Bridesmaids

One of the fringe benefits in photographing weddings is that there is no shortage of pretty girls - the bride herself, the bridesmaids, the bride's friends, the groom's sisters and friends - it is almost an endless list. Because of the importance of the occasion, they are made up and dressed up, and they actually want to get their photographs taken.

In my final post in the "weddings" series, I have a picture of my niece Sarah and her bridesmaids from Sarah's wedding last Saturday. These girls were real troupers, too - it was cold and windy, yet they stood uncomplainingly during the outdoors ceremony and for the registry signing, then while all the wedding photos were taken.

Even with all of this abundant natural talent surrounding him, the wedding photographer has to position them and pose them; checking backgrounds, placement of props and also facial expressions of the subjects. All of that before he can even squeeze the shutter.

EXIF: Nikon D300; Nikkor 24-70mm; ISO 200; 1/200 sec; f5.6.

TFF

Sarah's wedding

Here is a picture of the happy couple signing the marriage certificate after Saturday's ceremony. The forecast was for rain and strong winds, but fortunately the weather bureau's timing was a little awry. There was no rain on Saturday to disrupt the wedding, but today it is absolutely teeming down. News reports indicate that 130mm fell around the location of the wedding today, but Sarah and Rob had a window of almost perfect weather for their big occasion.

My admiration for professional wedding photographers remains undiminished. I shot for about seven hours through the pre-wedding gathering, wedding ceremony, post-wedding cocktails and the reception. Phew! Then there is the post-processing to be done!

But there is certainly a wonderful sense of achievement when you see the finished images, and then an even greater feeling of reward when you receive the heartfelt thanks of the bride and groom.

EXIF: Nikon D300; Nikkor 24-70mm; ISO 200; 1/160 sec; f5.6; B&W conversion.

TFF

The reception

After the ceremony there is the reception, with its mix of formality and informality. The traditional speeches from the bridal party, the cutting of the cake and the bridal waltz are excellent sources for photographs; as well as the relaxing and mingling of the guests.

So the photographer is still busy during this part of the wedding too. This cake cutting photo is from the wedding of Elizabeth (Sarah's sister) and Aidan about 18 months ago. There was a professional photographer employed for this wedding, so I was conscious of not getting in his way. It is important to remember that the pro is making his living, and therefore deserves to have the key positions for taking his pictures.

If I were taking this photo again, I would be more conscious of the harsh shadows behind the bride and groom. Even if I were not able to move to a different position, I should have been able to take the flash off camera to a higher position so that the shadows were hidden behind the subjects.

EXIF: Nikon D70; Nikkor 17-55mm DX; ISO 200; 1/60 sec; f4.5.

TFF

The rehearsal

Yesterday we had the rehearsal for Sarah's wedding, which is happening on Saturday. That's Sarah above, with her father Michael, practicing their entrance to the wedding venue. She looks very relaxed and happy, doesn't she?

I used the rehearsal to decide on the best positions for me to be in for the ceremony, the signing of the register and the immediate aftermath. Father Peter, who is performing the ceremony, pre-empted my questions from yesterday's post by telling me that he didn't mind where I stood or whether I used flash or not. He even offered to "stage manage" the register signing for me to make sure that we had the best possible results. He was terrific actually - very down-to-earth, and fully aware that the day is all about the couple and what they want, rather than what he might want.

I was also able to have another look around the site for photo vantage points, as well as being able to check the lighting. Yesterday's lighting was quite flat, rather than the afternoon sunlight I was expecting. This was a result of overcast conditions, and it appears likely that we will have similar lighting on the day, so it was good to have a preview.

EXIF: Nikon D300; Nikkor 24-70mm; ISO 200; 1/200 sec; f4.

TFF

The ceremony

The ceremony itself is also a possible source of wedding photos, and that is particularly true if the ceremony has something unusual about it. When my friends Matt and Vicki were married in Greece, the ceremony was conducted by a Greek Orthodox priest in a 200-year old church on an island. The Greek Orthodox ceremony is full of tradition and symbolism, including fixing crowns on the heads of the newlyweds, then showering them with sugared almonds as they are led ceremonially around the church by the priest. The sense of fun and joy in this part of the wedding was a counterpoint to the quite formal parts of the ceremony.

