I set up a medium soft box to camera left at 1/200, f/8, ISO 200 with the strobe’s power at 1/4 power. I had them stand in front of a plain white wall and stand super close to each other. It’s always a bit awkward at first but then they laugh because it’s uncomfortable and I start firing my shots. I also say to stand hip-to-butt to get the closeness that you see here. I loved that Sydney was wearing a hat so that it gave him something to play with.
Sydney & Jason are sitting on the window sill that was framed by white sheer sheets. Their daughter was playing at their feet so I used the already existing joy that was happening around them. Editorial shots are typically very clean so I try my best to minimalize clutter. She was originally wearing a black tank top with appeared very harsh so I had them change into white in order to keep the scene very fresh. I shot this at f/2.5, ISO 00, 1/400 of a second.
This is a great example of style on point. These images would not be the same without the fashion piece. The trick to editorial style is creating natural moments that don’t seem too posed and if they are posed, they need to appear confident and relxed which is what Tina & Brian are doing here. I shot this at 1/200 at f/11, and ISO 400 with a medium soft box to the left and a soft white reflector bouncing light back on the right side.
This was shot at 1/200 at f/6.3, ISO 100. There was natural light coming in from the left so I placed my light source from the same direction. I didn’t add a bounce frmo the side because I liked the shadow fall off. Editorial images tend to have a “Rembrandt Effect.” I asked Tyler to sniff Michelle’s hair which made her giggle. I am a huge fan of hands. Hands can make or break the romance of an image. I try to never crop out the hands if I can help it.
Again, wardrobe is key here. I like to bring variety to the shoot without compromising the consistency of the shoot. I asked Michelle to grab her hat and then told Tyler to grab her hand and “suprise” her to which he kissed her knuckles. For the photo on the right, I used a ladder prop. Michelle wore heels that made her a bit taller so I wanted to elevate Tyler. I didn’t want this to be a cheesy ladder photo, so I went with a very simple, minimalistic approach. This was shot at the same settings as the previous photo.
It is crucial to have a clear mood board. My mood board is supposed to evoke sophistication with a dash of charm. The lighting is simple and the wardrobe is not fussy. I want these images to stand the test of time and have a certain timelessness to them. Every couple is different so they will already bring a unique spin on every spin.
I shot my first wedding in 2009 during college when I was pursuing a career in photojournalism. I eventually married my husband, Kelly Dlux, owner of Dlux Entertainment, who DJs and emcees corporate events and weddings so it made sense for us to join forces and serve in the same industry. Now I manage both of our companies in addition to acting as the primary photographer for Michelle Kim Photography and also shoot fashion during the week to collaborate with other creatives and stay creative. How I get my images: My background in journalism paired with my interest in style and fashion has definitely informed the way that I shoot. My vision when photographing events is to capture moments as they happen…I feel like a bit of a psychologist because I am constantly reading people’s body language and anticipating their next move so that I can capture the most amazing yet fleeting moments that I wouldn’t be able to ask them to recreate for me. I consider myself an editorial-style wedding photographer so in addition to capturing candids, I am also constantly trying to elevate reality to its most beautiful state. I recently started a new marriage series titled “Creative Marriages” highlighting married couples who work in the creative industry and how they achieve work-life balance in a work-obsessed culture. This is my main platform to highlight my editorialstyle into portraiture. I would love to shoot all of my engagement like they are straight out of a fashion magazine.
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