LIT For Wedding Photographers - Mark Condon

1
INDEX
INTRODUCTION5
METHOD9
EXAMPLES15
FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERS 25
ADAM JOHNSON 26
ALLISON CALLAWAY 28
ANDY GAINES 30
BEN APPLEBY 32
BEN CHRISMAN 34
BETH KERECHANIN 36
BRETT BUTTERSTEIN 38
BRIAN CALLAWAY 40
BRIAN MULLINS 42
BRUNO ROSA 44
CHRISTIAN CARDONA 46
CRYSTAL STOKES 48
DANIEL STARK 50
DAVE MOSS & ABBY TAYLOR 52
DAVE PAEK 54
DUY HO 56
EASTON REYNOLDS 58
ELISHA STEWART 60
EMIN KULIYEV 62
ERIC McCALLISTER 64
ERIN CHRISMAN 66
FRANCK BOUTONNET 68
GEOFF WILKINGS 70
HEDRIAN NGABITO 72
HENDRA LESMANA 74
HIRAM TRILLO 76
IAIN GOMES 78
JACOB HANNAH 80
JAMIE IVINS 82
JASON VINSON 84
JEFF ONEAL 86
JOANNE MARINO 88
KATHRYN KRUEGER 90
KEITH LEE 92
MOSHE ZUSMAN 94
NEIL REDFERN 96
PASQUALE MINNITI 98
PETE FARRELL 100
PYE JIRSA 102
RAHUL KHONA 104
RALF CZOGALLIK 106
RAPH NOGAL 108
ROSS HARVEY 110
RYAN ZHANG 112
SIGIT PRASETIO 114
STEVEN ROONEY 116
STEVE WISE 118
TITO RIKARDO 120
TONY HOFFER 122
TREVOR DAYLEY 124
VICTOR LAX 126
VICTORIA SPRUNG 128
FEATURED LIGHTING GEAR 131
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 139
INTRODUCTION
If youre reading this now, youre passionate about wedding photography. Im passionate about
wedding photography too, and am striving to improve at my craft.
Im sure that everyday in your business involves hustle. Hustle to get noticed. Hustle to get the lead.
Hustle to book the wedding.
A new wedding photographer seems to pop up every day, and thats one new kid on the block
whos vying for a piece of the wedding cake.
A couple of years ago I wrote a book called More Brides to help fellow wedding photographers
increase their wedding bookings. I wrote about all the marketing and sales techniques I had been
using to triple my wedding enquiries over just one year.
However, its clear that marketing can only get you so far. Creating better art is the second string of
the bow that we need to concentrate on tuning, day in and day out.
If were not getting better at taking photos well, were stagnating. If we continue to create images
that dont motivate us that dont challenge us, sooner or later, this will become apparent in our
work.
These days, every wedding photographer and his dog is a natural light wedding photographer.
Whether you make your images look old with VSCO and photograph couples standing on the
tops of cliffs or under waterfalls, natural light wedding photographer usually just means one
thing incompetence.
Being incompetent at using (additional) light isnt a bad thing, of course. If youve tried using off
camera lighting and you genuinely cant do it, then so be it. Or maybe you just dont dig the look
I get it.
However, lets not beat around the bush here - most of us are calling ourselves natural light wedding
photographers because we have NFI how to use a flash to creatively light an image!
Were not choosing to use the sun because we prefer it. Were choosing daylight because its easy.
Were not choosing to use high ISOs during reception because we like the noise. Were choosing it
because the technology in our cameras allows us to be lazy.
Im not saying that we all need to switch our styles to using 100% additional light though far from
it. Flash for the sake of flash isnt the goal here.
However, what I am trying to provoke in you is the stark realisation that youre surrounded by
thousands of other wedding photographers whose work looks identical to yours in the eyes of your
client.
Sure, your branding may be different. You may have a nicer website or have shot in some exotic
places, but when you boil it all down and examine the photos, you have to admit to yourself that
all natural light wedding photography looks the same. At least to the uninitiated, i.e. your next bride.
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She cant tell that youre deliberately underexposing so you can bring back crazy shadow detail
while preserving the highlights. She doesnt care that youve paid a hundred bucks for the latest
film-look presets. And she sure as hell doesnt know that you own the latest f/1.4 lens. All she sees
are photo after photo of couples kissing at sunset.
By having the confidence to use an additional light source to illuminate your subject in a creative
way, youll elevate your work.
Even if its just for 0.1% of the wedding photos you deliver (thats the final photo in a clients gallery
of 1,000 images), by including an image like the ones in this book in your repertoire, youve just
added value to your business.
Even if its just that 0.1% of the work that you normally produce,, if you choose to highlight it on
social media or your website, congratulations youve just jumped out of the vast ocean of natural
light wedding photographers and into the puddle of those who are getting noticed by producing
something different.
Your next bride may not book you based on that one photo, but that one photo may just be the
hook that pulls her through your door.
It takes something special to be noticed in the sea of social media in which we all swim. Posting
pretty images of couples during golden hour may get us somewhere, but youll be swimming
against the current.
Use this book as inspiration and motivation to step out of your comfort zone.
Yes, the sun is comforting and soothing, and its easy to relax and get lazy when its above us. But
next time you feel yourself leaning back on your crutch of natural light, break out a flash or two
and stand up tall. Youre about to create something truly unique.
Cheers and happy snapping.
Mark Condon
Wedding photographer and founder of Shotkit.
Author of the Shotkit Books, Lightroom Power User, More Brides and LIT.
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8
METHOD
9
U sing lights creatively in wedding photography is a huge topic and one that usually confuses
most people.
Even if you have a good understanding of photography and how your cameras functions, using
supplementary lights brings with it a whole host of new terminology, techniques and variables.
You can spend all the time you want reading about the inverse square law, lighting ratios and
everything else that goes into creating a correct exposure using flash, but I recommend you start
by following my simple guide below.
Ive distilled the process of creatively lighting a night time image into 2 simple steps which should
help get you close to producing something similar to the images in this book.
Step 1 is about subtracting the light, and step 2 is about adding the light.
No matter how complex your lighting scenario, these 2 steps are all that you need to think about
in order to control the light and produce something that natural light just cant reproduce.
All you need is a camera, an additional light source (flash, LED panel, torchetc), and a subject.
You also may need a way to trigger your flash remotely.
STEP 1 - SUBTRACTING THE LIGHT

First you need to underexpose the scene with your eyes. I do this by squinting my eyes until theyre
almost closed, and seeing what objects in the scene are still emitting enough light to register in my
vision.
Youll see me walking around a wedding venue at some point near the end of the reception looking
like Im sleep-walking. Most people think Im drunk
In doing this, Im quickly scanning the scene for (illuminated) objects I may like to include in the
composition, or ones that Id prefer to remove.
When Ive found a scene that interests me, Ill move on to the second step using Live View to
confirm the underexposure.
If youve got a mirrorless camera, then you can use your EVF, but for the rest of us dSLR dinosaurs,
well be resorting to the Live View of our cameras LCD.
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Live View is a hugely underrated functionality in our cameras. We can take advantage of Live View
to preview the exposure of a scene, before taking the photo. Live View effectively does away with
chimping, getting us to our desired exposure much faster and more accurately than ever before.
With Live View (and exposure preview) turned on, Ill switch the camera to Manual mode, and
start underexposing the image by adjusting my camera settings.
The key here is to use your shutter speed and aperture to reduce the exposure, whilst keeping the
ISO as low as possible. Shooting at a lower ISO will give you more leeway in your post production,
most notably in recovering lost shadow detail.
Have a look at Example #3, the image of the Indian couple in the Before/After chapter. The before
image is straight out of camera, and could quite easily be used as the final product. However, by
increasing the exposure a few stops, I found the illuminated version much more pleasing.
Since the image was captured at a relatively low ISO (and thanks to the incredible dynamic range
of the Nikon D750s sensor), the final image remains relatively clean.
Once youve underexposed your image sufficiently so that the illuminated areas are appearing as
you wish, now you need to work on your composition.
Since any horizontal and vertical lines such as walls, floors or horizons will now be lost in the
darkness, youre free to twist and rotate your camera as you wish, using the illuminated objects to
frame your subject, guide the viewers eye, or simply as compositional elements.
In Example #2 of the Before/After chapter, you can imagine how I was able to move my camera
around with Live View activated so that the neon sign and hanging lights formed a pleasant
composition. By throwing everything else into darkness, I could hide all the other elements in the
frame.
Before you bring your subject into the frame, you have the option of attaching your camera to
a tripod to fix the composition, or you can just try and remember your composition to be used
later. I prefer the second option since it gives me the flexibility to tweak my composition if Ive got
something slightly wrong.
If you plan to return to the shot later, another tip here is to utilize your cameras custom settings. By
saving the cameras exact settings to one of the custom banks, you can switch back to whatever
usual mode you shoot in, in order to re-join the wedding action, safe in the knowledge that you
can return to your LIT photo settings in an instant.
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STEP 2 ADDING THE LIGHT
With your settings saved, or your camera in manual mode, youve just dealt with one big variable
of the puzzle the ambient exposure.
If youve fixed your camera on a tripod, youve also dealt with the next big variable the background
composition.
Now its time to deal with the next variable artificial light.
At this stage, its worth noting that the more experienced you are with using flashes or other lights,
the quicker youll be able to estimate things like flash distance and flash output.
However, as this is a cheats guide to getting the photo, well be resorting to a bit of flash chimping.
So, place your flash (or alternative light source) in whatever location youve chosen to light your
subject:
Perhaps you want a rim light, so position the flash to the rear of the subject.
Maybe you want to rim light the couple, but include some of the background too, in which case
you can point the flash towards a wall behing the couple, still keeping them close to the flash.
Or perhaps you just want to light the subject properly, in which case you can point the flash at the
subject from whatever frontal angle you choose.
At this stage, Ill usually grab a member of the bridal party to use as my subject theyre usually
drunk enough to oblige!
Depending on your scene, youll need to adjust your flash output and the distance from your
subject appropriately, but for most situations, you can start with flash output at around low-
medium power and adjust from there.
Id recommend placing your flash on a stand and leaving it in the same place (or instructing
whoevers holding it to remain still), and just adjusting the flash output.
Remember, you need to deal with all the variables one by one to un-complicate your shot. By
keeping your light in one spot, youve just dealt with the distance/position variable.
Since you wont be able to see your subject through your cameras Live View with the LIT photo
settings, Id recommend you use one of the auto settings on your camera (such as Program mode),
just to be able to direct your subject into the correct position in the Live View scene.
Finally, switch your camera back to your saved settings, tell your stand-in subject to get back to
the dance floor, and go and find the newly weds to take their place.
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You can of course do all of the above whilst using the newly weds as your actual subject, but I find
it far less stressful (not to mention convenient for both parties), to set everything up in advance.
Then its just a case of snap-snap one awesome LIT photo complete :-)
Obviously this is just a quick and dirty guide to getting something creative with your lights.
Its just the tip of the iceberg as youll see from the incredible work of the other photographers in this
book, but I hope that you now feel motivated and inspired to get out there and try it for yourself.
Let me know how you get on.
Mark
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14
EXAMPLES
15
In this chapter Ive included some before/after images of my own.
I need to practise a lot more before getting to the level of any of the featured photographers in this
book, but I hope that these images help illustrate the method from the previous chapter.
By including how the actual scene looked, either before underexposure, or before post production,
hopefully youll get a better idea of the processes involved.
Example #1
Before
This was the final shot of the night of a destination wedding in Queenstown. The wedding venue
was high enough that we had an uninterrupted view, literally into space.
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After directing the couple into their first dance pose, I asked a bridesmaid to illuminate them with
my LED light panel. You can see her standing there in the background of the before image.
I wanted to shoot at a lower ISO, but since the stars werent as visible, I decided to use a higher ISO,
but remained well within the boundaries of my cameras sensor.
Post production involved raising the global exposure, then doing some minor cloning work to clean
up the brides hair and also to remove the bridesmaid. I also sharpened the sky and increased
highlights to bring out the stars even more.
After
Camera: Nikon D750

