Wedding Photography: Advanced Techniques for Digital Photographers

129 Pages·2010·9.8 MB·English

by  Bill Hurter

WEDDING
PHOTOGRAPHY
Advanced Techniques
for
Digital Photographers
Bill Hurter
Amherst Media
®
PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
BillHurterhasbeeninvolvedinthephotographicindustryforthepastthirtyyears.HeistheformereditorofPetersen’s
PhotoGraphicmagazineandcurrentlytheeditorofbothAfterCaptureandRangefindermagazines.Hehasauthoredover
thirty books on photography and hundreds of articles on photography and photographic technique. He is a graduate
ofAmericanUniversityandBrooksInstituteofPhotography,fromwhichheholdsaBFAandHonoraryMastersofScience
andMastersofFineArtdegrees.HeiscurrentlyamemberoftheBrooksBoardofGovernors.Earlyinhiscareer,hecov-
eredCapitalHillduringtheWatergateHearingsandworkedforthreeseasonsasastringerfortheL.A.Dodgers.Heis
marriedandlivesinWestCovina,CA.
CheckoutAmherstMedia’sblogsat:http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/
http://weddingphotographer-amherstmedia.blogspot.com/
Copyright©2010byBillHurter.
Allrightsreserved.
FrontcoverphotographbyBruceDorn.
BackcoverphotographbyBenChen.
Publishedby:
AmherstMedia,Inc.
P.O.Box586
Buffalo,N.Y.14226
Fax:[phone]
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher:CraigAlesse
SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins
AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt
EditorialAssistancefrom:SallyJarzab,JohnS.Loder
ISBN-13:978-1-58428-990-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2009911196
PrintedinKorea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher.
NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.Theauthor
andpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
Table of Contents
WithAmbientLight .......................21
CHAPTER1
WhatMakesaWeddingPhotographerGreat? ......7 ImageStabilization ........................21
WorkingWellUnderPressure ...................7 WhiteBalance ..............................22
CapturingStyleandElegance ...................7 ACleanImageSensor ........................23
BeingaSkilledObserver .......................8 SIDEBAR:SyncThemUp ........................23
GoodTiming ...............................8
Preparation ...............................9 AMS.
D
A
ReactionTime ............................9 CK
NI
SIDEBAR:GraphicDesignSense ....................9 HBY
AP
TheAbilitytoIdealize ........................10 R
G
O
T
Immersion ................................11 O
H
P
Reactivevs.Proactive ........................11
SIDEBAR:It’sAboutSeeing ......................11
GoodPeopleSkills ..........................13
StorytellingSkills ...........................14
LovingWhatYouDo ........................14
SIDEBAR:ShootMore,NotLess ...................16
CHAPTER2
TechnicalConsiderations ....................17
ExposureandMetering .......................17
ExposureLatitude ........................17
WeddingsPresenttheUltimateinExtremes .....18
SIDEBAR:WhyDoYouNeedaFlashmeter? ...........18
ANoteAboutShootingRAW ...............19
IncidentLightMeters ......................19
EvaluatingExposure .......................19
ColorSpace ...............................19
Metadata ..................................20
TheRightShutterSpeed ......................21
WithFlash ..............................21
K. Light-Actuated ...........................41
A
V
NO Infrared ................................41
A
R
AU Radio(DigitalorAnalog) ...................41
L
Y
HB SpareBatteries .............................41
AP
OGR SIDEBAR:InternationalTravelwithGeneHiga ........41
T
O
H
P
CHAPTER3
PosingPrinciples ...........................42
GivingDirections ...........................42
SubjectComfort ............................43
FacialPositions .............................43
TopLensChoices ...........................24 TheSeven-EighthsView ....................43
FastLenses ..............................24 TheThree-QuartersView ...................44
PrimeLenses ............................24 TheProfile ..............................44
SIDEBAR:MarcusBell’sThreeCameraBags ..........24 TheEyes ..................................44
Wide-AngleLenses ........................26 TheSmile .................................45
ZoomLenses ............................26 SIDEBAR:TheKiss .............................45
TelephotoLenses .........................27 TheShoulders ..............................46
NormalLenses ...........................28 TheArms .................................46
FocalLengthandPerspective ..................29 TheHands ................................47
