telling the Story

photographyworkshops

On the 21/22nd February the PWacademy 4 delegates enjoyed 2 days of informed and creative wedding photography. We tackled difficult lighting conditions and took control.

Speedlight from top right.
f18 @ 1/60s ISO 100

The combined joy and despair of shooting a wedding is the potential problem when the light is not working for you, bright harsh sunlight, and no shade are what nightmares could be made of, especially if you do not know how to control it.

I am regularly told that wedding photography is just a bag load of pressure and many find no pleasure in shooting one. This may well be the case for those who have no interest in this genre however it can be one of the most rewarding experiences any photographer can have and requires a considerable degree of skill to complete one successfully.

Bad posing, bad light
f16 @ 1/160s ISO 100

Dealing with full on sun can be controlled with the use of either a reflector or additional lighting from either a continuous light source or flash. Many photographers shy away from the use of flash because they find it difficult to handle, unable to take control. In the shot on the left we were confronted with full on frontal ambient sunlight producing hard shadows on the door behind as can be seen on the right hand image. To control the high level of ambient a speed light was added top right and set to one stop more than the ambient, making the ambient sunlight the fill. If it is possible to wait for a cloud to mask the sun that will provide a bonus of softer ambient stopping back several stops of aperture. The flash will then become more prominent, producing a creative image. Timing is often the key to producing quality images.

On many occasions the sun will not join your party and do what you want it to do so using the speedlight as a fill flash is the way to go, with ambient at f18 you can set your flash to produce f16, filling in the shadows. The delegates were instructed on controlling their dedicated flash guns with Flash Exposure Control, a simple process (once you understand the basic concepts), learning to work with the available light and adjusting their flash output appropriately.

If you are shooting in Aperture priority and have a dedicated flash that offers HSS (High Speed Sync) you will be able to track the changing ambient, adding flash on ETTL and maintain a correct exposure, a technique taught on the day.

Shooting directly into the sun can produce
flare and washed out images.
f2.8 @ 1/640s ISO 100

The image on the left was shot in manual mode metering for the Sarah's face that allowed the background ambient to overexpose and produce a high degree of flare. This situation can be controlled to some degree with the use of a reflector, bounding the ambient light back into here face and exposing accordingly. 

My preferred method is to use a combination of flash and shutter control enabling greater control over the situation. The common criticism when using flash is the harsh lighting it can produce therefore it needs modifying to produce a softer light. The catch light in the eyes demonstrates the use of a shoot through umbrella to soften the flash. The shutter speed was restricted to 1/200s as the flash being used (Yongnuo yn-560ii) was not dedicated to the camera as delegates  were shooting on both Canon and Nikon.The flash was placed at about 45 degrees top left allowing the sun light to pass through Sarah's hair and veil. It is possible to take much greater control of the ambient if you are using a dedicated flash unit on HSS allowing your shutter speed to exceed its maximum flash sync speed.

Adding flash to control the background light and a 
shallow depth of field
f5.6 @ 1/200s ISO 200

With a truly dedicated system it is possible to use your maximum shutter speeds on the camera, maybe up to 1/8000s which can virtually turn day into night. When shooting at these extremes it is vital you take full control of the flash, both in intensity, positioning and quality, all subjects taught on our workshops.


The one thing everyone understands about photography its its subjective and any image may not be to everyone's taste, however the process here is one of learning and as such its the techniques that are important. Naturally we always try to produce an image that appeals and that is a subject any wedding photographer will discuss with any bride before the wedding day.

Inside the Church shooting creatives for the Bride. The stained glass window was metered in the camera and the flash modified with a shoot through umbrella was set balanced to match.
f16 @ 1/60s ISO 1600

Shot with a gridded 9" can with the Elinchrom Quadra,
pulling out the texture in the wall.
f16 @ 1/200s ISO 200

On the second day we travelled to a private location in Malmesbury where the delegates set up lights and shot a bride and groom on location. Whilst a little wet underfoot and dodging the hail storms we all shot a variety of images balancing both to the ambient and overpowering the ambient in a shaded area.