Lens: Sigma 24mm f/1.4 ART
Light: Neewer CN-160 LED Panel
Camera Settings: f/1.8, 1/8, ISO1250
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Example #2
Before
After
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.4G
Light: Neewer CN-160 LED Panel
This was taken at a local Sydney venue at which I often shoot. Since these weddings can become
a little monotonous, each time I shoot there I push myself to create a LIT image that hasnt been
taken before.
The venue had recently installed a Be Mine neon sign, surrounded by hanging carnival lights.
After taking the usual high ISO available light shots with the ambient light illuminating the couple,
I decided to bring in some artificial light in order to underexpose the scene, hence removing all the
unwanted elements.
In order to underexpose the image sufficiently, the light panel had to be shone at full power, right
next to my couple. You can see how close the bridesmaid in the background of the before photo
is holding the LED light panel to the couples faces. Even with their eyes closed, they spent the next
minute or so pretty much blind!
Post Production was a little fiddly, mainly due to the neon sign being covered by plants, breaking
the flow of the writing. Once the sign was cleaned up, I reduced the highlights on the couple and
on the sign (to reduce the light spill), then cleaned up the brides hair a little to preserve a clean
silhouette.
I also cloned in some more light bulbs to balance the image.
By coincidence the couples pose formed the outline of a heart, which complements the mood,
message and colour of the image perfectly!
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Example #3
Before
After
Camera: Nikon D750
Light: Nikon SB-700 Speed light modified with a MagGrid and CTO gel.
Camera Settings: f/5, 1/125, ISO800
Flash Settings: Approx. 1/32 Power
This was the final photo of an Indian wedding I shot recently. The bride was a graphic designer
with a keen eye, and had requested a night shot with creative lighting.
It was the end of a long day, and being uninspired by the location and with only a few minutes
before I was due to depart, I decided to employ what I call the lazy LIT shot.
The beauty of the LLS is that it can be employed anywhere in just a few seconds.
I rarely set up light stands, so found a nearby guest to hold my flash, which Id gridded to reduce
spill, and gelled to keep my subjects skin tones warm. I asked the guest to point the flash at my
couple, standing about 6ft behind them.
Then I instructed the couple to have a hug, and took 2 photos, with my flash being remotely
triggered with the YongNuo 622s - being cheap and Chinese, the first exposure didnt trigger the
flash, but the second did, and resulted in what you see as the before image above.
I actually thought Id deliver the photo as I saw it on the back of my camera, but during post
production, I noticed that by raising the exposure a couple of stops, the result was way more
impactful probably due to the brides expression, the heart shape that the couples heads and
the brides arm create, and the unusual colours of the wall in the background.
This was all serendipitous, but the fact that I shot the image at a relatively low ISO gave me the
leeway to experiment with the final product.
In the end I delivered both versions of the image, turning the before image black and white for
variety.
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Example #4
Final Image
Camera: Nikon D750

Light: Neewer CN-160 LED Panel modified with a full CTO gel
Camera Settings: f/5, 1/100, ISO200
Unfortunately, I dont have the before version of this image, but I decided to include it to illustrate
the process I described in the previous chapter.
Below the chandeliers was a rather unsightly drinks bar, surrounded by guests. I placed the couple
in front of the candle you see on the wall, and composed my shot with Live View in order to create
some coherence with the chandeliers.
Since the light from the candles wasnt enough to illuminate the couple, I asked a guest to hold my
light panel behind them, slightly to their right. I also gelled the light with a CTO gel to match the
ambience of the rest of the scene.
Post production was very minimal. I painted over the couple with an adjustment brush set to a
closer white balance to the candles ambient light, and cleaned up a bit of the light spill from
around the wall.
In retrospect I should have paid more attention to the brides pose shes actually grimacing due
to the proximity and power of the light!
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Example #5
Final Image
Camera: Nikon D750

Lens: Sigma 24mm f/1.4 ART
Light: Nikon SB-700 Speed light modified with a MagGrid and 14 CTO gel.
I havent shown the before photo here either since it was so close to the final image. This is a photo
from a destination wedding on the Waiheke Island just off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand.
By this stage in the night the groom had had one too many drinks and was stumbling around the
dance floor about to pass out!
Before the premature end of his night, I asked one of the guests to stand in the middle of the dance
floor whilst holding my gridded/gelled flash with attached trigger, and point it directly back at me.
Then I instructed the bride to bring her inebriated husband to stand in between the flash and the
camera, then to get into a first dance pose for long enough for me to fire off a few exposures.
I would have preferred to have shot square on to the couple in order to keep the lines of the arched
door frame perpendicular, but to be able to include the chandelier, I needed to shoot from lower down.
The pose could have been improved on, but the bride was actually grabbing the grooms head to
stop him swaying around drunkly!
In Lightroom, I used the adjustment brush to darken various distracting areas of the photo and
then raised the shadows very slightly to bring back some of the detail in the ceiling.
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FEATURED
PHOTOGRAPHERS
ADAM JOHNSON
www.arj-photo.co.uk
@arjphotographyuk
CONCEPT
The bride was sitting in the window light having her makeup done in a really quiet and tranquil but
very dark bridal prep room at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. There werent really any moments
happening so I decided to try to take a cool shot of the brides amazing Pronovias dress. I couldnt
find anywhere particularly inspiring to hang it, so I hung it on the chandelier.
EXECUTION
There really wasnt any good light in the room apart from the window light where the bride was
sitting so I knew Id have to light the dress. I hung it on the chandelier and set up a flash initially
not intending to include the bride in the frame. I took a couple of normal shots, closeup details
and other things. I had the flash on a high enough power that the already dark room went really
dark but I exposed enough that the chandelier would still have a nice glow. The flash itself was
unmodified (no gel or grid or anything) as I wanted the chandelier to look orange in the final image,
but it was zoomed in to 105mm to try and contain the light on the dress only (this didnt matter so
much as the dress was hanging in space so there wasnt much else for the light to hit). Once Id
taken the obvious shots I started seeing what else I could do to make the shot better. I favour the
35mm lens so I find it very easy to see life at 35mm, and I stepped back into the bathroom to get
a wider view and realised I might be able to get the bride in the shot, balanced perfectly with the
table lamp on the other side. I took that shot but it was lacking something. There were a couple
of empty champagne glasses on the table, and I had some battery powered LEDs in my bag, so
I put half the LEDs in each glass and shot through the gap between the glasses, laying down on
the bathroom floor right next to the toilet and this was the final shot!
POST PRODUCTION
I didnt do much post processing at all to this photograph. All the colours are as they were in
camera and I just adjusted the contrast and blacks in Lightroom. I also used a brush to darken a
bit of the background where there were minor distractions and I boosted the orange of the lamps
and the blue of the LEDs slightly but this was basically how it looked out of camera. I love how the
final shot turned out!
GEAR
Canon 5D Mark III Canon 35mm f/1.4 Yongnuo YN-560 Battery powered
II Speedlight blue LED fairy lights
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SETTINGS ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/200, Approx. 1/16 Power, 105mm zoom
ALLISON CALLAWAY
www.callawaygable.com
@callawaygable
CONCEPT
The bride was getting ready in a small hotel room with her family and 9 bridesmaids. With so
much activity I was finding it hard to photograph her without the chaos. So I started looking for
a way to isolate her, and saw a hint of her reflection in the frames. I knew that if I could light her, I
could make a dramatic photo that not only concentrates on her, but also tells more of a story. The
frames tell us where she is, and also add a bit of old Hollywood glam to the mood - which is perfect
for her while she is getting her hair and makeup done.
EXECUTION
With LIT shots, I always think about two steps. First, setup the background exposure as if the subject
was not there. Then bring in the speedlight and adjust the flash level accordingly. So I metered for
the frames and reduced the exposure down half a stop. Then my lighting assistant brought in
the flash and stood to my left and pointed the speedlight directly at the bride. She adjusted the
power of the flash until the bride was exposed correctly. Additionally the Speedlight was snooted
to reduce spill.
POST PRODUCTION
There is very little retouching and post-process. I am always trying to get the photo right out of the
camera. That being said, all of our photographs are finished in Alien Skin Exposure to add just a
kiss of fade and depth.
EDITORS COMMENT
Shooting at f/8, the contents of the frames are in focus and clearly visible - this could potentially
have been distracting, had it not been for Allisons skill in highlighting the subject wth artificial light,
drawing the viewers attention to the correct place, whilst still telling a story and encouraging the
eye to explore all corners of the final image.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 16- Canon 580EX 1/4 CTO Straw Gel Snoot
Mark III 35mm f/2.8 Speedlite
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SETTINGS ISO 400, f/8, 1/200
ANDY GAINES
www.andygaines.com
@andy_the_gaines
CONCEPT
This couple was really keen to make a cool and different group shot, but the timings of the wedding
had meant that there hadnt been chance to get anything during the day. So, at some point after
the first dance and during the party we rounded up the bridal party and headed out of the venue
to find some space.
EXECUTION
Using a long exposure and with the camera balanced on a chair (as I dont use a tripod at
weddings), I arranged the people in place and focussed manually on the groom as he held his
phone light on (as it was too dark to see and focus without it). After starting the exposure I then
ran around the back of the group and manually fired the flash in my hand behind each of the
people in the shot.
POST PRODUCTION
This photo didnt need much post-processing - I applied my standard preset and then a little bit of
dodging in the sky to bring out some of the colours - and that was about it!
EDITORS COMMENT
Back-lighting each member of the bridal party provides a rim light as well as enough spill light to
slightly illuminate the front of their bodies The 30 second exposure allows the cameras sensor to
pull in enough ambient light to provide context to the scene, leaving it much lighter than it would
have been to the naked eye. We can imagine the actual darkness if we consider the irregular
spacing of the subjects.
GEAR
Nikon Df Nikon 35mm f/1.4 Nikon SB-700

Speedlight
30
SETTINGS ISO 200, f/2, 30s, 1/16 Power
BEN APPLEBY
www.hbaphotography.com
@hba.photography.ben
CONCEPT
I wanted to shoot an image to show that weddings dont always have to be light and airy and
instead, can be a bit cool and dirty something that had a bit of atmosphere to it. It was shot
in the bar area at a wedding venue - a 200 year old cotton spinning mill that was once the hub
of British industry during the industrial revolution. I knew this image couldnt be all glossy and
modern it just wouldnt have suited the setting at all, so the aim was to create a modern day,
prohibition inspired scene, that had an almost painterly feel to it that showed the bridal party just
hanging out as friends.
EXECUTION
I knew straightaway that I had to shoot this image as a composite. The area was quite small
and when using this technique at weddings, there simply isnt time to bring in a massive lighting
setup, so I kept it simple with 1 gridded softbox, repositioned for each shot. Using a tripod, I set up
my camera and composition, got my subjects into place and asked them to just hang out and
interact with each other. It was a dark room, but full of lovely ambient light so I knew I had to stop
right down to draw as much of the ambient light in as possible from the lamps. Shooting with my
assistant holding the softbox just a couple of feet away from each subject, I photographed everyone
individually, directing the light source to create some nice light and shade with lots of contrast.
POST PRODUCTION
I like to try to get the light, exposure and white balance in-camera as close to the final edit as
possible. I start off with processing the image in Lightroom, adding a little more contrast, bringing
out details in the shadows a touch more and then reducing the blacks a little bit to enhance the
atmosphere. From there, everything is taken into Photoshop so that I can piece each photo together
to create a final image. Finally adding a small curve to the overall image to create a slightly more
matt look to the black elements and the shot is finished, ready for sharpening and exporting.
GEAR
Canon 5D Mark III Canon 50mm f/1.2 Elinchrom Ranger Manfrotto Elinchrom
Quadra Hybrid MT055XPRO3 70x70cm Rotalux
AS RX Tripod Softbox & Grid
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SETTINGS ISO 400, f/10, 1/30, WB 5200k, 1/8 Power
BEN CHRISMAN
www.chrismanstudios.com
@chrismanstudios
CONCEPT
This shoot was for a really great couple from Texas. They had never been on an airplane before
traveling to San Francisco to elope. We met them in Muir Woods north of the city where they got
married, and then we took them into San Francisco and across the Golden Gate bridge to have a
better view at sunset. It was really dark by the time we got up there, and cold.
EXECUTION
I saw a faint ray of light coming off the bridge, so I asked them to stand in front of it, with my wife
Erin holding the flash behind them to get a little rim light.
I rarely go to 8000 ISO so it really must have been dark by the time we got up there. That ISO is
pushing it with this camera, but at f/1.8 at 1/50th of a second, the ambient was just enough to bring
out some details in the background. And the Golden Gate bridge is so iconic, its hard to go wrong
with it as a background.
POST PRODUCTION
We didnt need to do much in post for this photo. There was no manipulation at all. No cloning. No
fakery. Just a little color correction to make sure the sky was blue and the bridge was warm and
thats it.
EDITORS COMMENT
With the flash firing at low power close to the couple and gridded with a modifier, the light from the
flash is constrained. This provides just a rim light to the subjects, with no light spilling to their front,
giving the final image a sense of mystery.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/1.8 Neewer TT850 MagMod Flash

