“Almost Time” was created during Liliana’s wedding day. Right after the ceremony and on our way to do Family portraits, I asked the bride to walk back to the altar and wait while her family came back to the church. I immediately saw the Center Composition and the symmetry was perfect, but the lighting was not.
To make it look like a window light I had my assistant stand on the pews and slightly feathered the Magbox creating a kiss of light on her face.
The Ceremony was celebrated in the small mission of San Juan Capistrano, reflecting the multicultural history of the landmark and the couple.
As a Wedding Photographer, I constantly find myself in situations like this, where you have to “see” the image with your mind’s eye and try to produce it in less than 2 minutes. It’s a challenge that helps me thrive in my business. I love high-paced events. I know that wedding photography is not for everybody, but it’s definitely for me.
This is the image straight out of camera –
As you can see from this image, there were a few people in the background and you can’t ask them to move. That was the bride’s grandmother and uncle waiting their turn for pictures. It doesn’t work like that in Wedding Photography. You have to analyze the situation and try to avoid having the item that you are going to “remove” touching the main subject.
Next, you meter for the available light (which was minimal in this scene) and then you adjust your lighting accordingly. I mainly wanted the light to focus on her face as I knew I could work her dress in Post-production.
This bride’s expression is everything. It’s stoic, relaxed, and effortlessly beautiful.
Technical:
Camera: 5D Mark IV + Canon 16-35 f/2.8
Camera Settings: F/4.0 at 1/80th and ISO 640
Lighting: Godox AD600 strobe + Magbox Pro Octa Softbox – off-camera
