Thoughtful
A shot from my first wedding shoot
A shot from my first wedding shoot
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Dec, 2016Views
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Top Shot Award 22
People's Choice in best portrait 2016 Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot in The Bristol Hotel, Bristol UK back in December 2016. I found out I was doing this shoot ( I was dropped in it by my fiance,) the night before when I arrived home from work.Time
I'd been shooting the bridal prep since about 08:30. At about 09:50 the brides sister walked in the room and this shot was taken at approx 10:30.Lighting
I'd never done this type of work before and was way out of my comfort zone. I had borrowed a two light setup from a mate the night before. I don't remember the positioning but after my partner had posed the subject (I don't usually photograph people). I wanted to keep the shadow around the eye by the hands.Equipment
I can't remember the make of the lighting as I borrowed it from a mate the day before. Camera was Nikon D3200 paired with an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/4 - 5.6G ED (kit lens). Settings: ISO: 200, 55mm, f/9, 1/30sInspiration
As I've said previously my fiance set up the pose. As I'm not a portrait photographer or I should say I wasn't and the model was so natural I wanted to do my best to keep it as natural looking and innocent as possible. The most striking thing for me was the models eyes, I know that there is no catch light in the eyes and that's ok for me.Editing
I did process this image in Lightroom, I did as little as possible as I didn't want to stray to far from what actually came out of the camera. I've reworked this image a few times just for my own sake and I still prefer this version.In my camera bag
I always have my camera in my bag Nikon D5300. I usually carry 4 lenses with me AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5 -5.6G VR (kit), AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/4 - 5.6G ED (kit), SIGMA APO 70-300mm f/4 - 5.6 Macro DG and a AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G. I also pack a Sigma x1.4 Tele Converter. A Neewer TT560 Speedlite, Assorted filters, 3 spare batteries, 2 remote controls, 4 sd cards from 8Gb - 32Gb. Cleaning equipment, and the ever present ground sheet, which has a variety of uses. Tripod. I always have a pair of Wellies (Wellington Boots) and Chest Waders in the car as I usually end up in a river somewhere.Feedback
I was way out of my comfort zone on this shoot, photographing people was a no no for me. Once I got into it I really enjoyed the shoot and began to feel more at ease and enjoy what I was doing. I'm not used to getting feedback from the subjects I shoot as I'm more into landscape and nature and to be honest a river isn't going to give you negative feedback on a picture you've taken of it. I learnt a lot from doing this shoot and it did give me a chance to try something different to what I normally do. Would I change anything if I had to do it all over again? I'd change lots of things. I'd have been more prepared, I'd have to have more room to work in. I'd have taken backdrops with me to block off that unsightly window and curtain in the back of the shot. Thinking about it, I'd love the chance to do it all over again, as I've learnt so much more since then and I'm still learning. My advice is to go for it grasp every chance you can. Get out of your comfort zone, don't get stuck in the same old routine. Be flexible, adaptable and open to change. After all 'Variety is the spice of life'. The more genres that you try the more you'll learn about photography and yourself as a photographer. To borrow a slogan from a well known global company 'Just Do It'