Softbox on Yongnuo yn560ii
f14 @ 1/200s ISO 100

    

A combined shot with the Bride and Groom using and
gridded Elinchrom Quadra on Sarah and a gridded
Yongnuo yn560ii on Mark.
f16 @ 1/200s ISO 200

Part of the process when shooting a wedding is to research your location as you will be amazed at all the options that are available. I very often
like to shoot the bride against texture or "grunge" enhancing here softness. The shot on the left is quite a hard gridded light, designed to produce the shape of
the light enhancing the texture of the wall. If you find the light too hard than it can be produced with a softbox however the pattern of light will be different.

The shutter speed in both the left hand images has been lifted to the maximum sync speed to help reduce the level of ambient in the shot.

The beauty of this shot is that it can be replicated in either the Church, after the ceremony or at the reception venue.

When you understand how to use your flash creatively it is possible to create distinctive images that stand out from the crowd. 

f5.6 @ 1/200s ISO 200

Forthcoming Flash workshop

8th March

A wild beast or a god

A quiet life stimulates the creative mind

terry hewlett arps

PWadademy - photographyworkshops

It was Aristotle who said: 

"Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god"

Modern life is like driving in the fast lane, requiring total concentration, with reverse gear kicking in the evening, we are constantly responding to text or email messages, reviewing the Facebook page to see how others are filling their time. In Britain we work fewer hours than our European counterparts however work longer hours, with the pace of life made faster by electronic media, where response times are measured in minutes or even seconds.

It was Albert Einstein who said “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind” For me that is where landscape photography provides the pressure release valve, allowing time to reflect and seek solace in your own time, spending hours contemplating, waiting for the light to be just right, discovering life at nature’s pace and offering a sanctuary from the weight of contemporary living; a chance to slow down, a reminder of the good things in life.

There will be times as a photographer when the creative juices just seem to disappear and you become devoid on any inspirational ideas, that when you need to down tools and take a long walk, or as I suggest delve into another genre of photography such as landscapes. The process of daydreaming allows your thoughts to bounce around and helps you are able to start thinking outside the box and visualize new concepts and ideas. One way this can be achieved is to get up and go for a long walk, emptying your mind of all the issues surrounding daily life, take the phone by all means but switch it off.

Why not combine this long walk, to a destination you love, with some photography, set the tripod down, sit down and explore the landscape around you, this will serve several purposes, firstly it will help take your mind in another direction and secondly help expand your photography experience by shooting something different.

A busy mind is an overloaded mind and it will be difficult to focus on any single issue, even with multitasking, resulting in the loss of concentration. You need to let the mind wander aimlessly, to do this you need to find somewhere that is quiet and has few distractions and there is nothing more relaxing than lying back in the heather watching the Red Kites soaring way above you, or the clouds just floating by, allowing your mind to take you to another world.

 Creative visualization is nothing new, you use it every day, it’s a creative energy that you use all the time, it’s your imagination, the process of opening your mind and being receptive to new ideas.

Set a goal, something you want to achieve or work towards, a new project you have in mind, go for a walk, take a compact camera, not the DSLR, make it something that is easy to achieve.

Create the mental picture for your idea, or if you have none then allow the mind to surf randomly, flitting from place to place, let it run free no matter how obscure and wild it may become, this is the process of changing channels. 

Allow yourself a few seconds on your current project and then switch imaginary channels and think of something else.

Climbing a hill or mountain is a simple analogy for developing creative thought, that in climbing that hill you are aiming for that which you desire, to discover a new valley, a new landscape or stunning light, as you get closer to the top, taking deep breaths or hanging on to branches for support you begin to sense the anticipation of seeing what is over the top. You are allowing your sub-conscious to take you on a journey. Just before you reach the top take a moment to calm yourself, take a deep breath and take those few steps to another creative world.

