The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

ple, then fill-flash is called for. The intensity of the light
should be about equal to the daylight exposure.
Even experienced photographers sometimes can’t tell
the direction of the light in open shade, particularly in
mid-morning or mid-afternoon. A simple trick is to use a
piece of gray or white folded card—an index card works
well. Crease the card in the middle to form an open V
shape. Hold the card vertically with the point of the V
pointed toward the camera, then compare the two sides of
the V. The card will tell you if the light is coming from the
right or left and how intense the ratio between highlight
and shadow is. Held with the fold horizontal and pointed
toward the camera, the card will tell you if the light is coming
from above. Sometimes, this handy tool can help you
gauge when a slight adjustment in subject or camera position
will salvage an otherwise unusable location.
Twilight. The best time of day for great pictures is just
after sunset when the sky becomes a huge softbox and the
lighting on your subjects is soft and even with no harsh
shadows.
There are three problems with working with this great
light. First, it’s dim. You will need to use medium to fast
films or ISO settings combined with slow shutter speeds,
which can be problematic. Working in subdued light also
restricts your depth of field, as you have to choose wider
apertures. The second problem in working with this light
is that twilight does not produce catchlights. For this reason,
most photographers augment the twilight with some
type of flash, either barebulb flash or softbox-mounted
flash that provides a twinkle in the eyes. Third, twilight is
difficult to work with because it changes so rapidly. The
minutes after sunset (or before sunrise, when similarly
beautiful lighting conditions also exist) produce rapidly
changing light levels. Meter often and adjust your flash
output, if using fill-flash, to compensate.
Window Light. One of the most flattering types of
lighting you can use is window lighting. It is a soft light
that minimizes facial imperfections, yet it is also highly directional
light, for good facial modeling with low to moderate
contrast. Window light is usually a fairly bright light
and it is infinitely variable, changing almost by the minute.
This allows a great variety of moods, depending on how far
you position your subjects from the light.
Since daylight falls off rapidly once it enters a window,
and is much weaker several feet from the window than it
is closer to the window, great care must be taken in deter-
FACING PAGE—Marcus Bell managed to capture this priceless moment
by available light. Daylight streams in from either side of the church,
but the light level is very low. This is where image stabilization lenses
come in handy, allowing you to shoot as slow as 1/15 or 1/8 second in low
light. ABOVE—Twilight is a beautiful and open light. Just turn your
subjects toward the twilight and it will act like a huge softbox. Photograph
by Charles Maring.
mining exposure—particularly with groups of three or four
people. You will undoubtedly need to use reflectors to balance
the light overall when photographing that many people
in a group. There are a couple of other problems,
namely that you will sometimes have to work with distracting
backgrounds and uncomfortably close shooting distances.
The best quality of window light is the soft light of
mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Direct sunlight is difficult
to work with because of its intensity and because it will
often create shadows of the individual windowpanes on
the subject.
Diffusing Window Light. If you find a nice location for
a portrait but the light coming through the windows is direct
sunlight, you can diffuse the window light with some
acetate diffusing material taped to the window frame. It
produces a warm golden window light. Light diffused in
OUTDOOR AND MIXED LIGHTING 71