Speedlight Modifier with
Grid attachment
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SETTINGS ISO 8000, f/1.8, 1/50, Approx. 1/32 Power
BETH KERECHANIN
www.sethandbeth.com
@sethandbethphoto
CONCEPT
When we get some extra time with the groomsmen, we try to get super creative. The guys were
really cool and we had this very dark poolroom to use in the basement of the wedding location
- sort of a man cave. Multi-photo composite shots definitely need a tripod and a pep talk. The
groomsmen were posed to look rad and instructed to not move an inch. To increase the dramatic
look of the scene, we darkened the scene using the camera settings and lit the subjects with a
gridded Speedlight.
EXECUTION
The camera was fixed on a tripod and the shutter was fired 7 times, while my partner Seth lit up
each subject as he maneuvered his way through the scene. The six men stayed very still and the
light source was moved around the scene, lighting up each subject individually. The pool table
was lit at a low angle to give the scene some context.
POST PRODUCTION
This 7-photo composite was constructed in Photoshop by layering 7 individual photos with each
groomsman and the pool table being lit individually. The photo was processed in Lightroom and
Photoshop. A Lightroom preset was applied to each photo and brush adjustments were made to
get the background very dark and the subjects properly exposed - this process could also have
been done using masks in Photoshop. The 7 photos were auto-aligned in Photoshop as layers.
When stacked on top of each other, a portion of the photo on each top layer was erased to reveal
the photo/subject below it. This process was repeated until all 7 subjects could be seen and the
last two layers could be flattened into one photo. Further exposure adjustments were made to put
on the finishing touches.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 24- Nikon SB-910 Benro Mach3 2 Phottix MagMod
70mm f/2.8 Speedlight Series Tripod Odin Flash Flash Modifier
Transmitter/ with Grid
Receiver attachment
36
SETTINGS ISO 1600, 28 mm f/2.8, 1/320, 1/64 Power
BRETT BUTTERSTEIN
www.brettbutterstein.com
@brettbutterstein
CONCEPT
I really love clean, simple compositions and so I wanted to eliminate everything but two things -
the couple framed by the window and the line of lamps leading toward them.
EXECUTION
I tilted my camera so the line of lamps would be diagonal, therefore creating a leading line to the
window. Since my video light is dimmable, I could match the exposure of the lamps with the lit
couple.
I was standing inside a room and I placed the couple outside of a window standing in the snow. By
underexposing the interior of the room, I was able to only show the lights on the ceiling. I had to tilt
the camera to include all of the lights, placing one of them in the corner of the frame. By manually
adjusting the power of my video light on the couple, I was able to match their exposure to that of
the interior lights.
POST PRODUCTION
Since my exposure was very close to what I wanted, all I needed to do in post was boost saturation
and make sure my skin tones were warm enough to match the yellow, tungsten lights.
EDITORS COMMENT
Underexposing to remove distraction and highlight interesting (illuminated) elements is a useful
technique in wedding photography, since wedding venues are often not aesthetically ideal! The
Dutch tilt and the contrast between the saturated warmth of the interior lights/skin tones and the
cold blue of the exterior provide additional interest to the final image.
GEAR
Canon 5D Mark III Canon 35mm f/1.4 Frezzi MFIC-PT

Video Light
38
SETTINGS ISO 1600 F/1.4, Soft
BRIAN CALLAWAY
www.callawaygable.com
@callawaygable
CONCEPT
This scene happened very fast and without warning. All of a sudden the grooms dad jumped on
stage, took off his jacket and started energizing the crowd. All of his buddies moved towards him
and began to lock their arms. At that point I knew he was going to jump. And you could tell from
his friends, this wasnt his first stage dive!
EXECUTION
Somehow I knew that I wanted him to pop from the dark background so I placed two light stands,
each with one CTO gelled Canon 600 EXRT radio fired speed light, to his left and right - pointed
at the crowd. (the light stands were already set up for the reception) I used my on camera flash
as the Master flash, which was set to fire with the white card. Again, it happened so quickly that I
didnt have time to separate the flashes into groups, etc. All three flashes were firing at the same
power. When I started making test shots, I was doing so I was jumping off the stage and running
around to the front of his friends. I adjusted the flash power to 1/8, and rolled the aperture to 7.1 as
I ran around the corner of his locked-armed friends. I looked at the back of the camera to make
sure it looked good, and he jumped. I barley got the shot and only had time to take one photo.
POST PRODUCTION
My process is to get the photo right in camera. So most of my work has little post-processing and
retouching. In this shot, I cropped it in a bit and removed some distracting lens flare. I finished it
in Alien Skin Exposure to give the photograph some warmth and a bit of depth with a slight fade.
Thats it!
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 16-35mm Canon 600EX-RT

Mark III f/2.8 Speedlite x3
40
SETTINGS ISO2500, f/7.1/ 1/200th at 16mm, CTO on two remote flashes fired at 1/8 power
BRIAN MULLINS
www.brianmullinsphotography.com
@brianmullinsphotography
CONCEPT
Sparkler exits are really popular in my area. My approach is to balance the ambient light of the
sparklers with any other ambient light and use flash to clean up any unwanted ambient color.
The idea was to have the couple walk between the two lines of guests holding sparklers for their
wedding exit. Some of my couples will stop and kiss (as they did here), others will just walk right
through. I use both off-camera and on-camera flash to give myself two zones to photograph in
- wide shot (with guests) and tight (just the couples faces).
EXECUTION
My off camera flash was set directly to the left of the couple at 10 high with the Westcott Softbox.
This gave great texturizing quality to the dress and the softbox provided a gradual and natural
falloff to the light for the guests faces.
Shooting at 1/50th let me pull in the ambient light and warmth of the sparklers as well as the
background lights. There was not much ambient light on the couple so I used the flash to freeze
the action while maintaining a slower shutter.
I made the choice to not gel my flashes so the cooler flash would compliment the warm glow of
the sparklers. I adjust my white balance in post processing but this could of been shot around
5000k white balance in camera to get the same effect.
POST PRODUCTION
My editing process is to do all the heavy lifting in Lightroom for exposure, white balance, cropping/
straightening and density adjustments. Behind the couple there were multiple cars, and trucks
that had to be cloned out in Photoshop. I also applied a slight blue tone overlay using Alien Skin
Exposure.
GEAR
Nikon D3S Nikon 24-70mm Nikon SB-28 Nikon SB-910 Westcott Rapid PocketWizard
f/2.8 Box Octa XL Plus III Wireless
Triggers
42
SETTINGS ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/50, 1/16 Power on OCF, TTL on camera
BRUNO ROSA
www.brunorosaphoto.com
@brunorosaphoto
CONCEPT
The photo was taken at the end of the day when the sun was just about to set completely and it
was raining - that is a beautiful and killer combination for an awesome shot that you just cant
miss.
EXECUTION
I decided to use a wide lens to show the beautiful background properly, and used a flash placed
in the background pointing up into the umbrella above their heads to make the water drops show
up more. Then I just moved myself to get a bit of flare in the lens. I shot around 30 images and had
to move around a lot to get the final shot!
POST PRODUCTION
I just applied my own editing preset and added a bit of exposure, color and saturation to make
the image pop a bit more.
EDITORS COMMENT
Using a flash modified with an umbrella as the primary light source, and actually including it in
the final image is a popular technique in wedding photography. In this image, by integrating
the umbrella with interesting foreground bokeh and background landscape elements, Bruno
manages to create something more original. Having the determination to make the couple stand
for 30+ images in the pouring rain deserves special mention too!
GEAR
Nikon D3S Nikon AF-S FX Nikon SB-910 Pixel King Pro Flash
NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G Speedlight Wireless Transmitter/
Receiver
44
SETTINGS ISO 600, f/4 , 1/400, 1/2 Power
CHRISTIAN CARDONA
www.xb.com.co
@christiancardonap
CONCEPT
My couple told me about some fireworks that would go off during the reception, so i decided to
find the best spot to take a photo of them with the fireworks in the background before the first
dance started.
EXECUTION
To get the best photo of the fireworks, I needed to shoot a lot... since fireworks dont pose :) I chose
a wide angle zoom lens to be able to capture both the fireworks and the fans on either side of the
couple, to give some context to the location and provide a frame.
The couple were already lit by the ambient light, but to provide separation and a little more excitement
to the photo, I placed 4 separate flashes on lightstands and triggered them with my Speedlite.
POST PRODUCTION
Just adding my preset, it was almost done in camera, just a few Exposure and WB corrections + in
Photoshop clean a few things at the side.
EDITORS COMMENT
Choosing to include the fans on either side of the couple as well as the actual flash bursts add
interest to the final image, as well as providing two separate frames - one for the couple and one
for the firework explosion.
GEAR
Canon 5D Mark III Canon 16-35mm Canon 600EX-RT CheetahStands

f/2.8 II Speedlite x3 C8 Lightstand
46
SETTINGS ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/200, 1/32 Power
CRYSTAL STOKES
www.crystalstokesphotography.com
@crystalstokesphotography
CONCEPT
My plans were to recreate the sun. This particular bride wanted airy sunset shots but the weather
on her wedding day had different plans. It was very overcast, but I still wanted to try to give her
what she wished for!
EXECUTION
In order to recreate the sun, I had to do a couple of things. I needed to make my light appear
as large as possible as well as mimic the warmth of the sun with the color of my light. In order to
create a nice warm glow, I used a full CTO MagGel. I did 2 different things to make the light appear
larger and more sun like. First, I added a MagSphere to the light to spread it out - my assistant
stood about 15 feet behind the couple and held the monopod with the light, as high as he could.
Secondly, I chose a 200mm focal length to compress the image and bring the light in even closer,
again, making it appear larger. I metered for the light that was available since I wanted to achieve
a natural sunset look - I just needed to make sure the light was bright enough to get there and I
did! From there, I asked the couple to just hold each other and go in for the kiss!
POST PRODUCTION
Post-Processing was minimal. I warmed the image and then did a radial filter around the couple
where I warmed and darkened outside of it! There were no changes to the crop and all edits were
done in Lightroom.
EDITORS COMMENT
Crystals photo is a good reminder that an artificially lit photo neednt look artificially lit! By
balancing artificial light with the existing ambient light in a scene, a realistic sunset photo can be
produced, whatever the actual lighting conditions. This is clearly a very useful skill for a wedding
photographer to have.
GEAR
Nikon D4 Canon 70- Neewer TT850 MagMod Flash Modifier

200mm f/2.8 II flash with MadSphere and full
CTO MagGel attachment
48
SETTINGS ISO 1000, 200mm f/3.5, 1/250, 1/4 Power
DANIEL STARK
www.starkphotography.com
@starkphotography_
CONCEPT
This photo was taken during the first dance of Josh & Liz at their wedding reception in a popular
hotel in Portland, Oregon. We are drawn to photos that can tell multiple stories in one frame. The
idea is photograph the action and also the reaction. For this particular photograph I thought it
would be awesome to show the musician singing their first dance and also the couple. I wanted to
do it in a creative and dramatic way. Ive played around with shadows of couples before and had
been keeping this idea in my back pocket.
EXECUTION
My wife Lindsay was controlling the flash and the position while I was framing up the photo. The
flash is about 5 feet away from the couple - pointed directly at them but from a low angle. I am
between the couple and the musician with my camera focused in the musician. Every time I took
a photo it would cast a shadow of the couple on the wall behind the musician. In my head I was
hoping for a twirl but it didnt happen. So I just focused on a reaction of the musician and tried to
frame him in with the couple. I want to say this is all skill but there was really a lot of luck involved
too. Ive tried to replicate this photo at other weddings and cant get it. The flash is about 5 feet
away from the couple - pointed directly at them but from a low angle. I am between the couple
and the musician with my camera focused in the musician. Every time I took a photo it would cast
a shadow of the couple on the wall behind the musician. In my head I was hoping for a twirl but
it didnt happen. So I just focused on a reaction of the musician and tried to frame him in with
the couple. I want to say this is all skill but there was really a lot of luck involved too. Ive tried to
replicate this photo at other weddings and cant get it.
POST PRODUCTION
The post on this shot wasnt very hard. I changed it to black and white - turned down the highlights
and boosted the black. Then I added some clarity and sharpening to get stronger edges around
the shadows.
GEAR
Canon 6D Canon 35mm Canon 580EX II Yongnuo YN-622C

f/1.4 Speedlite Wireless Transmitter/
Receiver
50
DAVE MOSS & ABBY TAYLOR
www.abbyplusdave.com
@abbyplusdave
CONCEPT
We were on our way home after spending a full day shooting in the mountains to celebrate our
couples vow renewal. As we were about to pass Banff we asked them if theyd be up for a star
shot to finish their session. After an enthusiastic yes we drove half-way up Mount Norquay which
overlooks the townsite of Banff and gives you a beautiful, unobstructed view of the Canadian
Rockies in all their glory. We wanted to capture the wonder of the Rockies in combination with the
magic of the night sky.
EXECUTION
We found our placement on the pitch black, cold and windy mountainside and set the D750 on
our Manfrotto tripod. We used the built-in iPhone flashlight on the couple to see where they were
in the frame and to get our focus set. Once we had the composition and focus down, we tweaked
the shutter until the stars looked just right, which gave us the added bonus of a bit of orange rim
light on the subjects from the town lights of Banff a few thousand feet below. Then it was time
to bring in the flash, so we set it to rear-curtain sync so it would pop at the end of the exposure,
freezing them in place with minimal ghosting. It took a bit of experimenting to get the right flash
power, but once we had it everything came together.
POST PRODUCTION
Abby edited the photo in Photoshop, increasing the clarity, contrast and saturation of the sky,
increasing the overall exposure of the image, burning down the orange light cast on the subjects
from the townsite below, darkening the blacks and cloning out a distracting tree. Then we exported
the image using Lightroom.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 Phottix Mitros+ Manfrotto

