Professional photographers have to be able to shoot any genre
As an Austin based architectural photographer, I often find I get complacent with that craft and don’t challenge myself with other styles of shooting. I suppose professional photographers have to be able to shoot any genre, even weddings which to me require a completely different type of shooting discipline. Photographers who shoot weddings generally only shoot weddings and those who do not, are happy not shooting weddings. Weddings are their own beast, and require lots of practice, trial and error, honing of the settings on your camera.
I shot a wedding last weekend in Houston and it almost dropped me to my knees, and reminded me why I don’t shoot weddings. I got some great tips from my buddy Dustin Finkelstein who shoots weddings regularly, so of course that put me a ease – for a while. So what I was fretting about all the week before is mostly how to NOT miss any shots of the bride walking down the aisle or the bride and groom on their exit. I scouted the location the day before and almost started crying with the challenges that revealed themselves. The wedding was to be held on a covered porch at Magnolia Ballroom which is a really majestic setting. The porch is cute but the backdrop behind the bride and groom is a blaring sunny f16. F22 is probably more accurate for this bright day.
The porch shade interior was about f2.8. That is a 6 stop difference between the Bride’s spot and the background, and I cannot add light!!!. Just great! My only choice was to bump my ISO to 1000 in order to get and shutter speed that I can hand hold and keep the bride, groom and wedding party exposed and just let the background blow out. Way out. So way out that the bride had a halo around her. I suppose it made her look somewhat angelic. I practiced shooting against the bright background and remembered my camera settings on my Canon 5d Mark 3. Then I practiced shooting with Al focus turned on and set my focus trigger to one of the buttons on the back of camera. This way I could just hold down that button as the bride moved along and I would be assured she would always be in focus. Shoot back at the bride for the entrance was easy since all that ambient light was pouring in from her front.
This is what I was dealing with if I opened up the f stop to f2.8 and the iso to 1000. It was my only option.
Though flashes and speed lights are not kosher during the wedding ceremony, I knew that once the bride and groom kissed, speed lights were open game. So I strapped two 600 ex rt speed lights up on either eve of the porch ceiling, and pointed them at the center of the group and another at the back of the porch pointing straight down the aisle. I set them to manual and had my ST E3 RT trigger on my camera ready to flip it on once the kiss happened. Here is a shot with the speed lights working just after the kiss – much better exposures.
We took a moment just before the ceremony to shoot a first look photo. The ICON Hotel has a spectacular Victorian smoking lounge that is very sultry and moody. I just asked Diana to creep in and touch Alex on the shoulder as I snapped away with 2 speed lights firing at about 45 and 90 degrees.
Just after the ceremony we took a minute to take one bride groom shot in the stairwell to try to capture the majesty of the domed ceiling at the Magnolia Ballroom.
For the dancing, I hung 2 speed lights at 45 and 90 degrees and set them to manual half power output. I had another 600 rt on my camera acting as the master communicating with the 2 off camera 600s.
About halfway in the dancing I decided to try slowing down the shutter speed to accentuate the inebriation that was clearly taking over. It had a nice effect I think adding some light trails to anything in motion.
We took a few minutes to pick up this shot while we were in the smoking room at the hotel
For the bridal party shots I found a room upstairs with huge windows that were a perfect start for large group photos. Lucky for me the light from the window was so dominate that when one of my speed lights decided to blitz on me, I could do just fine by filling from the right with just one flash.
Rust Rapture installation at Benchmark Bank
I have been honored with yet another Rust Rapture installation at Benchmark Bank in Westake. ” ” This photograph is a fine art canvas triptych print of “Saddle Up” which is a close up of the door panel of a 1954 Ford Custom Pickup Truck. Saddle Up is one the images in my Rust Rapture Collection.
The panels are 24 inches by 36 inches each. Check it out when you are in the area. Benchmark Bank is at 3811 Bee Cave Rd, Austin, TX 78746, right behind Victory Medical on Bee Caves
Tell the ladies (Sheila, Claire, Taylor and Marlee) I sent you. By the way, while you are there go ahead and open a checking account. These guys are awesome.
Commercial Product photo shoot for Jon Archer
I just did a commercial product photo shoot for Jon Archer Designs. Jon handcrafts wood furniture and products. Subsequently, Jon is one of a dying breed of real live craftsmen. We shot in his manufacturing studio at his home. I used natural light and added 2 Canon 600 ex rt speedlights as kicker lights triggered by the Canon ST E3 RT wireless trigger.
Architectural Accent photography can be more alluring than the whole room.
Sometimes I get so wrapped up about shooting my conventional architectural angles and scenes that I forget to look around me for accent photos. Architectural Accent photography often tells a more intriguing story than the entire room in which it is featured. In this first example, this vintage bank vault door in Houston makes a loud statement about the gobs of money and cash happy history of the old oil days of south Texas.
This accent photo is one I saw while shooting at University Crossings in Charlotte. It is in the entry way to the leasing office of the property.
Windswept installed at Heckmann residence
Windswept installed at Heckmann residence.
Our neighbors fell in love with Windswept – 1954 Ford Custom from the Rust Rapture collection. It is a 33 x 50 inch canvas wrapped giclee print.
Here it is installed in their kitchen.