melanilust_darien_wedding_05
Bride preparation, wedding day in Southport, CT.
Bride preparation, wedding day in Southport, CT.
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May, 2014Views
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jocelynbanfield
July 10, 2015
This is simply stunning! The soft gentle colors give this a magical feel
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the Delamar Hotel in Southport, CT.Time
It was a bright sunny day, about 1 pm and the bride had just finished getting ready. She was gorgeous!Lighting
I wanted the image to look fresh and clean, so we turned off all of the lights and used bounce flash...we didn't have time to set up my Profotos, and I thought that the 600 EXs at high power would fill the room with what would look like natural light.Equipment
I used the Canon 1DX, 24-70 mm L series and I bounced a 600 EX flash behind me to the right while my assistant held the second 600 EX ocf to camera right.Inspiration
Since we had 10 extra minutes (so rare for a wedding photographer!), I asked the bride if she wanted to do something fun! I always wish I had at least 30 minutes with every bride, but the makeup and hair often runs late and brides don't anticipate how long it takes to put on their dresses and so we are typically left with 5 minutes for portraits, but we had 15 minutes that day. I wanted to give the bride something different and I also wanted to photograph her in full length. I loved the headboard of the bed, so I thought to stand her on the bed. My assistant and I removed all of the bric a brac, and cables that were on the tables. I propped the bride up there, asked her to turn her face to the right and put her eyes on the camera. I usually don't photograph symetrically, but this worked with the pretty hotel suite.Editing
For post processing I did a lot of cleaning up, things such as smudges and dust specks in the table glass and on the curtain I had to do in Photoshop. The standard Lightroom processing to balance color tones, soften skin and adjust contrast, black point, etc.In my camera bag
Here is what I take to every wedding: I use Canon professional bodies and Canon "L" series and Zeiss lenses. I shoot with two camera bodies, currently the IDX and the 5 D Mark III. I have two backup cameras: a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 1Ds Mark IV. I arrive weddings with the following lenses (all Canon unless noted): 70-200 mm f/2.8, 85 mm f/1.2, 85 mm Petzval f/2.2, 35 mm f/1.4, 17 mm tilt shift f/4, 14 mm f/2.8, Zeiss 50 mm Macro f/2, 16-35 mm f/2.8, and two 24-70 mm f/2.8, 100 - 400 mm f/4. I also will bring a 1.4 extender, five Canon 600 EX Speedlights, four flash stands, four Stoffen diffusers, one MagMod diffuser. I also bring my Profoto B1 500 AirTTL lights, with a 3' Octabox and a small softbox for formals. An LED light panel, a Frezzolini light and an all purpose flashlight find their way into my second suitcase. As well, I bring two reflectors, one sun swatter, cto gels for each flash, two bridal umbrellas from England and four Burberry umbrellas. To power the flashes during the reception I use a Quantum Turbo SC, a Quantum 3 and about 50 Powerex rechargeable AA batteries too! I currently have the Canon 5D Mark iv on order and will be trading in the 35 mm f/1.4 for the newer upgrade.Feedback
When you go into a hotel room during the wedding day, always turn off all of the lights, either use a high contrast window light or create your own light. The 600 EXs are very powerful when bounced and using a high iso (800-1600).