TelephotoLenses .........................29 HandsinGroups .........................49
SIDEBAR:FocalLengthFactors ...................29 HandswithStandingSubjects ................49
NormalLenses ...........................31 SIDEBAR:PosingPortraitsofSeatedMen ............49
Wide-AngleLenses ........................32 WeightontheBackFoot......................50
FocusandDepthofField .....................32 PortraitLengths ............................50
SIDEBAR:EvaluatinganLCDImage ................32 Head-and-ShouldersPortraits ................50
ISOSettingsandNoise .......................33 Three-Quarter-andFull-LengthPortraits .......51
FileFormats ...............................34 CameraHeight .............................52
JPEGFormat ............................34 GroupPortraits .............................53
JPEG2000Format........................35 Couples ................................54
RAWFormat ............................35 AddingaThirdPerson .....................55
AdobeDNGFormat.......................35 AddingaFourthandFifthPerson .............56
GIFFormat .............................36 SIDEBAR:TheArmchairasaPosingTool ............56
TIFFFormat ............................36 SixPeopleandUp ........................57
PhotoshopEPSFormat ....................37 FormalsofBiggerGroups ...................57
DCSFormat .............................37 SIDEBAR:IsItPosingorDirecting? .................57
PSDFormat .............................37 GettingEveryoneinthePicture ..............59
FileCompression ...........................38 SIDEBAR:KeepingtheCameraBack
SIDEBAR:CaptureSharpeningvs.OutputSharpening ...38 ParalleltotheSubjects .................59
WorkflowIssues ............................39 SIDEBAR:SpeedingUpYourGroupPortraits .........59
ProtectingYourSourceFiles .................39
DanDoke’sWeddingWorkflow ..............39
CHAPTER4
MikeColón’sWiFiWorkflow ................40 LightingPrinciples ..........................60
BackupandEmergencyEquipment ..............40 BasicPortraitLighting .......................60
RemoteTriggeringDevices ....................41 MainLightandFillLight ...................61
4ADVANCEDWEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHYHANDBOOK
HairLight ..............................61 ChecktheCustoms ..........................89
BackgroundLight.........................62 CreateaMasterSchedule .....................90
KickerLight .............................63 BeaTeamPlayer ............................90
SIDEBAR:LightingTipsfromMauricioDonelli ........63 Assistants .................................91
BroadandShortLighting .....................64 APositive,RelaxedAttitude ...................92
BasicPortraitLightingSetups ..................64
ParamountLighting .......................64
CHAPTER7
LoopLighting ...........................64 TheKeyShots .............................93
RembrandtLighting .......................65 EngagementPortrait .........................93
SplitLighting ............................66 TheBrideGettingReady .....................93
ProfileorRimLighting ....................66 TheGroomBeforetheWedding ................94
AdaptingtheFormalLightingPatterns TheCeremony .............................95
toSuittheSituation .....................67 FormalPortraits ............................95
DoubleShadowsandCatchlights ...............67 TheBrideandGroom .....................96
LightingRatios .............................68 TheBrideAlone ..........................97
SIDEBAR:ASpecialGroupPortrait .................68 TheWeddingParty ..........................99
Overlighting ...............................69 SIDEBAR:KevinJairaj’sBridalSessions ..............99
StudioLightingonLocation ...................69 TheRings ................................100
CHAPTER5
OutdoorandMixedLighting ..................70
LocationLightingEquipment ..................70
Reflectors ...............................70
ElectronicFlash ..........................71
BarebulbFlash ...........................73
Studio-FlashSystems ......................74
HandheldVideoLights ....................75
Umbrellas ...............................76
WorkingwiththeAvailableLight ...............77
DirectSunlight ...........................77
OpenShade .............................79
SIDEBAR:TheDirectionoftheLight................79
WindowLight ...........................80
FlashTechniquesonLocation ..................82
FlashforFillLight ........................82
FlashastheMainLight .....................83
SIDEBAR:RoomLamps .........................83
BounceFlash ............................84
FlashOutput ............................85
K.
