Banyan Trees- ending the shoot with a bang

We ended this shoot in the middle of the Banyan trees that are all over Hawaii. This trees are so massive and the roots so tall that can make for some very dynamic shots. Our shoot was ended abruptly by a police officer which didn't make me very happy because when he pulled up in his car I looked up and was startled which made me drop my video light and it broke on the bottom. That's $800 that Hawaii should owe me...but I'll never see it.

Even though I had a permit allowing me to shoot in all open and accessible places, I guess he deemed the tree as not being open and accessible. We left and I missed out on a shot against an old fence overlooking the ocean that I wanted to get but I'll leave that for the next time I go back to Hawaii....Thanks Christine for an amazing shoot!!!

Broken down- using natural props in a bridal shoot

I just love abandoned buildings because they give you so much to work with....you never need to bring props...all you need is a bride, a dress, and your camera. This building was adjacent to the building where we shot the smoking break and it ended up giving us some great shots. I love the lines in this building, and with the roof being worn out the sunlight was coming through the top which gave us some great light. I also love how the left side and top of the building was circular and the right side was straight...

We found this chair just laying on the ground and thought that the broken chair with a bride in the middle mixed with all the lines of the structure would make for some dynamic shots. Being in Hawaii I was amazed there weren't more bugs...although we did encounter a wasp nest in the other building that we had to run away from...I think the smoke made them angry! I hope you enjoy the shots!

Fallen Angel- portraits of a bride-using lines in photography

When we could no longer stand the heat in the sugar cane we left the beautiful Sugar Cane Road and went down to a historic, abandoned High School that was built over 100 years ago. We immediately noticed the wonderful architecture and the lines that the building was yielding were magnificent. We got Christine up in this old window sill and I loved the fact that through the window I was able to see the lines from another building driving perpendicular through the window making for a much more dramatic shot.

The wind was blowing so hard that we didn't have to do any special effects to capture the veil as we did in the pictures below. I love the first shot because the veil looks like wings. I don't think I could duplicate the shot again because it was sheer patience and luck that the veil flowed in the outline of wings. The wind was blowing so hard that it actually flew out of her hair no less than 5 times...and when it flew it literally flew away and I had to go and get it. One time it actually flew backwards through the window and into the building you see in the background and I had to climb in and get it which wasn't easy.

When shooting photography the best pictures have symmetry and asymmetry at the same time. That's why I especially love the shot in the middle. There are so many lines that work with and against each other....making for a much more dramatic picture. That's also why I love to use the brides legs because sometimes the dress can overpower, and using the legs in images draws the contrast. In the first and last shots below I purposely had her legs showing and positioned in the direction of the building behind her to add more symmetry. Same thing as when I used the sugar cane....it's like they are fighting with each other but still come together enough to make a fantastic image as a whole. I hope you enjoy!

Drowning in Sugar Cane

Ever wonder how tall the sugar cane is in Hawaii? You might drive past it and think, "That looks big.." but you never realize how tall or big it is until you put a bride in the middle of it to give you some perspective. These shots below were the first time I ever took a bride into the middle of the sugar cane....and I love the feeling of capturing her walking through this world of huge plants....it's almost like a Jurassic Park moment in that everything is so much larger than the bride.

The other thing we immediately noticed was the temperature change. It was literally about 15 degrees hotter inside the sugar cane than it was when we were shooting on the road. Part of it was the wind but a big part was just being enveloped by these plants. It was awesome!

Composition and shooting in thirds- making a great shot

We continued our shoot on Sugar Cane Road and it was so picturesque I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. We had blue skies, plenty of wind, great cloud cover, and sunlight piercing through the clouds to give me all the ingredients to create the images and art that I wanted.

One of the most important things when shooting is creating the composition for your shot. I spend the most deciding where to shoot and what to shoot. I had a bride recently say about me, "Jason finds the shot he wants, and then puts you in it." I think that's key so you don't get distracted with the beauty of the bride and forget the surrounding area.

As you can see with the shots below there are vanishing points, highlights, lowlights, etc. But I wanted to focus on the rule of thirds being applied here. The rule of thirds is simple in that you cut the picture into three parts and make sure each is represented within your image. In the images below the three parts would be the sky, sugar cane, and the road....like three significant parts to your picture in one image. This makes for much better images...much more interesting and more beautiful. Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you enjoy!

Trashing the dress- resting after a long shoot....

So we worked hard...and then took a rest. It was so relaxing just there on the beach in Maui watching the sunset go down...it was hard to leave. But we were both very wet from being in the ocean so that feeling kind of wore off and it was time to get back to the car. This was the second of three shoots that I was in Hawaii to do....and I can't wait to show you the next shoot which was smoking...literally...but that's for another day. Thanks Jackie for everything and for such a great shoot!!!

Shooting with a million dollar view

We continued our shoot by finding this beautiful cliff with a mulit-million dollar view. If I could place a house anywhere in the world...this would definitely be one of the spots. Again the wind was a major factor but we used to our advantage and I was very happy with the results. I hope you enjoy!

