Black & White Film

Taking photos on a black and white film could be quite demanding these days. I got the call on a late afternoon for a wedding day assignment and it clearly came out of the blue because I just did not have time to plan and the wedding itself was way too casual.

Since the couple are my friends I wanted to do something really special so I went on to buy an ILFORD FP4 ISO 125 Black & White Film. I am not saying that this film is really special, however shooting a special moment like this with a film camera is quite rare in this digital age.

All set, my Minolta Dynax 3xi had a brand new battery inserted and а Sony lens mounted. At one point I felt I just had to start taking pictures so I can see what the final result would be sooner. Of course, I was backing almost every shot up with my trustworthy dSLR to make sure I have a display feedback straight away.

After all the excitement of the wedding day I finally sat down to give it a thought. 

Back in the day photographers would really work hard to frame the shot, to consider the exposure and play with the focus to get it right and there was no display to get feedback straight away and no way of telling if someone had blinked...

Has digital photography actually taken something away from photographers? Maybe it has. We have all the tools now. We take thousands of images at weddings and other special occasions without having to think too much because everything can be cropped, adjusted, re-touched... 

Anyway, I was really happy about shooting both with my digital SLR and on film that day. The photos came out good and really had the retro feel which can be sort of emulated in Photoshop. I personally do not like aging photos using software because it makes them look cheap. That's just my opinion though.

I really like the good-old-day-feel of the photos shot on film.

I guess it's the small imperfections of the final result that give the nostalgic and romantic look of the image.

Here's my advice for shooting special events on film:

1. Hold the camera steady (especially when shooting low ISO film).

2. Watch the framing.

3. You never know if someone had their eyes closed until you see the images so take more than one photo at the important moments.

4. Shoot with your dSLR as well so you can back yourself up and play it safe.

5. Developing certain films can be a pain so ask who can do this for you before decisively buying a certain brand.

6. Before embarking on such an adventure make sure that you've shot several films and know your dated equipment.

Please share, comment and ask questions!

Regards,

Kamen Kunchev

Shooting Portrait Outdoors - The Bride!

It doesn't really matter if we're shooting the bride's first or second (or third) marriage, she has to look her best and I mean magazine best!
Most often time is not enough for the shoot and I have to act fast and act right to make sure that I have the proper settings not to mess up capturing the event.

So, here's what happened behind the scenes:

• A week before the wedding I went looking for a unique place close to the restaurant. It all had be in one day so I knew that my time for taking more artsy photos was very limited.
• I prepared myself with flashes and all that but used none because the light was fantastic. I helped myself with 1 light reflector though.
• I mounted a prime lens for the shoot so I could get a nicely blurred background and emphasize as much as I could on the bride.
• I made sure I had enough light on the face of the bride. It's always good to set it all up first and have less to fix later.
• I had a fellow photographer helping me out throughout the shoot (this is really important and can save your life!). That's the guy holding the reflector for the photo above!
• I cracked a joke to break the ice and have the bride smiling and thinking it's all a breeze.

As you may have noticed from my previous articles I like simple setups and basic stuff when shooting. I also manage to achieve a very good performance while shooting only on manual settings. This way I can be sure that I will take the photo the way I want it and not the way my camera is guessing. This way I get consistency from image to image, camera to camera, and one shoot to the other.

Anyway, let's move on, shall we?

Different setups can be applied using multiple flashes and reflectors but remember that it's the final result that counts and it doesn't really matter how professional you looked using all your equipment for the shoot if in the end the images look bad.

The good preparation is not in purchasing the best equipment. It's about the right equipment for the case, the timing and the location (with a little bit of improvization)

We need to have the bride looking feminine and beatiful in all our pictures. We need to always have her in focus (always) and either follow the rule of the thirds or keep her in the middle. This is where she'll like to have herself.

Watch out for overexposing the dress! This is really important because the bride will want to look at how wonderful she looked on that day with her dress on. So, try and expose the dress right.

Check your shots for shut eyes. If you don't you'll be deleting images without any chances of recapturing or giving them to the bride.

Make sure the bride is relaxed and she's showing only happiness and smiles in every picture that you take.

If this is your first shoot of this kind then look at and learn all the classic poses and do not experiment unless you have lots of classic shots already stored safely on your memory card.

Check out how to build a nice wedding collage here.

How about the other wedding photography?

Or you can practice some casual winter holidays portraiture.

This is probably my last article for 2012. Enjoy the holidays and don't let your cameras rest too long!

