Shoot for the Album

Ultimately, the final physical product is your client's album. Designing that album is dramatically easier when a you approach the wedding day shoot comprehensively, actively thinking about the album design as you shoot.

1) Overall wide shots: These photographs set the scene in the album, (shown above) and should be shot in each new environment throughout the day. They can be shot with or without people. These images will likely be used large in the album because they help the viewer "take in the scene." These shots often are used as "opening" shots, used early in the story.

2) Documentary Portraits: These are not stiff formal portraits, but rather photographs made while the subject is reacting naturally to the situation as it unfolds before the camera. These images can be used to establish the main characters of the story in the album.

3) Honest Emotion and Interaction: These shots are central to the story. They are the photographs that draw the viewer into the album and actually connect the viewer to the story emotionally.

4) Details: The beauty is in the details. Clients invest money in the details of their wedding, much of which will be gone after the day is over. Flowers, cakes, jewelry, dresses, tuxedos, invitations and other details, when photographed with care, will allow a bride and groom to reflect upon the details of their wedding, much of which will be a blur in their memory.

5) Medium shots: Many of the types of pictures noted above require shooting close-up or very wide, and it is important to not forget to shoot photos that are "medium shots" — ones that show people waist up or slightly wider.

6) Closer: Concluding the album can be a real challenge if you don't think about shooting a "closer" at the wedding. These are often easy, if the bride and groom have a grand exit under sparklers or rose petals. But if they simply walk out of the hotel ballroom onto the elevator with no fanfare, then you must think creatively about how to close the album.

Rock steady

At wedding receptions, photographers have the luxury of lighting situations with flash.

Flash during ceremonies, however, can be very disruptive, and is usually not allowed by churches. Wedding photographers, charged with the important duty of creating images in nearly every lighting condition, must adapt to near-dark lighting conditions during wedding ceremonies.

The image above was shot hand-held with a 200mm lens at 1/8 second, and the bride's eyelashes are sharp. Here are some tips to deal with low shutter speeds during ceremonies:

1) Use a monopod or tripod. The floor is steadier than you are!

2) Steady your body. If you are shooting handheld, work to steady your torso and arms. Bend your knees slightly, pull your elbows in toward your sides, and draw your hands toward your chin.

3) Squeeze the shutter release. Use steady motion when releasing the shutter, and avoid jerking the camera when making the exposure.

4) Shoot repetitive frames. The slower your shutter speed, the lower the percentage of sharp photographs. Counter this by shooting more pictures.

5) Control your breathing. Hold your breath during the exposure. Don't forget to exhale after you shoot the photo!

6) Invest in fast glass. The faster your lens, the higher your shutter speed. Buy a discontinued Canon 200/1.8 on eBay!

7) Invest in IS/VR lenses. Newer professional series lenses come with an option for "Image Stabilization" (Canon) or "Vibration Reduction" (Nikon) technology. By using Image Stabilization, we have been able to shoot at shutter speeds down to 1/8 of a second with sharp results.

8) Shoot wide. Telephoto lenses magnify your body's shake. If you can get closer without being disruptive, shoot with a wider-angle lens to minimize the effect of unsteadiness. A good rule of thumb is to not let the shutter speed drop below the lens' focal length (50mm lens = 1/60 sec; 20mm lens = 1/15 sec).

Looking back on Rhythmic Gymnastics

Following up to my recent post looking back on the 1996 Olympics, I thought I would share one of the photos I made while assigned to cover the Rhythmic Gymnastics competition. Sports Illustrated ran a photo I made of the gold medalist, but my favorite photo from the competition was of Elena Vitrichenko of the Ukraine, left, who placed third overall. This picture seemed to capture just how amazing, shocking and humorous the sport is. These athletes were incredibly agile and flexible and exhibited incredible precision. Needless to say, it was a difficult sport to photograph because the action happened so fast. While positioned on the floor on the edge of the mat, I made this image with a Canon 200mm f/1.8 lens, which Canon unfortunately doesn't make anymore.

