Finding Good Light
- Sometimes it’s just about finding good light. While we were walking around downtown Los Angeles I saw this one corner where there was warm afternoon sunlight poking through. I positioned the couple so the better light would fall on her (sun coming from behind, giving her nice hair light). Once they were positioned I pretty much told them to “just be yourselves”. Sometimes you get couples that instinctively do something that’s very much them. Other times they need a little push in the right direction to get a good reaction from them. For this one, they were pretty much there but just needed a little more. So I said something along the lines of “pretend you like each other” which got her laughing. Anytime I say something that I know will get a reaction I have my camera set and ready to go. So as soon as she started laughing I brought the camera to my face and snapped a few photos. There were some frames where her eyes were pointing more towards the camera but I went with this one because I felt it was more engaging with her fiancé.
- Gear: Nikon D800, Sigma 85mm 1.4, natural light
Tucson Wedding
There are times where the bride has put in so much attention to detail that photographing it is so much easier. I love this photo and many photos from this wedding, not only because the couple and all of their friends were such a delight to be around, but also because it shows how much work the bride put into her special day. From the headpieces, to the bouquets, to the touches of gold, everything was very well put together.
- Shooting it was simple: put the 85mm on and shot fairly shallow (f/2.2 or so). I wanted some compression so by shooting wider aperture I knew I would get more of that. I tried to keep them in a straight line as much as possible so one bridesmaid wouldn’t go out of focus.
- Gear: Nikon D800, Sigma 85mm 1.4, Natural Light
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Through the trees in Newport
- While we were walking to a new location in Newport Beach, CA I spotted this frame in the middle of a few trees. The spot I was looking at was still about 80-100 feet away so the couple wasn’t completely sure what I was seeing but I knew it was going to be a solid shot if I could frame them between the trees. I had my assistant set up two flashes. One behind the couple, and one in the front, both with CTO gels to exaggerate the pink and blues in the sky.
- We had been shooting for about an hour and change already so when I told them to face each other they already knew: his hands around her waist and her hands on his shoulders with elbows low so as not to cover her face. Since I was going to be so far away I knew they probably wouldn’t hear me so I set up the shot before walking away and going for a good hike. Beyond that it was just a matter of praying that the flashes would fire. Since switching systems to the Yongnuo, from pocket wizards, it’s been such a joy being able to change power from my camera instead of the old-school way of running up to the flashes or telling my assistant to change the power. But with distance and trees I didn’t know if it would send and receive. To my surprise, every single shot fired and I only took about 5 frames, changing the composition a bit until I liked it.
- Gear: Nikon D750, Nikon 70-200mm VR, Two Yongnuo 560 IV
Tips on Creating Great Light – Part 1
Escobar Photography of Long Beach, California specializes in Destination Weddings.
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