Old Maui Church Bridal Shoot on the ocean

These images were taken from my second bridal shoot with the beautiful Jacqueline Linn. This church is located on Maui and is virtually the hardest place on the entire island to reach....you aren't even allowed to go their in your rental car. It's in a tiny village that can't have more than 100 people living there...and you find an old church with an unbelievable view of the ocean in the background. It is a wonderful place to shoot and we have a great time. I hope you enjoy!

Highlights, Lowlights, and everything in between

We ended our shoot outside on the road in the sugar cane that surrounded the abandoned building we were shooting at...and it was beautiful. I always look for conflicting things and can still come together to make a picture very dynamic but symmetrical at the same time. The picture below for example has a vanishing point that leads directly to the bride...both from the ground and the sky...so all the attention goes straight to her.

The other thing I like to do is draw some contrast with the bride. Sometimes a big white dress can drown out the person wearing it....that is the main reason I love to show some of the bride's legs in the pictures that you see. It makes the images much more dynamic and instead of just a straight white highlights of a wedding dress...you have the contrast of the brides legs...makes for a much more interesting picture. The key is getting your highlights and lowlights to come together to make everything work. It's like a salad where there are a lot of different ingredients but they can come together to make something that tastes great.

Gone With the Wind-using wind in photography

There are a few things I look for when starting a shoot. Light, clouds, and wind. Light is obviously very important, and while there are some times during the day where light can be harsh (during the middle of the afternoon like noon-2pm) it can also provide very dramatic effects. The shoot I did with Camlyn was actually done from 12-3pm. You can tell because if you look at the pictures you can tell the light source is directly above by looking at her shoulders and the shadows that fall under her head. This same light though is what makes the veil glow and provides the contrast and highlights that can make your pictures look fantastic.

Wind is also an amazing tool to utilize. Wind makes it more difficult to shoot...there's no disputing that. But without it you can't get these kind of results. I prefer too much wind compared to too little wind because you can typically find a way to block wind you don't want...but it's very difficult to manufacture wind if you don't have it. The best thing to do on a shoot is to set your subject in the location you want and start firing away. The first shot I love because the veil is so playful...and it matches Camlyn's face. The bottom shot is more dramatic and also fits her facial expression...and I love the effect it puts on her face.

The middle shot is more of a movie scene kind of an image and the wind was just slamming through the door which gave us the effect we were looking for. I really do like photoshop...but the more you create through the camera the better your images will be. You can try to create lighting, wind, and clouds in photoshop and they will look good...but nothing is as great as the real thing....

Camlyn Part 2- Poison

When we first walked into this abandoned sugar cane building I noticed this room in the corner and it was all dark and dirty. I couldn't have had a better backdrop if I'd painted it myself. We went to this room (I inspected it first to make sure it was safe) and then with the use of two video lights we lit the room up. I loved the verbiage on the walls that made it fun to work with. I was able to shoot at 2500 ISO, with a 20mm lens at 1.8 at 1/80 sec for my shutter speed.

When I shoot with interns or other photographers and they ask me about the most important pieces of equipment to buy I tell them to first get a camera that has good ISO sensitivity (like my D3), but even more importantly is to buy a prime lens (low aperture, high speed) to really drive the results you seek. Shooting with a prime lens also gives you great depth of field and if you put your focal point on the subject's eyes, the result will be a picture that has great focus on their eyes and can add a soft blur (pre-photoshop) that will really make your pictures look great. I hope you enjoy!

Camlyn part 1- Mokulele Bridal Shoot

These are the first shots I'm releasing from the bridal shoot I did on the Mokulele Highway in Maui with the beautiful Camlyn Stoeberl. As you know by now I just love shooting brides in places you normally don't see them...I love the contrast of putting a beautiful bride in a white dress in a darker, dirty setting where it's almost like the bride's glow fights through everything around her.

Add some light, wind, and some fun photography techniques and you can create some real unique shots. I just love these and I hope you do too. I'll be releasing more pics later...and I have to thank Camlyn for doing such a great job!!

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO VIEW LARGER!

Hana Bride

I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted on the blog! I was hired to go and do 3 bridal shoots on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii this last week....and I just got back last night from the red eye. The shoots that I did were some of the funnest and most adventurous shoots I've done and I can't tell you how much I loved them. I was blessed to be able to find some very original locations rather than the typical beach settings. This shot was taken off of the famous Hana Highway and as you can see it is stunning.

This is a natural shot...enhanced but nothing added. I had the Bride hop over a locked gate and we got this shot. The wind was blowing so well and we had a long veil so it worked out perfectly. While in Maui I was able to shoot in abandoned sugar cane factories, the sugar cane fields, historic and abandoned buildings, the ocean, and in tiny little churches built over a hundred years ago in towns that had less than 200 people for the total population. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to do these shoots. I have several weddings next year in Hawaii and I can't wait to get back there! Click on the picture to see it bigger....Blogger always compresses the color and such when it's small....so enjoy it big!