Speedlight Tranceiver 290 Tripod
52
SETTINGS ISO 3200, f/2.5, 5s, 1/64 Power
DAVE PAEK
www.davepaekphotography.com
@davepphotography
CONCEPT
During a late September at a wedding in New York, I was scrambling to get some creative
dress and shoe shots. After I shot the brides dress, I was scouting around the venue looking for
interesting places to shoot the brides unique blue shoes. After trying a few shots that I deemed
uninspiring, I spotted a beautiful red textured painting with thick circular brush strokes hanging
almost inconspicuously in the hallway. It almost reminded me of Dantes Inferno as the gradients
of red and rough brush strokes conjured images of flames radiating from its super hot core, which
was marked by the brightest shades of red.
EXECUTION
I had to think of a lighting solution that would maximize the impression of an explosion and
freeze the action of the shoes, so I ruled out using an LED. I grabbed a MagMod with Grid from my
bag and slapped it on my Nikon SB-910, which was mounted on a light stand and triggered by
Yongnuo 622Ns. I went with a grid to prevent spill onto the corners of the painting, which would
mitigate the explosion effect. I angled the light at a relatively shallow angle to prevent visible
background shadows from the shoes. After a few test shots, we were ready to roll (or throw, in this
case). I asked my second shooter to throw the blue pumps in the air as I was hoping to get a shot
of the shoes at the brightest area of the painting. I asked him to kneel as low as possible so that
he would not be in the frame. After roughly 30 shots, I managed to get a decent shot of the shoes
that appear to be floating in midair.
POST PRODUCTION
All of my post-processing was done in Lightroom and Radlab. I toned this image by increasing
vibrance, saturation, and clarity as well as adding a little more red saturation in the HSL slider
section. I deepened the blacks and decreased the highlights just a touch. I also increased the
exposure in Lightroom just over a stop as I tend to shoot about a stop underexposeda common
practice among many of us Nikon shooters since a lot of data is retained in the shadows. As a
finishing touch, I added a few tweaks in Radlab to give the image slightly more pop.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/1.8 Nikon SB-910 Yongnuo YN- MagMod Flash
Speedlight 622N Wireless Modifier with
Transmitter/ Grid attachment
Receiver
54
SETTINGS ISO 400, f/4, 1/160, 1/16 Power
DUY HO
www.duyhophotography.com
@duyho_
CONCEPT
Prior to arriving at the venue, I had done research to know that it was a Chinese Restaurant with
white acoustic ceilings, and not particularly significant architecturally. I love creating dramatic
first dance photos so I started brainstorming how I might accomplish this given my environment. I
wanted to approach it in a away that would minimize the environment, while giving a little sense
of the location. The first thing that caught my eye were the chandeliers. I thought if I could isolate
those with the couple, the shot could be interesting.
EXECUTION
I wanted to keep the chandeliers out of focus so stopping down wasnt an option to reduce ambient
light. Instead I dropped my ISO down to 200, and maxed my shutter speed to sync with my flash
at 1/200s. I had my lights set up in way to light the faces of the couple while they danced as well as
provide a backlight.I added a grid on my flashes to minimize light spill and keep the beam isolated
and gels to get closer to the color of the incandescent light tones of the chandelier. Finally to keep
the focus on the couple I borrowed Sam Hurds Ring of Fire technique and held a 1 copper pipe
in front of the lens to drive focus around the couple and create an interesting flaring effect.
POST PRODUCTION
I used the radial adjustment in Lightroom to reduce the exposure from the edges of the photo so
the couple would really pop in the scene. Aside from that, I used my standard boiler plate editing
settings which are based on a VSCO Pack 5 Preset and fine tuned from there.
EDITORS COMMENT
Introducing several lighting elements to a single frame creates layers of interest. Shooting through
a piece of copper pipe produces introduces an unpredictable visual element to the image, and
as an added bonus in this particular case, highlights the movement of the couple during their first
dance.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Cheetah Light MagMod Flash Modifier
Art CL-V860X with Grid attachment, 1
copper pipe
56
SETTINGS ISO 200, f/2.5, 1/200, 1/2 CTO, Gridded, 1/8 power
EASTON REYNOLDS
www.lureyphotography.com
@lureyweddings
CONCEPT
The location of this wedding was the Brides grandmothers campground.The Brides grandmother
and mother both got married on this campground and now it was her turn! We focus on creating
unique images that highlight parts of our clients stories. That being said, we wanted to capture
a unique image at night that would be special to the client. The Bride had spent a ton of time
wrapping trees in christmas lights and lining the path from the ceremony to the reception with
candle lit lanterns. We made sure to capture an image of the couple on that path with the lights
they loved. Then we decided to try something a little different.
EXECUTION
After we took the first shot of the couple on that beautifully lit path, we pushed ourselves to try to
create something unique that no other wedding couple had. We call this the Second Shot. Since
it was dark outside, we held our cell phone flashlight on the couple in order to be able to focus on
them. After we locked our focus, we simultaneously pressed the shutter button which triggered
our on-camera flash, and jerked the camera from left to right or right to left. We didnt use rear
curtain sync.
POST PRODUCTION
In post we cropped the image and cloned the light streaks to fill in missing pieces. We then applied
our custom preset we use for all of our images along with some color tweaks and minor dodge
and burning.
EDITORS COMMENT
Dragging the shutter is a popular technique mostly used by wedding photographers on the
dancefloor, to highlight the movement and general craziness of the dancing. Here, Easton uses
the technique instead to frame the subjects.
GEAR
Nikon D610 Nikon 24-70mm Yongnuo YN-560 Yongnuo YN-

f/2.8 III Speedlight 622N Wireless
Transmitter/
Receiver
58
ELISHA STEWART
www.abbyphotography.ca
@abbyphotographyweddings
CONCEPT
Sparkling Hill Resort is a stunning venue in British Columbia. The entryway is showered with three
stories of Swarovski Crystals that hang from a mirrors on the ceiling. I knew instantly that I wanted
to create a mysterious image in the space, where the crystals would look like shooting stars.
EXECUTION
This photo looks like it was taken from above. However, I was actually standing right beside the
couple (in the top left corner of the frame) and shooting up into the mirror on the ceiling. I knew
the secret that if I dialled down, I could make it appear like night and create a romantic mood. My
assistant handheld the off camera flash (on a Phottix radio transmitter) to light the couple.
POST PRODUCTION
The RAW image came out pretty close to what I wanted but in Photoshop CS6 I used layer work to
dodge and burn, increase contrast, and make the couple pop.
EDITORS COMMENT
Elisha experiments with original framing to create a mysterious and engaging photo that leaves
the viewer scratching their heads. Shooting up into a mirror on the ceiling was a clever way to
include the hanging crystals, whilst adding intrigue to the photo with an unconventional angle.
The direction of the crystals serve as leading lines to the couple, who are given just enough negative
space to be framed, and illuminated just enough to draw the viewers eye to the unconventional
subject placement.
GEAR
Canon 5D Mark II Canon 35mm Canon 580 Ex II Phottix Odin TTL

f/1.4 Speedlite Wireless Flash
Transmitter
60
SETTINGS ISO 800, f/3.5, 1/1200, 1/1 Power HSS
EMIN KULIYEV
www.em34.com
@emin.kuliyev
CONCEPT
I love using gadgets and new technology to add something extra to my images. In this case, I had
recently bought a PixelStick, so decided to load an image onto it to create an unusual background
behind the couple.
EXECUTION
I put my camera on a tripod and asked my assistant to walk around the couple. Then I pressed the
shutter button on my camera for a 13 second exposure, giving me time to run to the couple with
my Canon 580-EX Speedlite in my hand and press the test button a few times whilst pointing it at
the couples faces.
For the whole exposure, I had enough time to do all that, but I dont appear in the exposure as I
was moving constantly.
POST PRODUCTION
I rarely do any editing to my images since I shoot in JPEG. This photo is straight out of camera.
EDITORS COMMENT
Shooting in JPEG reduces Emins options in post processing, with white balance in particular.
Whether his decision to leave the couple a cold bluish tone was out of this inability to effectively alter
white balance, or a deliberate decision to create separation from the warmth of the background,
is anyones guess. White balance, much like exposure, is personal preference after all. Whatever
the case, gadgets such as the PixelStick provide a somewhat popular technique to transform the
mundane into something extraordinary.
GEAR
Sony Alpha a7II Zeiss Batis 18mm Pixelstick Canon EX-580 Neewer Tripod/
f/2.8 Lightpainting LED Speedlite Monopod
62
ERIC McCALLISTER
www.mccallisterphoto.com
@ericmccallister
CONCEPT
It was starting to sprinkle, so we thought to go out onto a dock and do a backlit rain shot. As I got
it set up, the skies opened and a deluge ensued - you can actually see the rain bouncing off of the
dock it was raining so hard.
EXECUTION
I used a silver reflective umbrella that the groom held. Behind them by just a few feet aimed up into
the umbrella was a Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite, (which thankfully is pretty well weather-sealed), on
a Manfrotto Nano stand. I used a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 70mm. The flash was fairly high
power at around 1/8-1/4. When aimed into the umbrella it bounces back to illuminate the couple,
and also lights the surrounding rain.
POST PRODUCTION
Post was very basic in Lightroom - a little leveling, increased exposure +0.80, pulled back highlights,
opened shadows and added +65 clarity to give the rain some pop.
EDITORS COMMENT
The back-lit rain shot has become a little clich amongst veteran wedding photographers, but
definitely remains a crowd-pleaser for the majority. Here, Eric elevates the shot by including the
foreground pier elements to create leading lines and provide additional interest to the shot.
GEAR
Canon 1DX Canon 70- Canon Yongnuo YN560- MagMod Flash Manfrotto
200mm f/2.8 II 600EX-RT TX Wireless Modifier with Nano Stand
Speedlite Transmitter Grid attachment
64
SETTINGS ISO 400, 70mm f/2.8, 1/200, Approx. 1/8 Power
ERIN CHRISMAN
@chrismanstudios
CONCEPT
This photo was taken in the Two-Story Sky Villa (formerly the Hugh Hefner suite) at The Palms
Resort in Las Vegas. The bride was getting ready for her wedding on the rooftop of the Palms.
When I walked in, I immediately noticed a shiny, metal beaded curtain dividing the bathroom
(where the bride was sitting) and the bedroom, and I knew I wanted to try to do something
interesting with it.
EXECUTION
This photo ultimately took more than two hours to accomplish, because I was working with moving
parts, experimenting with my light settings on two different light sources, and having to stop what
I was doing several times to go take some more normal photographs of everyone getting ready
(in case this one didnt turn out in the end). I set up my flash behind the bride but more to the front
of her head to create some rim light around her. I positioned myself on the outside of the metal
curtain, looking into the room where the bride was. There was a big bathtub and hallway between
the two rooms. Then I started photographing her through the metal curtain, and quickly realized
there was not enough natural light hitting the curtain, because it showed up just as complete
blackness. To light up the metal curtain, I laid the Lowel GL-1 Power LED on its side on the bathtub,
shining it up at the curtain, but trying to keep it away from shining into my camera. That lit up the
curtain, but it still wasnt interesting enough. So next I tapped the curtain to make the strands of
beads flow and criss-cross each other, and that was the final piece to the puzzle. After that, I just
had to wait for a good expression on Brittanys face, and the makeup brush to be in the frame but
separated from her face. This photo was 100% candid - I gave no direction to the bride or makeup
artist. Im sure they were wondering what I was doing back there for so long!
POST PRODUCTION
We brought up the blacks and increased the saturation, then burned down the entire image to
intensify the orange color.
GEAR
Nikon D4 Nikon 85mm Lowel GL-1 Neewer Joby GorillaPod

f/1.8 Power LED TT850 flash SLR Zoom Tripod
66
FRANCK BOUTONNET
www.franckboutonnet.com
@franckboutonnet
CONCEPT
I had to do some couple pictures, but the wedding was taking place in the family house and
neither the surroundings nor the inside of the house inspired me much. In the end, I decided to try
something in the room where the bride was getting ready. The room was really small and full of
things, so I decided to try something new and different.
EXECUTION
I switched off all the lights in the room, closed the shutters, and asked my second shooter to hold
my two mini LED light panels to light my couple. I posed the couple in front of one of the walls. This
way, by lighting just their faces with the LED light panels, I got rid of all the distracting elements in
the room. Then I put my fairy lights just in front of my lens: the red one slightly on the left part of
the lens and the blue one on the right part. I could tell when their faces were right in the middle of
each fairy light circle when I couldnt see their faces anymore while looking through the viewfinder.
POST PRODUCTION
Usually I do my best to have the picture straight from the camera as I was imagining it. This way the
post-production is more simple. In Adobe Bridge and in Photoshop, I just darkened the background
even more to be sure I had only a clean black background. Then I just added a bit more contrast...
and that was all folks! :)
EDITORS COMMENT
With most of Francks work characterised by strict photojournalism, this image is a stylish and fun
sidestep from his norm. The saturated opposing colours of the LEDs add additional interest to what
would have already been an an engaging image. The expert posing, lighting and composition
all add up to create an original piece that would leave most photographers confused as to the
technique utilised.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 35mm Yongnuo YN300 Fairy lights