N
CHAPTER6 UISSI
PreparationandPlanning ....................86 OEB
J
TheConsultation ...........................86 BY
H
TheEngagementPortrait .....................88 RAP
G
O
T
VisittheVenues ............................88 O
H
P
TABLEOFCONTENTS5
LeavingtheChurch ........................101 PhotoshopToolsandTechniques ..............108
TheReceptionSite .........................101 LayersandMasks ........................108
TheReception ............................101 UsingLayers ............................108
TheCakeCutting ........................103 UsingLayerMasks .......................109
TheFirstDance .........................103 RetouchingTechniques ......................109
TheBouquetToss .......................103 RemovingBlemishes ......................109
TableShots .............................104 EliminatingShininessandWrinkles ...........109
Kids ..................................104 SelectiveSoftFocus ......................110
SmoothingtheSkin ......................110
EnhancingtheEyes ......................111
CHAPTER8
PostproductionandAlbumDesign ............105 MoreonEyes ...........................111
ColorManagement .........................105 ColorCorrectionandToning ...............111
MonitorProfiles .........................105 TargetingWhite&GrayPointsinLevels ....111
PrinterProfiles ..........................106 SelectiveColor ........................111
CameraProfiles .........................106 SIDEBAR:KodakColorPrintViewingFilterKit .......111
SIDEBAR:OptimalViewing ......................106 Sepia/BlueTone ......................112
ThePhotoshopRevolution ...................107 SoftColor ...........................112
SIDEBAR:PhotoshopDoesn’t Liquify ................................112
MakethePhotographer ..................107 Single-ChannelSharpening .................113
ColorSampling .........................113
A.
TSL WeddingAlbums...........................114
ME
A AlbumTypes ...........................114
K
NI
AN AlbumDesign ..........................114
Y
B
H TitlePage ..............................114
AP
R
OG LeftandRightPages .....................114
T
O
PH Variety ................................114
VisualWeight ...........................114
ReadingDirection .......................114
SIDEBAR:CreativityCounts .....................114
Conclusion ...............................115
ThePhotographers ........................116
Glossary .................................120
Index ...................................123
C H A P T E R 1
What Makes a Wedding Photographer Great?
The rewards of being a successful wedding photographer can be
great—not only financially, but also in terms of community status.
The wedding photographer of the new millennium is not regarded
merely as a craftsman, or as a “weekend warrior,” but as an artist and an
important member of the community.
In preparing the text for this book, I searched for the presentation. Additionally, there are no second chances if
right words to define what makes “great” wedding pho- anythingshouldgowrongphotographically.
tography and, consequently, “great” wedding photogra- Asaresult,weddingphotographersmustmasterawide
phers. Consistency is surely one ingredient of greatness. variety of different types of photography and be able to
Thosephotographerswhoproducesplendidalbumseach performunderpressureinaverylimitedtimeframe.This
timeoutarewellontheirwaytogreatness.Greatwedding pressureiswhymanygiftedphotographersdonotpursue
photographers also seem to have highest-quality people weddingphotographyastheirmainoccupation.
skills. Through my association with WPPI and Range-
findermagazine,Italktohundredsofweddingphotogra- CAPTURINGSTYLEANDELEGANCE
pherseachyear.Acommonthreadamongthereallygood Today’sweddingcoveragereflectsaneditorialstylethatis
ones is affability and likability. They are fully at ease with pulleddirectlyfromthepagesofbridalmagazines.Noted
otherpeopleandtheyhaveasenseofpersonalconfidence Australian wedding photographer Martin Schembri calls
thatinspirestrust. thisformofweddingcoveragea“magazinestyle”ofwed-
dingphotography,“aclean,straightlook.”It’sreminiscent
WORKINGWELLUNDERPRESSURE of advertising/fashion photography—and, in fact, if you
Each couple, and their families, make months of detailed studythebridalmagazinesyou’llnoticethatthereisoften
preparations—nottomentionaconsiderablefinancialin- verylittledifferencebetweentheadvertisingphotographs
vestment—intheironce-in-a-lifetimeevent.Itisthedayof andtheeditorialones.
dreamsand,assuch,expectationsarehigh.Couplesdon’t These magazines are what prospective brides look at
justwantaphotographic“record”oftheday’sevents,they constantly.It’showtheywanttobefeaturedintheirown
want inspired, imaginative images and an unforgettable wedding pictures. As a result, most successful wedding
WHATMAKESAWEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHERGREAT?7
photographers scour the bridal magazines, studying the thesespecialmomentsandthatmemorializingthemisthe
various examples of editorial and advertising photogra- essenceofgreatweddingphotography.
