Bridesmaids in a simple setting

In this picture the look achieved was fun, high key and fashionable, similar to that achieved in a portrait studio.  However, the backdrop was the uninteresting corner of the wedding marque after the bridesmaids had finished their dinner.  I didn’t want the typical boring shots of people sitting at the table with dirty plates in front of them so I asked them to follow me for a quick picture.

These kind of fun group shots always work better with a few drinks down the subjects,  which is why post meal is a good time to explore such pics with the guests.

I set my camera to manual mode and cranked up the exposure to the point where the image came close to being over exposed,  I knew that by getting their faces bright the background would turn to white as it became over exposed. I then bounced flash over my left shoulder knowing it would return as soft light and fill-in any remaining shadows on the subjects while adding some sparkle to their reflective clothing.  Bouncing your flash away from the subject will nearly always remove any background shadows too, so the end result is much nicer than shooting flash directly into them.  I’m often asked at weddings why my flash is pointing the ‘wrong way’ but of course it isn’t.  This is a technique I’ll explain in a later post.

So this is a very simple picture,  taken very simply and quickly with a simple lighting technique in a completely dull location during a part of the evening where other photographers usually put down their cameras.   The point is you don’t need a background to make a great pic.   This picture is all about body language and friendship and I didn’t pose it at all just encouraged them.

This was one of the bride’s favourite pics,  despite the fact that it could have been taken anywhere.  I’m always looking out to capture the relationships between people beyond the bride and groom on the wedding day.

Visualsnap | Wedding Photographer Kent