Today we go behind the scenes to take a look at how we captured this image at Nicole and Heath's Jamieson wedding.
Photography is all about choice and compromise. In this particular image I wanted to exposure for the background and the couple. With the sun behind the couple if I expose for the background the couple would be in shadow. To ensure both the background and couple are exposed correctly we introduced an artificial light source.
On most occasions a flash would suffice however in order to overpower the sun a much stronger light source was required.
We used the Quadra Ranger (a portable battery powered light) with a single head at almost full power.
You can see from the position of my assistant, Lauren, I have her up to her waist in reeds at the side of the jetty so that the light was angled in towards the couple.
The camera settings were as follows:
Canon 5DMIII
Canon 16-35mm f4
ISO - 200
f-stop - f18
shutter speed - 1/160th
focal length 16mm
Shooting a f18 allows you to achieve a 'sun burst' which adds to the drama of the image with the wide angle lens bringing more of the environment into the image.
Of course if you prefer to exposure for the couple and blow out the background you achieve a totally different look in the same environment.
You can always expose for the highlights on the couple as we have done here which creates a darker, moodier image.
Either way its about knowing how you want the image to look and using the tools and technique to achieve it.
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