Wedding question - need help today!

08/20/2005 11:00:25 AM · #1

The wedding I'm shooting today had a sudden change of schedule last night and now the portraits will be taken outside at approx. 3:00 pm here in sunny So. Cal. What can I do to overpower the dark shadows/contrasts that I'll surely get?

Please help - just a few hours left!
Thanks,
Eric
//www.eslayphotography.com

08/20/2005 11:04:02 AM · #2

Get them in front of a building or some trees with the sun behind them. I would also let them know of the lighting situation and tell them you can't guarity the quality of the pictures. It doesn't makes sense why people have weddings in the middle of the day or have receptions in a dark dark room, but then again I didn't realize any of this until I started shooting weddings. hehehe..

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

08/20/2005 11:06:37 AM · #3

oops forgot to say, make sure you mess with your settings like the exposure to get good lighting on them since the sun will be somewhere behind them or to the side of them. Good luck!

crabappl3

08/20/2005 11:08:52 AM · #4

USE YOUR FLASH!

If you are going to shoot outdoor, and you have the sun behind them, then you will need to expose for the scene sun, then compensate with the flash to fill. You should then be able to get blue sky, and nice skin tone and dress shouldn't be blown out.

-danny

Nuno

Nikon D700

08/20/2005 11:20:18 AM · #5

I can't ephatize enough the use of fill flash. I think I use it about 85% of outside photos in weddings, at least in poses. In candids I like to put my 70-300 and keep out of sight. But otherwise fill in flash is a must. Almoust all weddings I've shoot I end up doing posed photos in a garden and other locations almout in the mid day sun, right on the top of the people's heads, casting heavy shadows on their faces. If you put them with the sun in the front of them you'll probably catch many people with their eyes closed or with the sunglasses on. If you put them with the sun behing and use average or matrix or some kind of poderate light metering you'll end up with the subject underexposed, almout backlight photos, if you use focal or point metering, in theire faces, you'll get everything else just blown white, at least the background. So I use matrix metering with fill flash. Here the TTL BL of my SB800 does all the work.

08/20/2005 11:53:15 AM · #6

yes, use the flashor if you have alein bees, use them..that is what I use. Works great!

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

08/20/2005 11:54:16 AM · #7

Thanks for the quick responses. I will be using a 550ex speedlight. Any Canon users out there that want to share what setting I can use and how to set it? (to do a fill flash for harsh mid-day sun)

I appreciate all your help! DPC users rock!
Eric

Message edited by author 2005-08-20 11:54:51.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

08/20/2005 11:57:26 AM · #8

Bring along an assistant to hold reflectors.

08/20/2005 12:01:26 PM · #9

Originally posted by eslaydog:

Do you have a difuser of any kind to go on the flash?

08/20/2005 12:11:41 PM · #10

I don't have a diffuser, but I could probably get one...

08/20/2005 01:30:43 PM · #11

last minute bump

Message edited by author 2005-08-20 13:57:49.

leaf

Canon EOS-5D Mark II