phy—just to ensure they are ready to deliver the latest Withexperiencecomesanintuitivesenseoftherhythm
looks. and flow of such events; through keen observation, the
photographer begins to develop a knack for predicting
BEINGASKILLEDOBSERVER whatwillhappennext.Greatweddingphotographersare
Great wedding photographers are invariably great ob- always watching and monitoring the events—and usually
servers.Theysee—andcapture—theinnumerablefleeting morethanoneeventatatime.
moments that often go unnoticed. The experienced pro-
fessionalknowsthattheweddingdayisoverflowingwith GOODTIMING
Being in the right place at the right time—and ready to
capturethatperfectimage—isafunctionofgoodprepara-
tion,experiencedobservation,andquickreactiontime.
LEFT—NickAdamscreatedaboldcroppingtoisolatethebeautiful
featuresandnecklacesofthisbride.Nickusedasingle4x3-foot
softboxasafrontalmainlightandtwomonolightsbehinda6x8-
footscrimbehindthebride.Thetwobacklightswereusedat45-
degreeanglestothebrideandwereusedtoaddcrisphighlights
toherhairandthelineofhershoulders.Reflectorswereusedat
either side of the model to help redirect stray light. The image
wasmadewithaNikonD2Xand17–55mmf/2.8lensatISO100.
Theexposurewas1/160secondatf/8.BELOW—Evenwithgreataf-
ternoon backlighting and a beautiful location, the single most
definingelementofthisengagementportraitistiming.Knowing
when the moment and interaction were at their peak made this
photoagreatone.PhotographbyRobertoValenzuela.
GRAPHIC DESIGN SENSE
Preparation. Great wedding photographers do their Charles Maring is as much a graphic designer as he is a
homework.Afterall,themoreyouknowaboutthesched- top wedding photographer, with studios in Connecticut
uledeventsandtheirorder,thebetteryoucandetermine and New York City. He assimilates design elements from
thebestwaystodocumenteachone.Basedonthisinfor- thelandscapeofthewedding—color,shape,line,architec-
mation the photographer can better choreograph his ture, light and shadow—and he also studies the dress,
shoes, rings, accessories, the color of the bridesmaids’
movementstobeintheoptimumpositionforeachphase
dresses, etc., and then works on creating an overall work
of the wedding day. The confidence that this kind of
ofart(i.e.,thealbum)thatreflectsthesedesignelements
preparation provides is immeasurable. (For more on the
oneverypage.
importanceofpreparation,seechapter6.)
Reaction Time. The better you know an event, the
betteryourreflexeswillbecome.However,thereisalsoan
CliffMautnerblendsfashionandphotojournalisticcoverageinto
allhisweddingshots.Here,Clifftookadvantageofexistinglight
and fast optics and a high ISO to get this priceless shot. Notice
thefourcouplesinthebackgroundlookingintentlyatthebride
andgroom.TheshotwasmadewithaNikonD3and28mmf/1.4
lensatISO3200.TheimagewasmadeinRAWmodeandthecolor
temperaturewarmedupto2800Ktogivetheimageanold-time
look.
intangible aspect to reaction time that all photographers
must hone: instinct, the internal messaging system that
triggersreaction.Youmusttrainyourselftotranslateinput
intoreaction,analyzingwhatyouseeanddeterminingthe
criticalmomenttohittheshutterrelease.Masterwedding
photojournalistJoeBuissinksays,“Trustyourintuitionso
thatyoucanreact.Donotthink.Justreact—oritwillbe
toolate.”
Keepinmindthatthereisanebbandflowtoeveryac-
tion.Imagineapole-vaulter;atonemomentheisascend-
ingandinthenextmomentheisfalling—butinbetween
those two moments, there is an instant of peak action.
That is what the photographer should strive to isolate.
Someweddingphotographerstakestyletothenextlevel.Michael Witharefinedsenseoftimingandgoodobservationskills
Schuhmann,forexample,saysofhiswork,“It’sdifferent;it’sfash-
youwillgreatlyincreaseyourchancesforsuccessfulexpo-
ion,it’sstyle.”Thisimageisquiteunliketheoriginal,havingbeen
suresinweddingsituations.
alteredconsiderablyinPhotoshop.
WHATMAKESAWEDDINGPHOTOGRAPHERGREAT?9