There are many techniques that will help you unhinge the mental stagnation and allow your mind to explore new ideas and themes, taking yourself away from your normal daily activities and immerse yourself in the process of enhanced creativity.

PWacademy

photographyworksops.co.uk

Recording Tranquillity

The Joy of Solitude

Recently, I was in Scotland shooting my sister’s wedding.  Being a Scottish wedding, you might imagine the affair to be heavy on dancing and drinking and you would be right but, since I had to leave early to drive 450 miles, I was very sober.

Whilst I was growing up I spent fabulous days in North Queensferry with my grandparents.  The village is adourned with the splendid view over the Firth of Forth, the 2 bridges and Edinburgh in the distance.

I parked the car and walked the coastal path that I had trodden well as a child – it was 5am and the only gentle sound was the waves lapping onto the rocks.  The fresh air and the silence were a solace.

This broken pier begged to be photographed.  The light was dim enough to extend the shutter speed to try to “milk” the sea around the rocks in the foreground.

ISO 100, F22, 5.0 Sec, 24-120mm at 38mm.

Sometimes we need to switch everything off in our lives and enjoy some solitude, the view in front of us and a camera to record the tranquillity.

A night in Paris

Une nuit à Paris

Andy Cubin MBE FSIFGP (hon)

PWacademy - photographyworkshops

I found myself landing in Paris at 9.30pm and, after a tortous taxi ride, arrived at the central hotel just after 10pm.

I usually take my point-and-shoot camera pretty much everywhere on my travels and often find inspiration to get my photography “fix”, but this time I had my DSLR and Terry’s tripod with the fullest intention on doing some night photography at the Eiffel Tower.

ISO 200 24-140mm lens f4 @ 32mm

I was a little concerned that the Metro would close and leave me with no alternative but to tab it the 25 minutes across the city but, this is Paris – nothing stops here!

Shoulder bag and tripod armed, I hit the Metro at Pointe Malliot on the yellow line – it has one of those really old-fashioned “Metro” signs at the top of the stairs.  The tube was heaving but after 3 stops I changed at Franklin D Roosevelt to the pale green line aiming for Trocadero.

I knew from a previous visit that this brought you out north of the Seine, but with a wonderful raised vista of the Eiffel Tower after a short walk up a long flight of steps.

By now it was 1130pm and foolish me, I expected things to have quietened down as it was a weekday – wrong!  My pre-planned shooting point was very busy, mostly with tourists, but also a fair chunk of students and a good handful of Gendarmerie.

Nonetheless, I found a viewpoint that framed the tower and the moon, which was darting in and out of a partly-clouded skyline.

ISO200 @ f5 1s exposure - 24-140mm lens

With the tripod weighted with my camera bag, I went through a variety of exposure settings, this image being ISO 200, F5 and 1 second shot in RAW.  There was actually a lot of ambient light from the illuminations on the tower so 1 second was more than enough.

ISO200 @ f5 1s exposure - 24-140mm lens

Being the adventurous type, I fancied getting closer and, once I got there, I really enjoyed some of the complex architecture, both close-up and lit.

By now it was midnight and there were still throngs of people around my location so I decided to retrace my steps but noticed a carousel, still in operation well off to one side of my return track.  Stepping through a couple of friendly French winos, I found what I was looking for and laid down on the pavement to get this:

ISO200 @ f5 1s exposure - 24-140mm lens

Time to head back – a good walk back to the Trocadero and rewind the Metro journey back to the hotel, but now with the tube and stations much quieter, save for this lonely cleaner getting on with his shift for the night:

By the time I got back to the hotel it was close to 1am, but the pub next door was still open, so a perfect opportunity for a “Pression” and a quiet sit down to chimp the evening’s work.

Work! - Did I say work?  

Stupid me.

Andy Cubin MBE FSIFGP (hon)

PWacademy  - photographyworkshops

Contact us at:  info@pworkshops.co.uk