All the best,

Kamen Kunchev

The Wedding Collage

So, you open those folders with images from the wedding and start looking... for the shots that are really meaningful and show the moments of true emotion and feeling. That's the kind of photos we want in a nice collage that sort of sums up the wedding and displays what happened. It all starts a lot earlier though.

It all begins with careful planning about what happens when and where I need to stand to capture the meaningful moments. I like going to the places where I'll shoot earlier and estimate what settings I could use and details. I do not like going unprepared and do make myself as familiar as possible with the conditions. Further on, I get acquainted with the itinerary and usually have it printed out for me and the second photographer so it's all clear and we do not miss a thing. Oh, yes, the second photographer is really a must when you shoot a wedding. Once-in-a-lifetime events require a trustworthy assistant.
Anyway, let's skip ahead and move on to the collage. Pick the shots when something important is happening in the itinerary. Check the list and you'll see the moments. 
Select the photos for the collage and get creative. It's great to have the newly wed in all the collage shots. After all, this is what the wedding is all about.
Make sure that the retouch you do is the same for all shots (I desaturate and make sure the exposure is the same to avoid big differences). Relatively chronological order is fine but not necessary.
Prepare a canvas in you photo editing software that is standard for bigger printouts and remember to leave some space for where the frame will cover the collage (this is a must)
Work in layers for every photo and apply changes separately.
Make the arrangements so that what you think looks better and more important takes more space on the canvas.
Double-check if you haven't missed something interesting and create a couple of collages so the you family (I mean the bride) can choose from for a nice print.
Do not make the pieces of the collage too small.
Work with a canvas of at least 300 dpi to get a high print quality (just don't overdo it with the dpi value, ok?)

Need more info? Comment, ask and share!

All the best,

Kamen Kunchev

Wedding Photography (The Other Kind)

We've all seen those beautiful shots that make us sigh. Shot with some sunlight in the lens and photoshopped to look like taken straight out of a fairy tale. Well, I think this is the easy part. We need good Photoshop skills and proper framing of the shot that we took in RAW to make all the necessary adjustments later. 
So, why am I really against all this? First of all, it's getting trivial. All these made up poses are getting boring. Photographers are starting to forget the classic poses that we know will always make the woman look pretty and feminine and the man look strong and masculine. Now it's all about taking either funny or over-photoshopped images that look unnatural.
Anyway, there is another wedding photography that we need to keep an eye on. Yes, it's the table shots. Remember the guests need photos too. This is where old school hardcore straight-to-jpeg shots need to be done right and as fast as possible so we can then go back to shooting the young family.

Well, here are my tips and explanations for the table shots:
1. Use manual settings (aperture, ISO, shutter speed, flash) or in other words turn that dial to M and do not change anything from the first to the last photo, unless external conditions change.
Why? Simply because you want all photos to look the same. You need consistency and consistency means same settings for all photos. Consistency is your safety belt - if you mess something up you can create an action for all photos and fix them with 1 click.
My settings:
f5.6/8 (do not use open aperture and go below f5.6 because you want good focus range)
Speed 1/60 - 1/200 (lower is not recommended because of motion blur)
ISO200-400 (you may go even to 640 so your flash won't overheat and you catch some of the restaurant or club's atmosphere without overflashing people)
Flash settings according to the place but make sure you don't overflash. Instead of boosting the flash try working with the ISO. Later camera models will give you very little noise at ISO up to 800. Use a diffuser!
2. Framing the shot
- Make sure people are close together (especially couples)
- No bottles, forks, knives, glasses etc. in the photo
- No hands on the shoulders (ask them to lean shoulder to shoulder)
- Make them smile (tell a quick neutral joke to break the ice - "do you know each other?" or "pretend you like each other")
- 2 people horizontal shot, 3 - horizontal, 4 vertical (2 sitting, 2 standing), 5 - horizontal (2 sitting, 3 standing).
- Leave the table outside the photo
- Watch for the waiter (you don't want him in the shot)
- Check for eyes closed and re-take the photo if necessary
- Say "Thank you!" (Yes, this is also a part of framing the shot. You got yourself into shooting people and now that you're done let them know that you appreciate their assistance)
3. Last but not least, start taking the table shots as soon as people are seated.
Why? No spots from food and beverage spills on their clothes. No waiters running with dishes. Kids (well most of them) will still be at the tables.

One more thing, it's best to carry a second camera with a good vario lens for this type of photos so you don't waste time and risk exposing your sensor to dust while swapping lenses.

Shoot fast and shoot like a pro!

Regards,

Kamen Kunchev