A Shot in the Dark

One of the most challenging aspects about shooting in dark settings is focusing. Even with modern autofocus systems, it can be tough to see to focus in a dimly-lit ballroom. Here are a few tips:

We switch between "AI Servo" (a.k.a. "Continuous") and "One Shot" (a.k.a. "Single Shot"). By default, I use "One Shot" because the focus will lock and confirm with a green circle in the viewfinder, and the flash will emit a red AF focus assist beam when it needs additional light.

"AI Servo" is best on the dance floor, or other times when the subject is moving and you need the focus to track the subject's movement.

Remember depth of field is your friend. Depth of field provides margin for error when working in dark situations. Three factors control depth of field: focal length, distance to subject and aperture. Depth of field is greater when:

1) The subject is farther away.
2) The aperture is stopped down.
3) The lens focal length is shorter.

On the other hand, depth of field is shallower when:

1) The subject is closer to the camera.
2) The aperture is opened up.
3) The lens focal length is greater.

Thus, if you shoot with a wider angle lens on the dance floor, (I wouldn't go wider than a 24mm lens on a Mark II — distortion reasons) and stay a few feet from the subject, you'll get a lot more sharp pictures.

Another factor is your choice of camera body. We shoot with Canon EOS ID Mark IIs, EOS 5Ds and EOS 20Ds. Each of these bodies has a different lens multiplication factor, which is determined by the size of the digital sensor. The EOS 5D "full frame" sensor has no multiplication factor, whereas the EOS ID Mark II has a 1.3 multiplication factor and the EOS 20D has a 1.6 multiplication factor.

The greater the camera's multiplication factor, the greater the effective depth of field. Depth of field is tied to focal length, and a wider angle lens has more depth of field. A 28mm lens has approximately the same field-of-view on an EOS 20D as a 50mm lens has on an EOS 5D (28mm times 1.6 = 45mm). Because the 28mm lens on the EOS 20D has more depth of field than the 50mm lens on the EOS 5D, the EOS 20D effectively has greater depth of field. We shoot mostly with EOS 1D Mark IIs, which focus much better than EOS 5Ds or EOS 20Ds in low light.

Finally, I find back button focusing to be very useful. I don't like having my focus and shutter release controlled by the same button. Because the focus is activated by the back button, I can stop the camera from focusing if it can't get an autofocus lock, override and manually focus, and still release the shutter.

The Lasting Value of Photography

During the summer of 1996, I was a photography intern for the Athens Banner Herald. Athens hosted three Olympic Sports and I was assigned to cover Rhythmic Gymanastics as well as all of the buzz around town surrounding the Olympics. During the Torch Run, leading up to the Games, I made a photograph of Edwin Kendrick holding the torch high and running into downtown Athens, surrounded by a sea of spectators. The photograph ran a full 6 columns across the front page in a special edition printing of the paper that same day. Because of that photograph, the paper quickly sold out and they had to rerun the presses, again selling out. It was an exciting time and the photograph seemed to perfectly capture the city's excitement and honor of hosting the Olympic Games. Last weekend, the Banner Herald ran a story about the torch runners as part of their 10 year anniversary coverage of the Olympic Games. The article states "Kendrick said his copy of the photograph, like the torch, is in 'a safe place.'" To hear that is such an honor because it reinforces how precious and valuable photographs are and how they enable the viewer to relive and experience the memorable moments of our lives.

In The Glossies

Two LaCour weddings are featured in Atlanta magazines this month. Southern Seasons magazine shows off the vibrant fall colors of Barnsley Gardens Resort from Dawn and Adrian Sasine’s Nov. 4 nuptials – undoubtedly one of our favorite weddings. This couple was so crazy in love with each other, we felt so inspired and had a blast documenting their day. Southern Seasons also featured another LaCour wedding, Margaret and Mason Poe, in its previous issue.

I DO magazine features another favorite wedding, Kellie Burley and Steve Simon, one of three partners in Fifth Group Restaurants, which owns Bold American Catering. Kellie and Steve were married Oct. 15 at the chic Atlanta nightclub Compound. Being in the catering business, their food and décor were amazing and made for really different, dynamic detail shots.