However, the photographer has to be mindful of when it is acceptable to take pictures, particularly when using flash. It may not be appropriate in certain circumstances, and it is always advisable to find out from the priest or celebrant before the ceremony whether there are any times when photographs aren't welcome.

EXIF: Canon A620; ISO 100; 1/60 sec; f3.5.

TFF

More on weddings

Although, at a wedding, all the focus is on the bride and groom, there are also other stories to be told. The bridal party, the parents, the extended families - all of these people are connected to the event in some way. When looking back at the wedding day in years to come, the bride and groom will want to remember them too.

When my friends Sarah and Patrick were married, Patrick's nephew was one of the groomsman. He has appeared in TFF before, playing pool with the boys before the ceremony. He was a real scene stealer, dressed up in his min-tux; a smaller version of the other groomsmen. Like the others, he was a little excited and nervous, and here his grandfather has a quiet word of reassurance for the little man just before the wedding was to begin.

The wedding photographer has to have an eye out for these ancillary events while concentrating mainly on the bride and groom. Professional wedding photographers sometimes have a second shooter for just this type of picture. The solo photographer doesn't have the same luxury, so they must make sure not to forget to look for the other stories.

EXIF: Nikon D70; Nikkor 70-200mm VR; ISO 200; 1/125 sec; f5.6

TFF

Wedding photography

It's wedding week here at TFF. As I mentioned last week, my niece is to be married on Saturday, and I will be taking the photos for her. I have the utmost respect for wedding photographers, who have to handle nervous bridegrooms, beautiful brides and proud mothers all the while trying to make images that the happy couple will cherish for years.

So, this week we'll be taking a glimpse at some of the weddings I've taken pictures at over the years, starting with this one of my nephew Max and his lovely bride Lisa. The wedding was in autumn in Tasmania, where the couple live, and the ceremony was held in the grounds of a wedding reception lounge just outside Hobart. The autumn colours are very evident in this photo, taken right at the end of the ceremony, and a smiling bridesmaid looks on as they have the traditional first kiss as a married couple. Although the afternoon light is quite good, I have used fill flash for this picture to ensure that there is sufficient lighting on the faces.

The correct exposure is always a challenge at weddings, because of the range of contrast between the usual white wedding dress worn by the bride, and the equally traditional dark suit worn by the groom.

EXIF: Nikon D70; Nikkor 17-55mm DX; ISO 200; 1/60 sec; f6.3.

TFF

Tulip bowl

Following on from yesterday's post about tulips, here is a picture of a tulip flower taken from vertically above, showing the stamen. You can also see how the shape of the flower is reminiscent of a wine glass. Nature certainly has provided us with the blueprints for lots of handy things. This flower didn't come from the nursery we saw yesterday (to my knowledge, anyway!) as the photos were taken some years apart.

Apart from that, the outstanding colour of the bloom and the terrific contrast with the foliage look very attractive. This bloom was part of a bunch of cut flowers, so the picture was taken indoors with a couple of flashes for lighting.

Tulips seem to bloom very quickly - they open, and then, within a couple of days, the petals are dropping off. But, they are beautiful while they last.

EXIF: Nikon D200; Micro Nikkor 105mm; ISO 200; 6/10 sec; f22.

TFF

Spring tulips

It's not spring here, where I live. It's the start of winter actually, the days are shorter and cooler, and the football season is well underway. Sometimes it does you good to look for images that remind you of a different season, and that's what I have done here.

Each year in Melbourne they have a Tulip Festival, and I happened to be there one year when the festival was in full swing. This photo was taken at a commercial tulip nursery that had lots of interesting Dutch food and drinks, not to mention a plethora of tulips. Tulips, of course, are very colourful and when planted in long rows in their varying hues, they are almost irresistible from a photographic standpoint.

