GAVIN PHOTOGRAPHY

I was shooting for Steve Hoffmann today and got a chance to experiment with my new Pocket Wizard (PW for short) Mini TT1 and TT5.  I abused the hell out of the hypersync option with my 5D mark II.  To prove a point, all of these images have NO POST-PRODUCTION (aside from the watermark and corner fade for it).  They are literally straight out of the camera.  I’m a jpeg shooter and have always pushed for better images out of camera (proper exposures, good lighting, good white balancing), instead of using photoshop to compensate for bad photography.  Each photographer has his own workflow and end-product.  I prefer to take better images in the first place to ease up on post.  For example, not one image on my website is photoshopped (aside from obvious watermarks and occasional dust on the sensor).  I actually use Google’s Picasa for all of my post.  But enough of that.  Here are the images with settings and everything.  Again, there is no post, which means no cropping, no contrast or leveling, no glow, no sharpening, no white balancing, and no saturation (except for +1 on my 5D’s picture profile).

iso50, 1/5000s, f1.4 @ 24mm – The natural defects in Canon’s original 24mm f1.4 creates free vignetting for deep blue skies.  Try shooting wide open at times where you aren’t supposed to.

iso400, 1/1000s, f1.2 @ 85mm – Custom White Balancing knocks out the green and blue tones from the shade.

iso400, 1/1600s, f1.4 @24mm – example showing to look for free glow in bright light, especially with white lace and veils.  Just be careful how much you are blowing out though

iso800, 1/250s, f1.4 @ 85mm - just a good moment of Steve Hoffmann getting a great shot (he’s laughing from the bridesmaids being silly)

iso800, 1/800s, f1.2 @ 85mm – EVERY wedding photographer should have this type of image.  I used to do this one with my Canon 10D with the 50 f1.4, so you don’t need an 85mm f1.2 on a full-frame body to get it.   Shoot wide open and wait for flowergirls to look up at their parents or at the bride.  And yes, I do want to add some contrast.  Note that the white balancing is custom to deal with the blue shade and a touch of orange from inside hotel lighting.

The next series of images are harder to pull, since I used Alien Bees (studio strobes) outdoors with my Pocket Wizards and Hypersync jammed to -2500 microseconds.  But note the alternate light source coming for the side opposite of the ocean.

iso50 1/3200s, f1.4 @24mm – The sun is on the right and the AB is on the left firing at full power (about 40 feet away and 15 feet up).  Post would definitely use some fill light for the girls’ faces.  Not as pronounced as the upcoming images.

iso50, 1/3200s, f1.4 @ 24mm – note the light trailing the whole side of her face and body.  It adds dimension, though it doesn’t crop Hoffmann out of the picture .  Notice the rich blue tone of the sky, especially wide open.

iso100, 1/1600s, f2.8 @78mm – this just shows how composition is really important.  Look outside the box, or in this case through the cracks.  All this needs is a quick contrast adjustment to make is moodier.

iso160, 1/8000s, f1.4 @ 24mm - yes, this is a strobed image at 1/8000 of a second.  The crop from the hypersync being so high is actually on the right side of the image, or intentionally placed on the part of the image that doesn’t need it.  You can see the strobe’s light on her face.

iso100, 1/8000s, f1.4 @ 24mm – Not an amazing picture, but an important moment.  Make sure you are ready for that all-important after ceremony “we did it” kiss.  It doesn’t get more genuine than that.

iso200, 1/640s, f2.8 @ 160mm – Pay attention to the moments during formals.  This is where a second photographer or having a second camera on your shoulder pays off.

iso100, 1/1600s, f2.8 @ 70mm – Again, think outside of the box.  Plus it let me crop out the insane number of tourists on Laguna Beach on an April weekend.

iso100, 1/1000s, f2.8 @ 200mm – this image is here to talk about controlling backgrounds.  F2.8 at 200mm will mush out most backgrounds in a nice blur, especially if you are closer to the couple.  I used the ocean as a backdrop, since it looks nicer than hotels and sunbathers (well, some sunbathers).  Exposure is insanely important here, since too much gets you white faces and too little means dark faces (which means more noise when you do post).

iso100, 1/1000s, f2.8 @ 200mm – same as above, though use moments to get natural faces.  Also, any lower on the exposure would make her shaded face unusable.

Now this is where things get kinky.  Again, no post done to these images.

iso800, 1/8000s, f1.4 @ 24mm – Sun coming from right, AB strobe on left.  I get free vignetting from my 24mm.  The glow is from the mixing light sources that took me a few test shots to nail down.  Note that the falloff on the dress and hands is from the second-curtain sync.  I love this image.

iso200, 1/250s, f1.4 @ 24mm – This time I’m using my strobe (all the way up on that ledge) to glow my bride while she gets bustled.

iso500, 1/60s, f1.4 @ 24mm – Yes I know this one is backfocused, which also shows off the unpleasant chromatic abherration from the 24mm (fixed in the mk2).  More important is that this image is very usable with minor post (sharpen, b&w, pull in shadows).

iso500, 1/100s, f1.4 @ 85mm – Again, I’m glowing her.  Whites are totally blown, but the skin tones rock.

iso500, 1/100s, f1.4 @ 85mm – Again, nice rimlight and glow.  I like the slight forward focusing on the bracelet, though I know I shouldn’t have done it.  But I’ll fix that when Canon gives me an AF system that doesn’t par with my 30D.

If you have any questions, leave comments or toss me an email.  You can also call to talk shop, but make sure it’s at night (I’m a night owl).