5D/70-200mm @200mm, ISO 400, f3.2, 1/1000 sec. Nothing makes your clients look as good as a portrait taken @ 200mm. right (Chantal): 5DMkII/35mm, ISO 320, f2.5, 1/250 sec. I often chimp with my clients - always a good way to keep them loose and engaged.
(3) Top: 5D/70-200 @135mm, ISO 400, f3.2, 1/3200 sec. The fashion shoot took place in the middle of the day. The sun was brutally harsh. However, don't let that stop you from taking beautiful portraits. Just put the sun to your subject's backs and you're good to go. Bottom (Chantal): 5DMkII/35mm, ISO 400, f4.5, 1/160 sec. A good second shooter should always be capturing a different angle than the primary shooter. I'm shooting down, so Chantal got low for this one.
(4) Don't be so eager to always shoot wide open. Stop down a little bit. Your clients will appreciate having both of them in focus. Many photographers I talk to are afraid of stopping down because they mistakenly believe the greater depth of field will make their images look like snapshots. Believe me, a well executed image (composition, lighting, subject interaction) won't look like a snapshot, even with a large dof. It will just look like a beautiful, professional image. Left (Chantal): 5DMkII/50mm, ISO 400, f8, 1/125 sec Right: 30D/17-55mm @55mm, ISO 320, f3.5, 1/500 sec
(5) Left: 30D/17-55 @43mm, ISO 640, f2.8, 1/250 sec. Right: 30D/17-55@24mm, ISO 640, f2.8, 1/250 sec. Yes, I'm still using my old, obsolete Canon 30D. Why? A few reasons I'm still using this old workhorse: (1) it enables me to use Canon's best zoom lens, the incredibly sharp 17-55 f2.8 EFS IS. This lens is far superior to either the 24-70L or the 16-35L, yet can't be used on a full frame body. (2) It's practically worthless, so I'm not worried about it being stolen or broken. (3) I sometimes like the extra dof I can get with a crop sensor. I can get more in focus, even if I'm at f2.8. (4) the 8MP raw file sizes are nice and small and (5) it still takes crispy images! My advice: put your money into your retirement account instead of always buying the latest and greatest gear. What, are these images not sharp enough??
(6) 30D/17-55 @17mm, ISO 800, f2.8, 1/125 sec. I processed all of the black and whites using my favorite conversion method - just hit the "grayscale" button in Lightroom, adjust contrast to taste, and voila!
(7) Left (Chantal): 5DMkII/24mmL, ISO 320, f2.0, 1/500 sec. I knew I'd take this image - or in this case, delegate it to Chantal - way in advance, as soon as I found out that Julie and Seth had written their vows on note cards. Always ask if the couple has vows or speeches written out - they make for great photo opportunities. Right: 5D/24mmL, ISO 320, f3.5, 1/25 sec.
(8) The pre-ceremony cocktail hour.
(9) Left (Chantal): 5dMkII/24-70mm @28mm, ISO 400, f3.5, 1/125 sec. Right: 5D/70-200 @ 130mm, ISO 400, f4.0, 1/1250 sec.
(10) The cutest flower girls ever. Left: 5D/70-200 @200mm, ISO 400, f4.0, 1/2000 sec. Right: 5D/70-200 @200mm, ISO 400, f4.0, 1/2000 sec.
(11) During the ceremony it's important to get both tight shots of the couple at the altar and some shots pulled back showing the entire scene. 5D/70-200mm @70mm, ISO 400, f4.0, 1/1000 sec.
(12) Left: 5D/70-200 @200mm, f5.0, 1/1600 sec. Right: 5D/70-200 @95mm, f3.2, 1/2000 sec.
(13) It's easy to get lulled during the ceremony, but you have to be hyper alert to not miss the kiss, which sometimes only lasts a spit second. I'm happy to report that I've never missed one yet! Left: 5D/70-200 @200mm, ISO 100, f5.0, 1/640 sec. Right (Chantal): 5dMkII/24-70 @24mm, ISO 125, f4.0, 1/40 sec.
(14) 30D/17-55 EFS @17mm, ISO 250, f4.0, 1/800 sec.
(15) My standard setup for formals: manual metering mode, 35mm lens, f5.0. This will give you all the DOF you need. A little fill flash (ettl, -1 FEC) keeps everyone tack sharp. Shoot from the kneeling position to make your composition much more interesting. Stop shooting everything at eye level! Left: 5D/35mmL, ISO 500, f5.0, 1/160 sec, -1 FEC. Right (Chantal): 5D/24-70 @24mm, ISO 250, f7.1, 1/160 sec. I usually have people shooting right beside me during the formals. Doesn't bother me, but I do have to remind everyone to look at my camera. The little guy next to me is a future wedding tog.
(16) Left: 30D/17-55 @18mm, ISO400, f3.5, 1/200 sec. Always keep an eye out for little kids. When they run around during the day they can lead you to some interesting compositions. Right: 30D/17-55 @55mm, ISO 400, f3.5, 1/125 sec. Hugs right after the speeches are important - be ready.
(17) The entire wedding party had to walk a couple hundred yards to the barn for the reception. I knew way ahead of time that I would get this shot, so I ran ahead then stood there at the end of the path and just waited for it. 30D/17-55 @51mm, ISO 200, f3.5, 1/6400 sec.
(18) Details (Chantal) with the 35mm f1.4L. I usually delegate almost all of the detail shots to my 2nd shooter. It frees me up to wait for images like #17 above. By the way, the middle image is my plate - the Freestone Inn puts out a mighty fine spread!
(19) Reception collage. All images taken either with my 5D/24mm combo or Chantal's 5dMKII/35mm. We both were using a bit of bounced flash, as it was quite dark in the barn. My rules on bouncing: When I need to light up more than just my subject I bounce. When I want to light only my subject I use direct flash. In this instance the room was not lit up with dramatic reception lighting - it was just dark all over. In that case, I needed to spread the light around a bit more, thus my decision to bounce.
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