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Ceremony Q&A

Okay, Joe, I have a question from Alan. Maria. Uh, who says, could you please make a demonstration of bouncing from your assistance White shirt? Yeah, and they're from Roma. So let me go back to my 24 millimeters so I can go in a little white and I want to step back too far. Yeah, it's this way. Where's my tether? Here it is. So now we're in a very narrow aisle, okay? So bear with me in terms of how I'm gonna do this, Okay? On one second. Yeah. So you're actually over here, and all I'm doing is when I photographed them. This is this is my bounce right here. Now, this is gonna be hot because he's so close. So what I would have probably have done right now is go to a lower iess. Oh, big time. Right. Let me see what the ambient light says. Okay, there's one stop under, and normally she has a little more distance between me. Yeah, How about in the middle of? Because you know what? Sometimes also, I'm such a bad boy. When people stand, they become my balances. I'm sorry. And I try to do ver...

tical so that I'm hitting them in the gut and not these. So I blind them. So it's it's it's literally right there, you know? It's literally right there. You said she holds on Yeah, because of those. But there, that's what I get. There's your bounce flash keeping the ambient light in the background Did. I just looked through the camera, right? I know exactly. Because of practice, I know exactly where this thing is pointing. So I have to tell you, besides there but half the time that it's it's very simply done for me. So there's your bounce technique off of someone who has white. It's not the same, is getting a window from far away. It's because what am I lighting? I'm lighting from the front, So now I'm more likely gonna get flat lighting. But it's just easier for me than toe have to again change things that I'm doing and having to put thought in it. It's easier to have someone walking with me. So now she's trained to go up and down with me right to the side of me, and sometimes we have enough space. I'll have an arm out and I will literally as they're walking down. You know, I might point this thing up slightly because I'm doing it this way, right? So they may look the other way. But as you're walking towards me, walk, walk back, look back. So bounce light off my assistant. One less thing for me to carry in my bag. Pull out. It's flat lighting. It's not as dramatic as the lighting off the pillar, but in a pinch. It does great. Did that answer the question? Pray tell. Next question. How do you get natural looking? Flash on a couple coming down the aisle when guests are standing in the way of the bounce. Flash from the wall, Right? What? I just showed you having my assistant stand next to me and walking back where it's at an arm's length and bouncing right off of the white shirt exactly like that. Great there were. And by the way, there are times where I might need to go overhead, and it won't be a direct is what I just showed you creating the highlight and shadow. So there are times when they're all standing and I'm walking backwards. I literally have to take my flash and go higher in the minute you do that. You having a larger space toe work with And where does it come from? From up above, almost like if it was in front of them, even though it's a little bit from the side. Unless you could really direct this thing accurately to go at a 45 degree angle, you're gonna fill them from the front as well as from the side. So it will be a little more flat lighting, much like my assistant. So for me, it's easier to have my assistant walk Max to me and just fire off her white shirt to fill it. Okay. Question From Michael Tolls Photography from Atlanta. Most weddings that I have shot the couple is facing the minister. Do you instruct them ahead of time to face each other for better lighting? No, I've gotten into really what I do ask. Uh, that's a great question. I do ask my clients how the ceremony is to be performed, so and we are talking in a church. Typically, while the couple faces the minister. Initially, I there's not been one time where the minister hasn't now turned to each other that he hasn't said that because there's going to be an exchange of rings. There's going to be their own vows, maybe that they've written so eventually they may start that way, and then they kneel, usually on the altar from the back There's air, beautiful shots, and then when they stand again, they typically will turn towards each other. Having said that, it is what it is, so I can't change the ceremony. I will never try and direct how it should be done for my photography. What I will let them know is when I find out that they will always be facing the minister. If that's the case, that I won't be able to get those shots because one thing I will not do is get on the altar and stand behind the minister to get their expression. I won't do that, even if they say it's okay, I just won't do that. It's just not part, you know, and most ministers rabbis won't let you get on the altar. That's just one rule they have that's fairly standard across the board. That's a no no, we don't do that and I'm cool with that. So I let them know said that there at least aware that I'm not going to be able to get that photo if they don't face each other. Another question from the chat rooms from Tammy Snyder. How do you handle dark skin and no and no light dark skin, no light by adding the light and by overexposing the's air? This is tricks from from the days of film. You know, when you had a beautiful African American man marrying a white woman. Ah, Caucasian woman there is actually, if you think about it's a nice for the meter. It's nice balance because you have black. You have white. It balances out to 18% gray. But having said that, it doesn't always work that way. So I have a tendency to over expose a hair to allow for the skin tone of the African American person, and that's something that we did with film. I do the same now. One will always be able to be corrected, and, um, I've never really had an issue with it. Note also that my flashes usually opposite of where the white dresses, because if it illuminates the white dress bounces off, shuts it off. I've under exposed the beautiful black skin, so I'd rather go to the other side of that light that first before it hits the white dress. We have a question from Mad Dog photo. Who says Joe spoken of using a snoot to throw the flash to a pillar? I have not heard him saying You zoom of the flash head. In addition, do you recommend doing that? I don't because