Mark III f/1.4 III LED Light
68
SETTINGS ISO 2000, f/1.8, 1/1250, 2 LEDS
GEOFF WILKINGS
www.geoffwilkings.com
@gwphotography
CONCEPT
This photo was taken in Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. The aim was to create something
unique as I photograph in the Rockies quite a bit. I already had my safe shots which were awesome
and pleasing but I wanted something extra for me. Sun-flare is something Ive always loved and Im
drawn to bold colours and especially yellow. The aim was to create sun flare, mood, movement,
emotion and scenery while framing it in one go with no composites. Ive got nothing against
composites but I really aim to shoot in-camera and move on.
EXECUTION
I always expose for what I have in my mind. Often Im asked whats the correct exposure. Well the
correct exposure is whatever you want it to be - that is the correct exposure. In this scene I knew
the north aspect mountain slopes would be too dark if stopped down too much given the shaded
slopes. This was a similar case with the shadow side to the couple. So I exposed to balance for the
highlights and shadows but most importantly, stopped down as much as possible to create the
mood of the shot. I then sprayed the front of the lens with a fine mist of water so that when the light
from the flash hit it, sun-flare would be created. I used the MagMod Grid for light direction control
and had my assistant hold the light close to the lens with the Full CTO gel to give the yellow effect.
I fired a few frames and created emotion within my couple who were truly warmed up by then.
Taking a shot when a couple arent emotionally empowered is a waste of time.
POST PRODUCTION
I post processed this in Lightroom 6 using just basic adjustment in the control panel i.e. contrast,
blacks etc and Totally Rad light purple effect within a Lightroom preset. Nothing much. I did clean
it up in Photoshop i.e. branches, long grass going through their hands, but really it was just simple
distractions that I was taking out.
GEAR
Canon 1DX Canon 70- Canon Mini water MagMod Flash Modifier
200mm f/2.8 II 600EX-RT spray bottle with Grid attachment +
Speedlite Half CTO Gel
70
HEDRIAN NGABITO
www.theuppermost.com
@hedrianngabito
CONCEPT
The idea was to take a portait of the bride and groom and include the beautiful ambience of the
room and the interesting panoamic picture on the wall. To add additional interest to the photo, I
decided to create a reflection too.
EXECUTION
I metered for the ambient light, then added a backlight by placing my flash light on a stand behind
the couple, and triggering it remotely. Then I put a small pocket mirror right in front of the lens to
create a reflection, adding another dimension of mystery to the final image.
POST PRODUCTION
For post processing, i did some adjustments for brightness and contrast. I also did a little bit of
exposure masking around the couple to bring up the shadows and make a brighter area around
them. This way the couples faces become brighter and your eye is drawn to the centre of the image.
EDITORS COMMENT
Using the adjustment brush set to Exposure in Lightroom is an effective way to selectively lighten
(dodge) or darken (burn) areas of an image to help direct the viewers eye.
Using a mirror to reflect areas of an image is an interesting technique, and Hedrians decision to
flip only the lower portion of this image, (neglecting the upper wall), in addition to the already
reflected elements of the walls pattern, creates a confusing but engaging final picture, whose
technique is not immediately obvious.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/2 Nikon SB-800

Speedlight
72
SETTINGS ISO 400, f/4, 1/200
HENDRA LESMANA
www.cheesenclick.com
@cheesenclick
CONCEPT
During the brides make up I was looking at my her eyes, her eyes and noticed that they were
really big - a rare thing for an Indonesian born Chinese. Suddenly the idea for this frame crossed
my mind. Some photographers have done a similar photo before with a silhouette of the groom
reflected in the brides eye, so I decided to make my image original by changing the bride with a
pair of wedding shoes.
EXECUTION
I stuck the shoes to the pane of a window using small reuseable glue tacks. There was enough
light coming through the window to provide a backlight for the shoes. As for the brides eye, I used
my Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens (shot at f/5.6) and an on-camera flash bounced off the ceiling
to distribute the light.
POST PRODUCTION
I used Lightroom to process the Raw file, cropped the image a little bit to fit the frame I wanted and
a then tweaked it a bit more using Photoshop.
EDITORS COMMENT
Seeing this image for the first time we immediately assume the brides shoes have are falling through
the wait - a possibility perhaps if Hendra had had unlimited time, but in the interests of practicality
and control, he chose the smart option of using glue! By aligning the brightest point of the image
(the window pane) with the darkest point (the brides pupil), the tiny shoes are highlighted as the
primary subject of the image, despite the visual dominance of the eye in the frame.
GEAR
Nikon D3s Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Nikon SB-800

Speedlight
74
SETTINGS ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/100, 1/16 Power, zoomed to 35mm
HIRAM TRILLO
www.hiramtrillo.com
@hiramtrillo
CONCEPT
The space where the wedding was taking place was very small and intimate. However we had
problems getting the couple away from everyone and they wanted at least one image of the two
of them alone. I had seen this closet in the bridal suite while capturing her getting ready shots so I
decided to take the couple in there away from everyone and captured this image.
EXECUTION
Inside the closet, I told the groom to hold the speedlight and point it towards the back-wall of the
closet to create a backlight and used the bounce back to fill in their faces. Then I took a secondary
exposure from a chandelier outside of the closet to create the bokeh effect via an in-camera double
exposure.
POST PRODUCTION
This photo like most of my imagery has very little post processing. I aim at getting things ready
in camera so Im not fixing mistakes after. I use Adobe Camera Raw to make sure my camera
settings are respected and that the colors are from my camera settings and not from Adobe. Then
in LR I just push sharpening a bit and saturate the colors. The reddish/orange color of the image
comes from the second exposure.
EDITORS COMMENT
For such a beautiful image that looks like it was taken during golden hour on a rainy day to
have actually been taken in a closet (then exposed upon with an image of a chandelier), really is
impressive, and highlights Hirams expert ability to create something out of nothing. Images such
as this which could be recreated almost anywhere remind us that our only limit in creativity is our
own imagination.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 24- Cheetah Light MagMod Flash

Mark III 70mm f/2.8 II CL-V860X Modifier with Grid
Speedlight attachment
76
IAIN GOMES
www.gomesphotography.co.uk
@iaingomes
CONCEPT
I like to use the time during the wedding breakfast to take the couple out and get the dramatic
shots. This particular photo the couple were walking back to the table after going outside for
some time alone. You can actually see their guests in the background.
EXECUTION
As the couple walked back I asked my Assistant to quickly follow them and to ask them to stop
momentarily. I laid down low to get the reflection of the lights on the floor and quickly dialled in a
stop under to get the vibrant colours. My Assistant was stood on the right, facing the bride with
a Canon 600 EX-RT flash on a light pole, diffused with the Westcott 65cm Rapidbox. I wanted to
keep the image looking warm so a 1/4 CTO gel was perfect. We were using walkie talkies so I didnt
have to shout instructions to the couple - instead I asked my Assistant to ask the couple to kiss.This
took no more than a minute out of the Bride and Grooms wedding day.
POST PRODUCTION
I actually do very little in the way of post processing. My Assistant was far enough out of the photo
so that wasnt an issue A touch of contrast and a tweak of the tone curve and the image was ready.
EDITORS COMMENT
The fact that this image was taken with almost no interaction between the couple and Iain makes
it all the more impressive. Respecting the wedding couples time alone, as well as the natural flow
of their wedding day, whilst still managing to produce stellar images such as this is the sign of a
seasoned professional.
GEAR
Canon 1DX Canon 24- Canon 600EX- Westcott Rapid 1/4 CTO
70mm f/2.8 II RT Speedlite Box Octa XL filter gel
78
JACOB HANNAH
www.hannahphoto.com
@hannahphotography_vt
CONCEPT
The couple chose her parents secluded house in the woods of Saranac Lake, New York because it
was a place that had a special meaning for them. They had mentioned to us before the wedding
that they really wanted to take some photos by the pond with all the lights they had strung around
the property. It rained for most of their wedding day, but fortunately they were game for going out
in the rain for portraits. My wife, Megan, and I talked about ideas for the shot and decided that
something wide and backlit with the rain and the light reflecting in the pond would be the best
option.
EXECUTION
We had a full CTO gel and a MagMod Sphere on the flash. Megan was precariously perched behind
the couple, hidden from view, and holding the light about five feet behind them. Normally we would
place the light further back from the couple, but there was a sharp slope and more water on the
other side of them. The sphere helped spread out the light evenly, illuminating the raindrops and
even wrapping around the couple a little. We used the full CTO gel to match the color temperature of
the bistro lights hanging around the pond. I set my ISO to 6400 and shutter speed to 1/60 to pick up
some of the ambient light from the bistro lights. I stopped down to f/3.5 to keep things sharp without
losing too much ambient light.
POST PRODUCTION
In Lightroom I adjusted the color temperature to add a little more warmth, added some contrast,
and dodged the couple up a little. I also cloned out a couple of distracting reflections from the
flash on the water.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon Nikon MagMod Sphere CTO gel

35mm f/1.8 SB-900 Flash attachment
Speedlight Modifier
80
JAMIE IVINS
www.redwoodandrye.com
@redwoodandryestudio
CONCEPT
This photo was taken in a stairwell at Aldrich Mansion in Warwick, RI. As I entered the stairwell while
scouting I was immediately inspired by the grandness of the space. I knew I wanted to capture
something here but before working all of the angles I wasnt sure what it was yet. I began to walk
around and photograph the space at different angles and at focal lengths. It wasnt until I zoomed
out to 16mm from this angle that I knew this was the spot.
EXECUTION
Since there was a giant window behind me, there was quite a bit of ambient light in the stairwell. I
knew I wanted a dramatic look so I first set the sync speed on my camera to kill as much ambient
as possible, and ensure my exposure was able to capture the details in the chandelier without the
lightbulbs being completely blown out. From there it became about building the composition of
the final image. To utilize both sets of stairs, I decided to place the groom on the bottom half of the
staircase and asked the bride to walk down the stairs to meet him. I decided to set up a Yongnuo
YN560-IV flash with a 1/2 CTO MagGel + MagGrid to separate the groom from the darkness of the
alcove and give him a rim light. I placed another Yongnuo YN560-IV with 1/2 CTO MagGel + MagGrid
in the doorway in the upper left of the frame to highlight the bride walking down the stairs. The fill
light on the bride was provided by the ambient window light coming from behind me.
POST PRODUCTION
The chandeliers, ambient scene, bride, and groom were each edited as individual smart object
layers in PS and masked together. This allowed me to work on portions of the image as a RAW
file and not sacrifice any quality while achieving the overall vision for the photograph. Once the
individual layers were edited and blended together, I then flattened the image, removed the light
stands that were visible in the frame using a combination of the content aware lasso and clone
stamp tool. I then flattened the image one last time and used the Transform tool in Photoshop to
correct the lens distortion caused by the 16mm lens. After the lines were straight I saved the photo
and opened it in Lightroom for some final dodging and burning before exporting from Lightroom.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Tokina 16- Yongnuo MagMod Flash Modifier