Remotes Spice Up Ceremony Coverage

In the South, churches take themselves very seriously. Church rules often mandate photographers working only in the balcony, and church wedding guild officials enforce the rules with such vigor that they often leave bruises.

Shooting from the balcony can be extremely limiting, as all of the ceremony photographs are taken from the same perspective.

One of my favorite techniques to unobtrusively capture images from a second (or third) perspective during a church wedding ceremony is to place a remote camera close to the bride and groom. This is also a great way for a photographer working solo to gain another perspective on the ceremony.

I will "shoot loose" with a lens that is wide enough to allow for some error in where the bride and groom may be positioned in the frame. I use a Canon EOS 5D as a remote camera because its 12.8-megapixel gives me plenty of pixels to crop out.

In this example, I positioned a camera behind a plant so it was invisible to the congregation. I used a Pocket Wizard with a Canon camera cable to trigger the exposure from the balcony. The kneeler allowed for a predictable place to aim the camera, and I selected a position that was slightly in front of the bride and groom so you could see their faces. Above, you'll see the shot cropped and digitally mastered as it appears in their album. You can see the image as it came out of the camera on the left.

Lighting Technique Q&A: Rooftop Pool Shot

QUESTION:
How did you light them on the pool shot?

(Posted on Open Source Photo by Jill Higgins)

ANSWER
This is on the top of the Mid City Lofts, which is called "Sky," right across from The Biltmore, which is where this couple's wedding took place. The couple hangs out at a little pub next to Mid City Lofts and have become friends with people who live in the Lofts — thus the access to the roof.

This is actually a rare shoot where we lit almost the entire shoot. For engagment shoots, I typically try to use as much available light as possible, but frequently use a reflector and of course sometimes strobes and bigger lights. It just depends on the couple, the location and complexity of what we're trying to do. For most of these shots, especially the ones outside near the pool at dusk, I triggered two Canon 550 speedlights bounced out of an umbrella with a 580 on camera. Denis Reggie's Dual Flash Bracket has become an integral part of our lighting bag since we started using it earlier this year.

Turn your disadvantage into your advantage

Photographers have a lot to think about when they're shooting weddings. Simultaneously managing relationships, compact flash cards, logistics, picture requests, assistants and gear can become overwhelming.

When confronted with challenges, like video lights, dark venues and unfriendly churches, it can be easy for a photographer to shoot "safe" pictures — photographs that guarantee a predictable result — and miss opportunities for creativity.

When the videographer used his video light to illuminate the bride dancing with her father, it was tempting to stand next to the videographer to use his light as the main light source. Or, I could have increased my shutter speed so the video light was underexposed, and then bounced flash off the ceiling or wall. The trouble with either scenario is that this type of lighting becomes predictable and boring, and is not indicative of the scene as I saw it.

When shooting this situation, the lighting on the bride and her father was intense, so I decided to not fight it, but to allow it to become an opportunity for creativity. I moved into a position where the videographer was behind the bride, and shot this picture with my Canon 50/1.4 at f/1.4.

The resulting image communicates not only the intensely illuminated scene as I saw it, but also communicates figuratively, as the bride and her father were the focus of attention in the room — literally in the spotlight.

Click here to view the slideshow from this wedding.

Downloading CF Cards Reliably

Many people ask about how we quickly and reliably download our cards during and after shoots.

We use a piece of software called Photo Mechanic from a company called Camera Bits. It's a great piece of software. Here's why:

• You can insert your card in your reader, press one quick key and it downloads the card to one or two folders on your computer or external hard drive
  
• If you plug multiple cards in your computer, you can select all the cards in the ingest dialog walk away from your computer, and come back and they're all done.
  
• Photo Mechanic will rename files if necessary to avoid redundant filenames
  
• We write the camera owner's name to the camera itself using Canon's Camera Window. Photo Mechanic will automatically add the Camera Owner's name to the "author" field of the EXIF data. This is particularly handy when your studio has four photographers.
  
• Photo Mechanic makes it easy to batch rename all the photos after ingestion using whatever naming convention you desire.
  

I can't overemphasize that it's very important to use safe downloading practices as you download your cards to avoid losing data. I address those practices in my previous post called "Why I Can Sleep at Night".