The Anti Bridezilla

This is an image I took of the former Miss Colorado Jamie Dukehart-Conti in the hills of Los Angeles.  Brides are quite often so rushed and frazzled on the day of their wedding that I thought it would be a blast to a shoot showing the other side of what a bride can be.  Completely cool, not worrying about their dress, and just not having a care in the world. Hope you like it!

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 3- Here Comes the Sun

After spending the first half of the shoot in the dark we decided to find some sun. The most difficult thing about shooting in an area like a door frame as you see below is the fact that you are dealing with vastly different exposure areas from the inside to the outside. The best thing to do in these situations are to set the camera on a tripod (or hold it very still...I held it for these shots), and bracket the image exposure. Most cameras these days have bracketing available....check your user's manual.

The shot below is actually two shots, one exposed for the inside, her skin, etc, while the other is exposed for the sky....which is why I was able to get both shots. While learning and applying photoshop is very important....there is an art to capturing the image. I always tell people in my workshops that photoshop can't make a good shoot great....it can only make a great shot better. Getting the right shot in the camera is the way to ensure you get the images you want. Think of it as a cake. Photoshop is the decorative icing...but everything else is the shot. If you make a beautiful decorative icing but the cake is under/overcooked....it will taste nasty. The same is true for photography. First learn how to get it in the camera...and then move onto the icing to make it special......

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!