it's another step for me to have to think about. So if I congratulate A with not adjusting anything on the flash, the head pulling out the card for wide angle because I've just because I'm always in the moment or trying to be in the moment that my mentality is such that I forget if I've changed something in the original settings and to to go back to, so if I can just put something on or take it off, it's easier for me than zooming the head, which I keep absolutely untouched. I don't try and touch and mess with my flash. Quite a few people in the chat rooms, including a cinema five D. N. Y is wondering about how you kind of dance with the videographer during this time of the couple being walked down the aisle and coming back. It's actually easy. Videographers are usually on sticks right there in one position, and the minister said, You're good right there. Don't move good for me. I will always know where he is. Then there's usually one hand hell that he and I have always talked about. We walk at the same time, So when it's time for the first kiss and I can come up, walk with me and he shoots over my shoulder, Then I tell him ahead of time. I'm gonna walk backwards with them, so follow me. So he's always been okay. The trick is to communicate with every vendor that's there that will be working with you in terms of lighting, video, whatever you might have. And yes, I've had videographers where I've walked into the reception room and there's two cranes in the middle of the room that I can do anything about. And there every one of my shots, because they're doing these. Zoom in and you know these huge shots from up above, straight down, all on cranes, and I mean, you know, how do you adjust for that you don't. But other than that, the people that are are handheld or on sticks. Easy to talk to. And yes, sometimes you get the videographer that totally blows you off and we'll go dead center right around the 1st 2nd pew while I'm shooting from back there and photographed the whole thing from right there. And he's in everyone in my shots. This is where my ninja assistant will cut off his kneecaps. Drop him to a lower position so I could shoot over him now, usually show go up. Them said, you're in all of our shots. Can you please back off once in a while? Okay. We have several questions about, uh, churches and poor lighting and not allowing flash. So I know we've covered this a little bit, but Swedish Flamingo says, how do you overcome poor lighting when the sanctuary does not allow a flash? If the venue has lighting, Um, is it appropriate to ask for the lighting to be turned up a little bit? You can do whatever you think is necessary. I mean, it never hurts to ask. Okay, There have been times where the flash to the particular minister. A rabbi has been so invasive, but yet the video lights there with the video camera, right, and it doesn't seem to be about it part. It's because it's a constant light. So Joe will go to his video like, and the video like that I showed you yesterday where I placed it on my long lens. I now will become a videographer for a little bit and add light where there isn't on instead of boom with the flash, even though my technique iss soft, the light is very soft. That bounces off that pillar. You can barely see it. Who in front said that right? You couldn't really see the flash go off right? That's the purpose of the way that I do that. In part, it is not to annoy anybody to be invasive, and the other is to shape the highlights and shadows on the people. That's what I want to do with that. If I can't because rule is no flash, I will ask, Can I use? Since you have video here, can I use my video light to add a little light? And so sometimes even my assistant will off camera, hold the light and like me from the side. Or come from opposite from right here at the end and go over it and just add a little light to the front. If there is no light there while I shoot from there and then back out, it's 1234 frames were out. The light goes off. We're out. So there's a way toe. Always ask for permission. Thanks of quite a few people are continuing to ask about settings and, um, Kate lenses wondering if you ever worried about camera shake on the program mode. And Cassie Pope is wondering if you have shutter speed and P mode in the low light, how that affects your shutter speed and more questions about how you focus during the procession. Uh, first, let's let's let's tackle the focus question. It's this. It's locked in the centre. My focus in points always center, and I use the front shutter button and I press it, press it, press it, press it on Lee halfway and what that does. It constantly is doing that because I don't like continuous. I use single and I I don't use continuous mode for focusing. Uh, I may not want it because I may wanna press it, focus and move over. Locket move over. But the minute I move over and continues, that refocuses. So I just keep it very simple And then as far as, um, shutter speeds And what not, am I afraid? Yeah, actually, one of the shot you saw yesterday of bride and groom dancing And maybe I'll show you how to you tomorrow One more time I heard to shutter go off and I looked and it literally was 1/4 of a second. A 2.8 handheld at 200 millimeters freaked me out because it was click Click. And I knew, OK, there is a blur cause they're moving now. During the first dance, I dance with them Whichever way they shift I shift I don't go opposite I go exactly in the same direction They're dancing is like I'm dancing with them So that minimized the amount of movement that there's contrary to the camera. So if you're going the opposite direction, they're moving this way Chances are you could get blur if the shutters to slow. So I'm always just in case when I am in p mode available light. I always dance with him and then last but not least there absolutely times where my shot is soft. You know what? The moment It's so amazing that I really don't care. I don't care that it's soft. I think it's beautiful because it's the emotion that I'm getting after. It's the moment. It's the essence of the person in the moment. And even though it's soft, when the bridegroom see it, they cry because they remember that they don't look at it. Hey, Joe, that's not half 64 men. My hair is not that sharp that they never question it. It's beautiful because it's about that moment. I'm willing to take a risk that sometimes my images aren't gonna be F eight and tack sharp instead of losing the moment. I'd rather not lose the moment. And if that means sacrificing sometimes a bit of speed, I'm willing to do that.