28mm f/2.8 YN-560 IV with Grid attachment
Speedlight and 1/2 CTO gel x2
82
SETTINGS ISO 800, f/4, 1/160, 16mm, 1/16 Power
JASON VINSON
www.vinsonimages.com
@vinsonimages_jason
CONCEPT
The thing I love most about ring photography is how quickly elements in the frame can fall out of
focus. Its a uniquely attractive feature of macro photography that should be taken advantage of
during the wedding day. I use this with elements such as water glasses, sparkly table cloths, and
even Christmas lights. When I first got my Flex LED from Westcott, I instantly knew I wanted to try
and use it for a ring shot.
EXECUTION
The light is a flexible 12x12 square that is covered with orange and blue lights that can be used to
adjust the color temperature. How I created this look was by adjusting the color to a point where
the orange and blue lights were equally as bright. Then I shaped the adjustable square to form a
type of semi-circular tunnel, and lastly I placed the rings at the very front of the tunnel. I was able
to get the rings to stand upright by utilizing a small piece of putty that I always keep in my bag. In
order to get the lights from the tunnel to be in the frame, everything is on the very edge of a table.
This allowed me to shoot lower than the rings. Lastly, I simply made sure the rings were as centered
as possible and used the lights to create a nice frame.
POST PRODUCTION
Post processing for this image was relatively simple. After applying my normal custom preset, all I
had to do was dial in my exposure and white balance. And finally, I did some slight straightening
with the crop tool.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon Westcott Flex Bi-

105mm f/2.8 color LED Light
84
JEFF ONEAL
@ onealz
CONCEPT
This is an engagement photo session that I took one day before their actual wedding day. The
picture was taken in Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia. We arrived at the location quite late from
our planned schedule. It was around 10 minutes before sunset. The weather, sky, and light were
amazing.
EXECUTION
I was taking a break and leaning back on our car, and saw this great side light on the other side of
the car. I thought the car windows could be used as a good frame for the couple.
I asked them to move to the other side of the car and just relax and enjoy the morning sun for a
moment. While they were chatting, I took a few shots quick shots, then decided to add the flash on
a stand just to provide some additional illumination. To avoid the distracting car interior on the right
side of the photo, I covered half of my lens using a water bottle, This had the pleasant side-effect of
producing a bokeh effect as well.
POST PRODUCTION
I performed just basic color correcting via Adobe Camera Raw and nothing else.
EDITORS COMMENT
The colours, bokeh, lighting, composition and posing of this shot are all in perfect balance. Jeff
chose to shoot from the interiror of a car to take advantage of the inherent framing of a window,
then used an object close to hand as a way to mask out unwanted elements of the image. The
bokeh which leads to and highlights the couple is an additional pleasing element to the final image.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 24- Nikon SB-900

70mm f/2.8 Speedlight
86
JOANNE MARINO
www.imaginephotoaz.com
@imaginephotoaz
CONCEPT
When this couple booked their session we had no idea the remnants of a hurricane would be
blowing across the Arizona desert the day of their shoot. The gentleman in the photo brought his
Harley Davidson motorcycle to the shoot, and was concerned about it getting rained on. They
almost canceled, but we talked them into it knowing how amazing the skies were going to look.
The wind was whipping their hair wildly, and mixed with the clouds and rain, it just gave a raw,
somewhat dangerous vibe, which adds to the overall emotion of the photograph. We were able to
wrap up just before the downpour started, and returned home with some fantastic photographs.
EXECUTION
We had one flash with a MagMod Grid behind the couple for a rim light, and one flash with a MagMod
Grid and MagMod sphere in front, camera right. We framed the shot in a way that showcased the
scenery, but still kept the couple as the focus. It was a pretty straight forward two light setup, but it all
works in concert to create a really dramatic final photograph.
POST PRODUCTION
We used our normal Lightroom recipe we put together over the years, did some dodging and
burning, added a little color to the clouds, and thats about it.
EDITORS COMMENT
Choosing to use a combination of the front (key) light and a rear (rim) light is essential for not only
subject separation in this photo but also the highlighting of the rain droplets. By shooting at a
moderate 1/125 shutter speed, the motion of the rain is still apparent, lending to the energy of the
final image.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 24mm Yongnuo MagMod MagSphere

Mark III f/1.4 II YN560IV MagGrid Flash
Speedlight x2 Modifier
88
KATHRYN KRUEGER
www.kathrynkrueger.com
@ kathrynkruegerphotography
CONCEPT
The Father of Bride let us know early on during the dinner he had a surprise fireworks show for the
bride and groom. We knew we wanted the fireworks and the couple in the shot and that it had to
be clean and ideally well composed. I wanted the faces of the couple in the shot if possible.
EXECUTION
During the short toast prior to the fireworks my assistant and I worked on the best settings for the
upcoming fireworks show. I did not want to be wide open so I stopped down to f/5 to ensure the
fireworks were not too soft in the background. ISO was set at 2500, enough to let in the light of the
string lights, and I originally set the shutter at 1/20s. The flash became the variable we changed
as needed. I started on manual at the lowest setting of 1/128. After a test shot it was clear the flash
needed to go up, not a full stop, but a bit more. We ended up with the flash at 1/128 +7 to properly
light the couple but didnt need a ton of light as the high ISO and dragged shutter let in a lot of
light. Once that fell into place I noticed the shutter was too slow and the fireworks looked sad and
camera-shakey, so I bumped the shutter up to 1/40 to stop the light from blurring so much. From
there I worked the composition based on the fireworks and when the bride turned from watching
the fireworks to embracing her new husband, I shot as much as I could. In the end, this image, with
the pole balancing the image on the left with the unusual fireworks spray was the clear winner.
POST PRODUCTION
This image came out of camera fairly close to the exposure I needed. There was smoke that
distracted at the bottom of the frame that I burned down with an individual brush in Lightroom.
I brought the high midpoints of exposure down a bit to give the fireworks more dimension and
individually darkened some. There was also some lens distortion and the pole was not straight
on the left, so I used lens correction to ensure the pole and the railing at the bottom were straight.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 24- Yongnuo Yongnuo YN-

Mark III 70mm f/2.8 II YN-560 III 622C Wireless
Speedlight Transmitter/Receiver
90
SETTINGS ISO 2500, f/5, 1/40, 1/128 Power +07
KEITH LEE
www.keithleestudios.com
@keithleestudios
CONCEPT
Whenever possible, I always like to do an ending portrait at night of my wedding couple.
Sometimes we do it inside, sometimes its outside... it just depends on what I find and what inspires
me. In this case, the reception took place in a hotel and I walked around the lobby with my second
photographer and assistant looking for anything that caught my eye or sparked an idea. We tried
a couple different concepts which would have worked but I considered those ideas to be pretty
conservative and I always want to challenge myself to come up with something different and
unique for my clients. Thats when I noticed a fireplace with white glass rocks in the hotel lobby.
The overall location of the fireplace didnt support the idea of executing a portrait with the couple
so instead, I opted to do a double exposure.
EXECUTION
Execution was surprisingly simple. I took a handful of images of the fire until I was happy with
one that left enough negative space to place my clients in. Note: you have to be mindful of what
ISO to use since thats the one variable (i.e. out of ISO, aperture, shutter speed and the lens) you
cannot deviate from when trying to combine multiple images in the camera. While I used a 35mm
lens to capture the portrait of the couple, I used a 50mm first to photograph the fire. From there, I
used my second photographer and assistant to pose and test for the second image of the double
exposure which included a flash with a 1/8 grid (to keep the light from spreading everywhere) and
placed it on a light stand about 4-5 feet behind the subjects at stomach level. I still wanted some of
the ambient light on the subjects so it wasnt a complete silhouette. Once I had everything dialed
in, I had my wedding couple join us for the final product. It took me about a minute or two to pose
them and after that, I took one image. It really was the perfect way to end the evening.
POST PRODUCTION
Editing the image was pretty quick and straight forward, which is one of the benefits of a well-
planned and executed image (trust me, it doesnt always work out that way). I applied my preset,
burned out a couple areas I didnt want to show and that was about it.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon Canon Canon 600EX- HonlPhoto 1/8 Inch

Mark III 35mm f/1.4 50mm f/1.2 RT Speedlite Honeycomb Speed Grid
92
MOSHE ZUSMAN
www.moshezusman.com
@moshezusman
CONCEPT
The concept of the image was to pose the girls to perfection, light the group with as much flattering
light as possible and create a dramatic scene, using the lights we had.
EXECUTION
Two speedlites were camera left and right hand held by two assistants way up high. Then there
was a third speedlite laying on the table behind the bride, creating a rim light on her and the
brides maid next to her.
POST PRODUCTION
I carried out very subtle skin smoothing and a tiny bit of shadow reduction from the walls in
Lightroom.
EDITORS COMMENT
Posing large groups is a challenging and somewhat intimidating process for most wedding
photographers. The pressure is increased when the group happens to be bridesmaids, with female
posing bringing along additional challenges to create a flattering outcome. The two speedlites on
either side of the camera provide a relatively even distribution of light across the subjects in the
group, but its the posing of the bridesmaids heads and bodies which direct the viewers eye to
the central subject of the image. The effect of the rim light on the bride is subtle, but no doubt also
serves to spill some light on the white shutters in the background to further highlight the star of the
photo.
GEAR
Canon 1D Canon 14mm Canon 580EX PocketWizard

Mark IV f/2.8 II Speedlite x3 Plus III
Tranceiver
94
SETTINGS ISO 1000, f/5,1/40, 1/32 Power
NEIL REDFERN
www.neilredfern.com
@neilredfern
CONCEPT
I always like to try and create one at least one unique bride and groom portrait at each wedding
that I photograph. I often do this by using creative techniques but everything is always achieved
in-camera. Id bought the Pixelstick a few weeks earlier and had been playing around with using it
at weddings but this is by far my favourite shot. As the bride and groom look as if they are stood in
fire, I didnt want them to look too happy or romantic, so I just asked them to remain still and stare
straight ahead.
EXECUTION
This photograph is a 15 second exposure so for the image to work as I wanted, with as little ambient
light getting on to the sensor as possible, I needed to wait until it was dark outside and then find
an area near the venue which was extremely dark. With the camera on a tripod, I asked the couple
to remain as still as possible whilst I walked around them with the Pixelstick. I counted to 13, and
then just before the shutter closed, I manually lit them with my Nikon SB-900 flash, which I triggered
handheld. Without the flash the couple would have been in silhouette so it was important that I
had the correct flash output. My only fear was that one of them would be blinking at that exact
moment! I really like that they had no idea what the final result would look like whilst I was doing
this. I showed them the image on the back of the camera and they were extremely happy with it.
POST PRODUCTION
The final image is very similar to the RAW file. The main thing which I did in post is clone some extra
flames in to the right hand part of the frame in Photoshop to fill in an area which I had missed.
Other than that I just increased the brightness and saturation slightly in Lightroom to make the
image more vibrant.
GEAR
Nikon 24- Nikon Pixelstick Manfrotto

Nikon D810 70mm f/2.8 SB-900 Lightpainting 055XPROB
Speedlight LED Tripod
96
PASQUALE MINNITI
www.photo-4u.it
@photo4u_studio
CONCEPT
I found an interesting mirror in the grooms bedroom during his preparations. In order to remove
all the things that were being reflected in the mirror, I needed to create total darkness in the room,
and only light the groom from the front.
EXECUTION
I placed the groom with the Ice Light in his hands in a vertical position between his face and the
mirror. By stopping down I was able to kill all the ambient light except for the Ice Light, leaving just
the silhouette and the reflections. I wanted to keep my ISO as low as possible in case I needed to
recover any shadow detail in post. I directed the subject to look up at the centre most reflection of
his eyes in the mirror and moved him forward and back to have the other lateral reflections in the
perfect position. I placed my focus point where his eyes appear right in the centre.
POST PRODUCTION
I used Camera Raw for a basic and simple post production. The shoot was 90% perfect in-camera.
I just cropped the picture at the end of the mirror since I wanted to keep the image as close to the
actual scene as possible. I reduced the light spread from the subject and I changed the color
temperature of the light from cold to warm.
EDITORS COMMENT
Stopping down to kill ambient light is a powerful tool in the wedding photographers arsenal,
especially when stood in front of a reflective object such as this mirror. Shooting at a low ISO allows
Pasquale the greatest flexibility in post production, and with Nikon full frame sensors renowned for
their dynamic range capabilities and broad shadow recovery, he is able to open up any shadows
in the subjects features with minimal noise or visual artifacts.
GEAR
Nikon D4S Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Westcott Ice Light I
98
PETE FARRELL
www.pixiesinthecellar.co.uk
@pixiesinthecellar
CONCEPT
This tree is iconic at the Heaton House Farm wedding venue in the UK. Its floodlit from the venue
side and is always shot from that direction. Ive always preferred the detailing and shadowing
of backlighting so I took the unpopular decision to shoot the back of the tree. I wanted to create
something simple and representative of their day in an artistic and iconic style.
Everything was planned and test-executed before the bride and groom came out. The temperature
was 1 degree with a 40 mile per hour gusting wind, so rather horrific conditions for the bride in a
light, delicate dress.
EXECUTION
I placed my Nikon D4 on a tripod as the exposure was 10 seconds. I lay down in wet grass in almost
freezing conditions too - you have to suffer for your art, right?! The remote Nikon SB-910 (with CTO)
was placed on the floor pointing at the tree to create a silhouette of the couple, and my partner
walked behind the tree spinning the Pixelstick. The shot worked first time luckily as it was so cold.
The gelled flash and D4 set to tungsten enabled the fab contrasting colours of the tree and sky to
emerge.
POST PRODUCTION
There wasnt too much editing in reality. A few distant lights from the venue needed removing, the
ground was darkened slightly and the white balance shifted a little, plus I increased the saturation
and contrast. I prefer to get it as correct as possible in the camera.
GEAR
Nikon D4 Sigma 35mm Nikon SB-910 Pocket Wizard Pixelstick CTO filter gel
f/1.4 Art Speedlight Mini TT1 & Flex TT5 Lightpainting LED
Flash Transmitter/
Receiver
100
SETTINGS ISO 100, f/5, 10s, TTL
PYE JIRSA
www.linandjirsa.com
@linandjirsa
CONCEPT
During a wedding mood board review, the bride told me that she loved golden hour shots, but
who doesnt.
When they began planning their wedding day, the bride and groom scheduled a 30 minute Golden
Hour photo session. Then on the day, like most weddings, things didnt run on time. Although
there was an stunning golden hour on their wedding day, the bride had missed it - she had an
outfit change for the reception, and because of an unfortunate turn of events, she was late to the
planned photo shoot and the sun was gone. So we thought, why not recreate golden hour?.
EXECUTION
I had my awesome lighting assistant set up the Profoto B1 and put two Color Temperature Orange
(CTO) Gels on it. Why make the light so orange?
Because as the sun sets, its color frequency shifts to more orange and red hues because of how far
the light travels through the atmosphere. I then instructed my assistant to take the B1 about 200ft
away behind some trees, identical to where the sun had just set from their point of view.
Why so far? Because the strobe had to light everything the sun would have lit if it were still above
the horizon. That means all the trees, architecture, and every significant object in the frame had to
have a natural sunlight on them.
POST PRODUCTION
Using the SLR Lounge Lightroom Presets we applied our Signature Color Preset and with one-click
it was Print Ready!
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 70- Profoto B1 CTO filter

