So what if you don’t have the most ideal setting for wedding pictures?
A little while back I addressed the issue of “if it rains on your wedding day, what can you do for your pictures?” especially when it’s a long island wedding, as outdoor photography is usually a planned component of long island area wedding photographs.
That gave me the idea to post further about other wedding photo solutions when encountering less-than-wished-for circumstances in getting your wedding photographs.
Sometimes, for example, a bride and groom may desire to have their wedding photos taken at a place that’s meaningful to them or convenient or desirable, but that spot may have some elements in the setting that impair the image somewhat.
Of course, not all photographers have the same definition for “impair”, or better put, not all photographers have the same standards as to what makes a better image. So I’m only speaking for myself and my sense of artistry and aesthetics (I do have a history however of art education and background, so I hope what I write has some weight, Dear Reader…)
So this bridal couple, for example, had a home backyard that they favored. Great! The thing was, in the background is the neighbor’s house and some other items, and I didn’t think that had a place in their wedding portrait, you know? Kind of distracting.
Again, some other photographers may feel differently. For one, they may say “well that’s the way it was”. But I say, “This isn’t newspaper reporting just the facts – this is a portrait! The great masters of art for centuries painted portraits in which the goal was to flatter the subjects, not paint in the surrounding distracting facts in the composition.”
Others may simply point their camera in the opposite direction so as not to show the neighbor’s house in the portrait’s background, but they may not be considering another factor to a great portrait, the primary factor in photography: light. Where the light is and the quality of it, as well as how it illuminates the image by its direction and effect, is paramount, even more important a consideration in photography than the background. Turn that camera in another direction and you lose that precious light (many photographers may simply use their flash and aren’t aware of using the available light quality, but I don’t work like that. A photographic image is like a recipe: mix in great light with great composition while capturing a story. Anything else isn’t quite as tasty.)
The great thing about digital is how we can remaster the image afterwards to achieve what was seen in the mind’s eye when the image was first captured.
Here’s the progression of that couple’s backyard photo from its raw capture to the finished version.
Your results will vary, depending on who you hire.
First, the raw capture itself, a sweet enough shot. Good enough for many, but “good enough” isn’t in my vocabulary. It’s like, for a hot breakfast, plain oatmeal is “good enough”, but steak and eggs is w-a-y better.
Then remastering the raw image. Now we have high impact, something dramatic, more interesting to view than the first capture. We have steak and eggs!
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