Formals in the Darkness

How lame can I be?
Love the mood.

Could there be a possibility to rid of the background outside lighting under his arm?

Well, thanks very much for the replies Mike and Susie.  I was hoping to get a few more comments on this so sorry I didn't reply my 'thanks' to you two earlier.  I do appreciate you taking the time to give me some advice.  The bright spot should be easy enough to remove, I'll keep an eye out for problem areas like that in the future.

Maybe I made it sound like I was already full of excuses when I posted?  That was not my intention.

Mike, I don't know what you mean about being lame?  Did you have more to say?  Please feel free to do so if you were holding back for some reason.  I appreciate your insights very much.

Thanks,
Travis

Oh, well then, I like your lame comments. 

Travis

Hi Travis-
Sorry I did not see your post sooner.  I also have to send you an Email on another issue- re: New Studio.  I will do that soon- just been crazy busy.

Re- this image- I know you want to pleas clients and give the good service by not messing up their wedding schedule but the client not allowing time for some formal photographs is really unacceptable and you have to tell people that.  If the can’t devote half an hour to your efforts, they will only become a difficult client if they are not pleased with some of their images.  We all have to bend over backwards to accommodate each client but having them tell you your job always results in disappointment. 

I know it is frustrating for you as it would be for me having a beautiful and interesting couple and not being able to make some really kick-butt formals.  The image is a mess!  I hate to put it that way but late at nigh after all the festivities are over, people are tired, the clothing becomes rumpled, the flowers may be dead or tossed away and you end up kicking a dead horse. 

The camera position looks a bit too high thereby causing foreshortening. We can’t see too much of the groom- a wide angle setting on your zoom may have been used for lack of space- this sometimes causes a significant different in “head sizes” aside form other possible distortions.

The bride’s body is facing the light source and the front of her dress (due to angle of incidence issues) is blown out and the ratio is too high- that equals harsh lighting.  The poses are awkward and the gown is a wreck.  There are now flowers and the hands and arms are far from graceful.

I am sure you could have dealt with all of theses issues if you had the time and the place but odiously there was not time or space allocated for the photography. 

The time problem is not new. Photographers have been self inflecting stress on themselves by not educating their clients from day one of the client/photographer relationship.  When planning with wedding clients you need to inject some common sense into the mix.  Any professional, tradesmen or craftsmen need time to do their work. Just check with a plumber, an auto mechanic, a dentist, a flouriest- the all need time to do their work properly.  Why not you?  Now we are not going to turn someone’s wedding into a photo fest but we are going to inform our clients that a certain portion of time needs to be allocated to a formal session which is going to be carefully planed so that it does not cause a bottleneck in the trajectory of the affair but it allow enough time for you do some must haves for a successful body of work to be produced.  Whether is half an hour of more- you have to plan, in your mind, exactly who must be present and what you’re gonna do with them.  Don’t bite off more than you can chew within the time allotted.

Here’s a method-  You will need the bride and groom, all the parents, the ushers and brides-maids and all juniors and flower girl and the ring barer and any grandparents.  This method is called flowing posing.   I will try to write it as I call it when I am working.  This may be hard to read but take a shot at it.  This scenario can be done properly in 30 to 45 minutes.  I also advise breaking up the formal shots- some can be done at the bride’s home, prior to the wedding.  This particular sequence assumes that you have to shoot all of this after the ceremony and before the start of the receptions and the proper time slot has been arranged.

OK- Let’s go!

I need the bride’s large family group w/ bride and groom front and center- arrange it and shoot- break it down to the bride and groom  and her parents- now photograph the parents alone- then a group of the grand parents- each set and the bring back the bride and groom  Repeat this operation with the grooms family.

Assemble the entire bridal party and shoot- have the guys step our and shoot all of the girls-  Have the bride rest and shoot the guys.  Shoot the best man  and the groom and then the maid of honor  and the bride/  Make some portraits of the kids and then shoot the bride ant her flower girl and the groom and his ring barer.

You can now discharge all the families and bridal party members and send them on the want to the reception. You are now left with the couple-more privacy- no (well meaning) hecklers fooling around and causing distractions.  If you want some romantic poses, it will be easier to achieve the mood without the whole crew looking on and cat calling or making funny remarks. 

Pose a full length of the bride- and do 3 variations- come in for some 3.4 length shots and than do your close-ups.  Bring in the groom and work backwards.  Start with the intimate close-ups, work your way down the ¾ shots and the back up for the close-ups. LOGICAL PROGRESSIONS!  Don’t waste time moving the bride and groom all over the place.  Keep them in one place and build and brake down the groups around them.  Don’t shoot everyone and everything the same way.  Shoot some of the formals with people smiling at the camera and then do some where they are relating to each other. Hugging, kissing, shaking hands, fooling around- every thing is fair game.  People will have a fun time and things will go quickly.  I don’t give anybody a chance to argue with me or make suggestions- as soon as I shoot a “set” I go right into the next- I segue by saying “Thanks folks- that was great- now give me the…!  If those folks are in the washroom or have ran out back for a smoke, I go the next easiest shot- I never waste time- every minute counts.  Instead of spending time moving people all over the room or the garden, I use that time to perfect and flowers are positioned gracefully. I always finish on time.  If there is less time, I will do fewer variations but I will make sure everything is clean and as creative as possible.  Better a lesser amount of quality images than copious quantities of sloppy photographs. 

I tell the couple, in advance, that once the formals are over with, I have beautiful, graceful flattering images of all the principles of the wedding and from there on in, most of the images will be off the cuff  spontaneous captures. If I step in a pose a shot or two, no one seems to mind because I have kept my promise and made the formals session a fun experience and did it all in time. 

If I don’t get the time, I don’t do the gig, nor because I am a dictator or a snob but because I want the very best for my clients and there is an old saying-  ”Your  reputation is as good as your last job”!  You can do good work for years and you will benefit for doing so but if you screw up badly the word travels like wildfire- even if the bad results are not entirely your fault.

Sorry for the long pep talk but this is important to your business. The list of shots or the sequences are not carved in stone- it is merely a method of doing work in a timely fashion.  You can adapt whatever style or content you want in your wedding coverage  but you must create a fast and workable framework and make sure that your clients are educated to the fact that you need the time.

Sincerely,  Ed