Mark III 200mm f/2.8 II 500 Flash gel
102
RAHUL KHONA
www.f5blog.co.uk
@rahulkhona
CONCEPT
This photo was from an engagement shoot in Iceland. We were praying to the gods that we would
see the Northern Lights, and we had heard from a few of the locals in Iceland that they would be
out later at night. So we made our way from the city to Thingvellir National Park. As we were driving
there, the Northern Lights appeared so we found a safe spot to pull over and start shooting.
EXECUTION
This photo took a few attempts to get right. I had to factor in the ambient from the Northern
Lights, so I knew a slow shutter was required, and then I had to work out the flash power to make
sure my couple were lit. I used a tripod for the camera, and tried different shutter speeds until I got
to 13 seconds which gave me a great exposure for the Lights. Then I did a few flash bursts on the
couple, starting at 1/64 power, until their exposure was finally correct at 1/16. Once I had the flash
and the ambient correct in my camera, I just told the couple to hold still as possible, but as they
were in the dark anyway it was ok if they moved slightly. I set the camera on a timer so there was
no shake from me pressing the shutter button, and then once the camera fired, 4 seconds into the
exposure I ran into the scene and manually popped the flash on my couple,and ran back out.
POST PRODUCTION
I edited this image in Lightroom, I try to get the image as correct as possible in-camera, so my
adjustments are minimal thereafter. I apply my custom preset to get my desired look, by pushing
the shadows and pulling the blacks in, and applying a slight tone curve. I used the local adjustment
brush tool to boost the colour and contrast of the Northern Lights, and finally I to cloned out a
slight red light trail from my flashs LED.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 24mm Phottix Mitros MagMod Flash

Mark IV f/1.4 II Flash Tranceiver Modifier with Grid
attachment
104
SETTINGS ISO 3200, 24mm, f/8, 13s, 1/16 Power
RALF CZOGALLIK
www.eppel.nl
@ralfczogallik
CONCEPT
This was taken in an old factory in the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, that has since been
converted into a nightclub. The couple chose to do a photoshoot there. I saw the wood in combination
with the hallway and I thought that this would be a cool contrast. I really love separating the bride
and the groom in the photo because it enhances the tension of the love as a couple.
EXECUTION
I posed the bride first and made sure my settings for the ambient light were okay. Then I popped
the flash to see if the right amount of light was hitting the bride. After a couple of changes I found
the right settings. I concentrated first on the bride to make sure she was okay and relaxed with
her pose. I then decided to add the groom into the photo but was not sure how he could fit in it
without being in very bad light. I wanted them to tell a little story like the bride is waiting for the love
of her life and suddenly he appears in the shady blue light... or something like that. You fill in the
words for your own story :) Just a silhouette was not enough so I decided to add the blue gel on the
flash to contrast the yellow of the wood. After a few adjustments I found the right settings for the
grooms flash as well. I combined the two together in one frame and there it was. After a couple of
trials in this setting I found the right one.
POST PRODUCTION
Since I controlled almost every bit of the image I could set up everything exactly how I wanted. If
the basics are good then almost no post production is needed. Of course I enhanced the blue a
bit and a did a little bit of dodging and burning too. That was all!
GEAR
Canon 1DX Canon 35mm f/1.4 Canon 600EX-RT MagMod Flash

Mark II Speedlite Modifier with Grid
attachment
106
SETTINGS ISO 1600, f/2, 1/640, 1/2 Power for bride, 1/1 Power for groom
RAPH NOGAL
www.raphnogal.com
@raphnogal
CONCEPT
My couple got engaged in New York City so they flew us out from Toronto to NYC as it was important
for them to incorporate the location as part of their story. For this particular shot, we wanted to
capture Times Square and some iconic parts of NYC, such as the taxi cabs! Without being too
literal we wanted the idea of the couple kissing in the back of the cab, while the city (and more
specifically Times Square) was visible in the background. We hailed a cab and gave the cabbie
some cash to wait around while we executed the concept. It felt super rushed as he was parked at
the side of the road, but we got it done!
EXECUTION
I had to step down the ambient light as the billboards in the background were extremely bright! I
would have liked to bring them down even more, but the street behind the cab would have been
completely dark. We were on a time crunch and so I chose an in-between option. I played around
with the positioning of the flash and tried two different positions to see how the light was going
to hit my couple. I settled on jamming the flash between the drivers seat and the back door. This
held the flash in place and gave me the best option for lighting them without unpleasant shadows
falling on their faces. I composed the frame, fired a test shot to get the flash power right (I usually
start low power and increase if needed). I gave the couple some instructions and encouragement
and the shot was done!
POST PRODUCTION
Im not a huge fan of Photoshopping my images too much, but of course there were global
adjustments done as well as cloning out the flash. I like contrasty and punchy images so I always
try to stay true to that look. I increased the contrast globally as well as brought in some shadow
details. I increased the clarity a bit and added a slight vignette to the overall image. I also warmed
up the background as it had a nasty green cast.
GEAR
Nikon D800 Nikon 24- Nikon SB-910 Yongnuo YN-622N

70mm f/2.8 Speedlight Wireless Transmitter/
Receiver
108
ROSS HARVEY
www.rossharvey.com
@rossharvy
CONCEPT
The bride had asked for a creative night time photo during preparations, so I kept my eyes open
during wedding day for potential spots. When dusk arrived, the hanging lanterns on a great oak
tree illuminated. Perfect.
Not perfect: the tree was surrounded by mess. Old gas canisters were now leant against the tree
and an old table covered in rubbish from the BBQ sat under its shade.
EXECUTION
I needed to do two things. 1) Cut out as much of the ambient as possible to hide the disaster zone of
mess that surrounded the couple. 2) Let as much ambient light in as I could since the lanterns were
illuminated by small LEDs. Very little power. OCF is about finding the right balance and knowing
what you can achieve in post processing. Understanding your sensors dynamic range is crucial.
Having found the balance (by using a drunk groomsman as the dummy subject) I composed the
shot in such a way to cut out as much of the surrounding mess as I could. Oftentimes less is more.
I only needed a single bare flash (positioned at the solar plexus level) behind the couple which I
triggered with my Phottix Odins. As I was using a high ISO to capture enough details of the lanterns
the flash was set as low as possible; 1/128.
POST PRODUCTION
Post production included the usual dodging and burning in Lightroom. Some lanterns were
brightened up (the farthest), and some were turned down (the closest). I removed two things: the
power lines that ran across the face of various lanterns and branches that were slightly illuminated
by the lanterns themselves. The more mysterious the image, the better!
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikkor 35mm Nikon SB-910 Phottix Odin Manfrotto

f/1.4 Speedlight Transmitter Nano Stand
110
SETTINGS ISO 3200, f/2. 1/250, 1/128 Power
RYAN ZHANG
@ryanzwb
CONCEPT
This photo was taken at a golf course at the end of the wedding. I saw there was a 4-face clock
tower outside of the venue, and I decided I wanted to use one side of the clock to frame the couple.
EXECUTION
I climbed up the small clock tower and used two faces of the clock as my foreground element to
this photo. I told the couple to walk further away from the clock tower and asked my assistant to
light them up with Lowel GL-1 video light. In order to frame them within one face of the clock, I shot
through glass to have a reflection from one of the clocks.
POST PRODUCTION
I made some white balance corrections and boosted some of the contrast of the photo using
Lightroom. I also used an adjustment brush in Photoshop to tone down the highlights. After that,
I sharpened the photo a little.
EDITORS COMMENT
Being able to take a photo that leaves fellow wedding photographers baffled as to the techniques
employed must be the pinnacle for any veteran of the industry. Here, Ryan has masterfully created
a dramatic and stylish image, employing several techniques at the same time to create something
that resembles something akin to an optical illusion. As if including the existing clock face in the
left portion of the image wasnt complicated enough, Ryan uses the third, reflected face to provide
balance and frame the couple. The warm tones of the GL-1, provides further contrast of the couple
with the monotone of the rest of the picture.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/1.8 Lowel GL-1

Power LED Light
112
SETTINGS ISO 6400, f/4, 1/400, Approx. 1/2 Power
SIGIT PRASETIO
@sigpras
CONCEPT
With this shot we wanted to create a circlular lighting effect using steel wool, and also get the
reflection of the bride and groom in a little natural pond on the beach. Using steel wool is a cool
technique and we love to try it.
EXECUTION
First I put the camera on a tripod, then prefocused on the spot where the bride and groom would
stand, and set the camera to manual focusing mode. Then I framed the subject, and positioned my
assistant to spin the steel wool far enough away from the bride and groom for their safety.
I chose to use a low ISO to control the noise which is usually produced in long exposure mode. I set
the shutter to stay open for about 15 seconds to give the assistant enough time to spin the steel wool.
Regarding the steel wool (which is also known as wire wool or wire sponge), its a bundle of very fine
and flexible sharp-edged steel filaments, composed of long steel fibers of varying degrees of fineness
that are matted together. The coarser grades are used to remove paint and other finishes, the finer
grades for polishing or smoothing a finished surface. Steel wool is used a lot in kitchens for cleaning
and polishing metals, especially aluminum utensils, it can easily found at the home supply store. The
assistant put a little amount of the steel wool on a wire with a ballast (a rock), and set it alight it with a
lighter. As the wool was spinning I shot about five or six frames whilst triggering the off camera flash
to light the subjects and this one was my favorurite.
POST PRODUCTION
Post processing was just my normal simple retouching. Also I lightened up the steel wool effect
and increased the exposure in the darker areas to balance the image.
GEAR
Nikon D750 Nikon 28mm Nikon SB-800 Manfrotto Steel wool

f/2.8 Speedlight Compact
Light Tripod
114
STEVEN ROONEY
www.stevenrooneyphotography.com
@sterooney
CONCEPT
It was a tree I had only heard of in legends. 8 feet tall and made entirely of purple fairy lights. And
whats more, the branches were flexible! I played around a little with the camera settings and
took a few frames without a flash. The bokeh I was seeing was incredible and I could fill the whole
frame with it with a little bending of the branches of the tree, out of sight of the hotel staff! I wanted
to create an image which included the couple and the bokeh.
EXECUTION
I set up a couple of Speedlites and was ready to go. I have several images of this scene - some with
a key light, some without and a whole load of different compositions. For this particular frame I
had one bare flash 6 ft behind the couple pointed towards the camera. Building the image I could
see the couple in the frame on my LCD screen but wanted them to pop out a bit more. I asked one
of the bridesmaids to use a mist spray water bottle (99p from a DIY shop) in front of the flash. I
took a frame, tweaked some branches, took another frame and so on until I had filled the frame
with the lights, many of which were right up against the lens.
POST PRODUCTION
In post I used Lightroom to emphasise the bokeh and colour on different parts of the frame and
removed the bridesmaids hand which was showing near the couple. In hindsight the flash power
was too strong once the mist spray was added, but hey, still one of my favourite frames of all time.
EDITORS COMMENT
The backlit silhouette shot is a useful trick up the sleeves of many a smart wedding photographer,
but elevating it by using additional elements is the challenge. Here, Steven gives the background
story on how images like that arent usually the result of one lucky click, but rather, several attempts,
each one building upon the last to create a final image thats as mesmerising as it is mysterious.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 35mm Canon Pink gel filter Wwater