Holland is famous for its tulips, and in fact at one time tulips were almost a form of currency in that country. I believe there was even a secondary tulip market on the stock exchange, such was their economic power at the time. Tulips are not native to the Netherlands, however - tulips originated in Asia, being found natively in Turkey and Afghanistan. In any case, they are now a very popular flower world-wide, and a delight to look at.

EXIF: Sony Cybershot; ISO 100; 1/500 sec; f4.

Rainbow lorikeet

Luck's a fortune, as the old saying goes. Today I went to the venue where my niece's wedding will be held next week, just to scope out the site. I wanted to see where the light was coming from, and what strength of light there would be at the time of the ceremony. The location is a golf course, perched on a hill overlooking the city, and it is quite picturesque. Naturally, being a golf course, there are a lot of trees, and the trees around the area that will be used for the wedding ceremony were full of native birds. They were in full song this afternoon, and being such a perfect day, the ambiance was quite beautiful.

This is a rainbow lorikeet. The blogger image above is showing some artifacts as a result of the compression they use on this site, but you can view a larger image here.

So, as well as doing the forward planning that I needed to do, I had a chance to photograph some birds while I was there. The setting for the wedding is lovely, and we may be serenaded by birds as well.

EXIF: Nikon D300; Nikkor 80-400mm VR; ISO 800; 1/1250 sec; f5.6.

TFF

The Wedding

My niece Sarah (that's her, above, when she was about 4) is getting married next week. The whole family is looking forward to the wedding. We all approve of her fiance, who has virtually been part of the family for a few years in any case, and Sarah is so excited about the big day. She is a master organiser, and the preparations are well in hand.

Sarah has asked me to photograph the wedding. Although I have taken photographs at many weddings, I have never been the wedding photographer before. Nervous - me? Yup.

But I am looking forward to the challenge; and certainly, sharing the successful images that result will be wonderful. I am in preparation mode as we speak: making sure the equipment is in tip-top working condition, charging batteries, working out a plan for the shoot. I have the running sheet for the day and a map of the venue, together with some ideas from the bride-to-be on the type of shots she would like.

Tomorrow I will be going to the venue to see the layout for myself, and I'm going to be there at the same time that the events are scheduled to unfold next week. That way I can judge the lighting as well as plan some scenic spots for the photographs. There will also be a rehearsal a couple of days out from the ceremony, so that will give me more opportunity to scout the venue and prepare.

TFF

White balance

Although most cameras have an Auto White Balance function, I have always felt that better results were available with a little manual intervention. If your camera lets you select a white balance setting, then this usually provides a more successful outcome than letting your camera decide for you. If you are taking a series of shots, then Auto White Balance has the potential to give you inconsistent results; whereas, if you set your camera yourself (to say, "Outdoors", for example) then all your photos will have the same white balance.

A few years ago, I wrote a tutorial on White Balance Technique for the on-line camera group that I belong to. If you are interested in getting more out of your camera, or just interested in photography generally, why not visit the site - just click on the link to DSLRUsers.com to right of this column.

A couple of points about white balance three years on from when I wrote the tutorial. Camera functions have generally improved, and I am sure that Auto White Balance has too, but I still don't use it. The instruction manual with my Nikon camera still indicates that there are colour temperatures where Auto White Balance is not effective, so I choose to set the WB myself. I shoot Raw images, and then fine tune WB in post processing.

I have a new favourite method of selecting white balance, and that is by using a WhiBal reference card to provide a WB point that I can use in post processing. I find this an easier and more consistent process than anything I have used before, and it takes virtually no time at all. You just include the WhiBal in at least one photograph taken under each relevant lighting temperature, and then use the White Balance tool in your photo editing software to adjust the all the images taken under those conditions. Simple!

In my examples at the top, the image in the left was exposed using the camera's daylight WB setting. You can see that I have included the WhiBal card in the picture, so I opened the image in Photoshop and used the white balance tool to click on the gray area of the WhiBal. The result is in the image in the right. The image is a bit cooler overall, and you'll notice that the WhiBal is showing its actual neutral gray colour instead of the brown/grey tones in the first image.

TFF