The Best of Wedding Photography.pdf - Free

Al Gordon is a virtuoso of flash fill. Here he waited until the perfect moment at sunset to create this fun wedding party photo. Note that both the
flash and ambient exposures are perfect. As if to increase the difficulty factor, he had the group splash with their feet so he could freeze the water
with his flash. Also note his higher-than-head-height vantage point and perfect arrangement of the group. Yet for all of its control, there is spontaneity
and fun in the image.
which may be as bright as f/16. The effect is to fill the
shadows with dynamic light that rounds and sculpts each
face. The effect is similar to the studio lighting involving
a strong backlight and single main light. Ambient daylight
provides the fill-in.
Remember that electronic flash falls off in intensity
rather quickly, so be sure to take your meter readings from
the center of your group and then from either end to be
sure the illumination is even. With a small group of three
or four, you can get away with moving the strobe away
from the camera to get better modeling—but not with
larger groups, where the light falloff is too great. You can,
however, add a second flash of equal intensity and distance
to help widen the light.
Monte uses a similar technique for formal groups
where a single flash would fall off too rapidly, leaving one
half of the group unlighted. He adds a second light at the
same angle as the first, but spaced so that it will light the
80 THE BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
FLASH COMMANDER
The latest development in electronic flash is Nikon’s SU-800 Wireless
Speedlight Commander. This device enables you to wirelessly
coordinate the independent operation of two groups of Nikon
Speedlights in close-up mode, or three groups (A, B, C) of compatible
Speedlights in commander mode. In either mode, the commander
manages flash output with exceptional precision,
automatically delivering the light level dictated by the camera’s
metering systems and supporting automatic balanced fill-flash
with compatible cameras. Further, the Nikon D200 features a
built-in flash commander that allows the on-board flash to control
the output of two groups of flash units remotely to a distance of 66
feet. In use, the Flash Commander is remarkable because you can
easily control the output and ratio between flashes and verify the
results on the camera’s LCD. With an assistant or attendee helping
you, you can light scenes with multiple flash wirelessly and easily
control the output of each flash so that you can shoot groups at
the reception, or special moments like the first dance or cake cutting
with sophisticated TTL flash lighting.