Mark III f/1.4 600EX-RT spray bottle
Speedlite x2
116
STEVE WISE
www.27creative.com.au
@wisey_27creative
CONCEPT
This bride and groom had their wedding reception inside the old abandoned Midland Railyards
outside Perth, Western Australia. This was the view looking away from their reception area down
the warehouse, so we definitely had to make use of it. What a space to practice their first dance
together...
EXECUTION
We had some beautiful symmetry at work down the centre of this section of the warehouse so I
placed the couple dead centre. Unfortunately they were getting lost in the shadows and blending
in with the background, so we had to light them up. With the Elinchrom Rangers 1200Ws output
we had the range to reach them from a fair distance (i.e. outside the frame), and with the snoot
attachment we could direct the controlled light source only at them and punch them out of the
darkness. My assistant would have been at least 40m away with the light and the narrow beam
lit them up beautifully as they danced away. It work a treat... especially with the diagonal shafts of
light playing in from the skylights.
POST PRODUCTION
Very minimal post production was carried out on this image - we got it pretty much spot on in
camera. We just performed some general lifting of the shadows in the background to bring out
the scene, and also brought out the highlights in her dress - otherwise what you see is what we
saw on the day : )
EDITORS COMMENT
Shooting with a wide angle lens at smaller apertures can mean the subject being lost in the frame.
This is exacerbated when the image contains multiple elements of interest, such as the warehouse
architecture in this case. However, Steve uses the leading lines of the structure to his advantage,
and with the addition of some light from the strobe, the subject becomes the feature of the image
without dominating the frame.
GEAR
Canon 1Ds Canon 16- Elinchrom Elinchrom Ranger

MkIII 35mm f/2.8 II Ranger Quadra RX S-Head and
Hybrid AS RX Snoot
118
TITO RIKARDO
@titorikardo
CONCEPT
This photo was taken after the wedding reception at the dock behind the reception building in
Bangkok. My idea was that I wanted to take a nice portrait photo of the couple in combination
with random light painted strokes.
EXECUTION
Id forgotten to bring a tripod with me to the wedding, so I put my camera on the ground to take
the shot. This had the added bonus of getting a reflection from some water on the ground. I put
my camera on timer mode so it wouldnt shake when I pressed the shutter button. Then I asked
the couple to stand still while my friend ran around them with the LED light to create the painted
light effect.
POST PRODUCTION
I didnt need to do much for the editing. All I did was increase the brightness, contrast and vibrance
in Camera Raw.
EDITORS COMMENT
Lightpainting for the sake of lightpainting isnt everyones cup of tea, but for Tito and his Uppermost
team of wedding photographers, it can provide the finishing touch to their dramatic portraits. The
leading lines of the railings, the reflected element in the pooled water and the warmth of the night
sky all become compositional elements on which to layer the final energy of the cool painted light.
GEAR
Nikon D700 Nikon 20mm Nikon SB-800 Yongnuo

f/2.8 Speedlight YN-160
120
SETTINGS ISO 200, f/9, 25s, 1/8 Power, 50mm zoom
TONY HOFFER
www.hofferphotography.com
@hofferphotography
CONCEPT
This image was taken on a beach in St. John.The couple was pretty specific that they wanted to
avoid clich walk-on-the-beach type photos, so we started looking for areas of contrast within the
scenery We found a bunch of cool trees that we used as framing elements for most of the shoot.
EXECUTION
Before we ever bring light into a scene, we make sure to dial in exactly how we want the ambient
light of the scene to look. Since one of my pet-peeves is using flash for the sake of using flash, I
often like to blend light in a more subtle way. So we slowed down the shutter to allow us to see the
detail in the tree and around the scene, but underexposed it by a stop or so. Then we added light,
but just enough to light the couple properly without lighting up the whole scene. We kept the light
as close as possible (blocked it with the leaves) and slowly increased until we had the output that
gave us the balance we were looking for. It was enough light to direct your eye, but not so much
as to look super unnatural.
POST PRODUCTION
I actually remember editing this photo (even though it was taken in 2014) because it was barely
touched at all. We use a standard import preset that adjusts colors, adds contrast and things
like that. Beyond that, there was barely anything. One thing we try to concentrate on when using
lights is getting it as close to perfect as possible in camera. Since were taking the time to set up
lights, we dont want to lose more time behind a computer screen.
EDITORS COMMENT
Whilst to an experienced photographer the subjects in this photo may appear artificially lit, its
doubtful that an untrained eye would recognise anything unusual. Being able to balance ambient
light with flash in this way to produce a realistic scene is a challenge that takes some years to master.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon TS-E Profoto B1 Paul C. Buff

Mark III 17mm f/4 500 Flash Stripbox
122
SETTINGS ISO 200, f/4, 1/60, Approx. 1/8 Power
TREVOR DAYLEY
www.trevordayley.com
@trevordayley
CONCEPT
This photo was taken at during a wedding reception. The groom had stepped outside with his
buddies to light up a cigar. I thought it would make for a great opportunity to create this type of
image.
EXECUTION
I set up my lightstand about 90 degrees to my left and had the groom look towards the light. On
the lightstand was a Speedlite inside of a small softbox. It was about 7 feet up and tilted slightly
down towards him. These days Ive stopped using the softboxes and just replaced them with the
more portable and durable MagMod modifiers that I use for the entire wedding day. I asked the
groom to look directly towards the light as he puffed on the cigar. Rather than shooting wide open
on my aperture I closed it down a bit to give myself a little more depth in focus in the shot.
POST PRODUCTION
The only post processing on this image was turning it black and white and adding a bit of clarity
and sharpness to the image.
EDITORS COMMENT
In order to highlight smoke, rain, dust and other airborne particles, back-lighting, or in this case
side-lighting, usually gives the best effect. Trevor uses a simple one light set up to photograph the
grooms side profile for a well balanced and effective composition.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon Canon 600EX-RT Godox 23

Mark II 50mm f/1.4 Speedlite Softbox
124
VICTOR LAX
www.victorlax.net
@victorlax
CONCEPT
My plan before taking the photo was to try and capture the smoke of the cigars of the bride and
her friends. I wanted to highlight the bride in the photo in some way so she appeared as the
subject away from the men.
EXECUTION
I put two flashes behind the men at minimum power, and asked my assistant to point the Switronix
LED with a 1/2 CTO gel applied (for a warm temperature) onto the bride to create some contrast
in the lighting.
POST PRODUCTION
I edited the photo by using Smart Objects in Photoshop. First I carefully edited the men and the
background and after that I edited the bride. I tried to find a nice contrast with the different
temperatures between the background and foreground.
EDITORS COMMENT
Using cold vs warm light temperature is an effective way to achieve contrast in a photo. Here Victor
produced a cool blue light (no doubt exaggerated in post) via the un-modified Speedlights in the
background and the warmth of the 1/2 CTO gel on the LED panel on the bride to create subject
separation. By using Smart Objects in Photoshop, each layer can be edited non-destructively.
GEAR
Nikon D5 Canon 35mm Nikon SB-900 Switronix TL-

f/1.4 Speedlight x2 BT200 Torch LED
126
SETTINGS ISO 3200, f/4,1/ 200, 1/32 Power
VICTORIA SPRUNG
www.sprungphoto.com
@vsprungphoto
CONCEPT
I knew there was an interesting reflection of the bridge over the Chicago river on the window
outside the reception venue, so I wanted to use that somehow. I had an opportunity with the cake
cutting, as I could see the couple through the window. I wanted to show off the couples venue and
location in the photo, going beyond just the standard cake cutting shot.
EXECUTION
My assistant was inside with an off camera flash pointed at the couple, to camera left. I shot
through the window, and the gridded flash was used to isolate the couple. I brought my ISO way
down and raised my shutter speed so that I could darken the background and foreground, and
make the couple stand out amidst the surreal reflections. It took a few tries to get focus through
the window, and to wait for a good moment!
POST PRODUCTION
I did some burning in Lightroom in the spots around the couple, so that even more of the focus is on
the couple. I also upped the blacks, sharpening, added noise reduction, and increased saturation
and highlights. I did a little cropping as well, all in Lightroom.
EDITORS COMMENT
Using reflections is a popular way for wedding photographers to tell multiple stories at once. By
underexposing the ambient light, reflections are darkened (and become more apparent), and
then artificial light can be used to highlight the subjects of the frame. Victoria takes this up a level
by capturing what appears to be an un-posed moment of the couples wedding day.
GEAR
Canon 5D Canon 70- Canon MagMod Flash Half CTO filter

Mark III 200mm f/2.8 II 600EX-RT Modifier with Grid gel
Speedlite attachment
128
SETTINGS ISO 160, 44mm f/2.8, 1/200, 1/8 Power
130
FEATURED
LIGHTING GEAR
131
W hilst compiling LIT, I observed common trends in the lighting gear being used by wedding
photographers around the world.
The most common way to light a subject is still the humble flash unit, or for those who require a
little more power, the strobe.
However, in order to achieve a wider variety of creative effects, there are a handful of products
that have been gaining popularity in the wedding photography industry that Id like to investigate
a little further here.
MAGMOD
MagMod Flash Diffusers are a revolutionary flash modification system for Canon and Nikon hot-
shoe flashes.
The MagMod system revolves around the MagGrip, a durable, flexible silicone band that stretches
over your flash and remains there securely until you decide to remove it.
The silicone rubber retains its elasticity over time, meaning that if you decide to remove and
reattach the MagGrid over and over, itll never become loose. I choose to leave the MagGrid
permanently attached to my flash, since the flash can be used as normal without any MagMod
diffuser attached.
The universal design means the MagGrip can attach to virtually any hotshoe flash available.
The MagGrip contains 2 strong magnets, which act as
the fastening point for a range of MagMod accessories.
Each of the MagMod flash diffusers is designed to alter
the quality or the direction of the light from your flash in
some way.
There are several different MagMod flash diffusers available, but the most popular in the wedding
industry, at least during my research for this book are the MagGrid and MagShere.
The MagGrid attaches to the front of the MagGrip to control the direction and spread of the flash
output. The honeycomb-like pattern on the grid is designed to provide even light coverage and,
eliminating unwanted light spill.
Specifically, the MagGrid focuses the flashs light in a 40 degree beam
pattern, with minimal spill or hot spots. You can even stack multiple
MagGrids on top of each other to create a snooted, spot light effect on the
subject.
132
With off camera lighting, the most dramatic effects are often created when light is subtracted. In
order to add light to the areas you wish to highlight whilst keeping other areas dark, you need to
be able to control light spill.
A popular usage by wedding photographers of the MagGrid is during off camera portraits,
whereby a gridded flash unit is set up to point at the couple and triggered remotely by the camera
when taking the shot. The MagGrid allows the photographer to highlight the subject with greater
control, ensuring that any light from the flash spilling into
unwanted areas of the image is kept to a minimum.
I like to use my MagGrid on the dancefloor during the wedding
reception as a way to create a pleasing in-camera vignette.
This helps to highlight the action in front of you, throwing the
surrounding elements into darkness.
In this instance, I use the MagGrid in conjunction with a CTO gel to warm the subjects up slightly.
MagMod has since released the MagGel, which is a more durable alternative to modify the colour
of the flash output than traditional cellophane gel strips.
The MagSphere is an omni-directional flah diffuser which transforms the harsh light of your flash
into a soft light source. It also increases the size of your light-emitting surface by over 250% for a
softer glow over a bigger area.
The MagSphere is made from a solid piece of durable rubber, allowing it to be squashed into a
small crevice of your camera bag, popping back into shape when youre ready to use it.
Two magnets secure the MagSphere to the MagGrip, and up to 2 MagGels can be added via the
integrated gel slot to colour the flash output.
Some wedding photographers (myself included), like to combine the
MagGrid with the MagSphere, to provide precisely controlled soft light.
Since all MagMod products use the same strong magnets, multiple
accessories can be stacked to create a customisable lighting set up.
Find out more about MagMod at www.magmod.com

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133
PIXELSTICK
The Pixelstick is one of those rare photography accessories that really opens the door to unlimited
creativity. For those who want to create an image thats truly unique, the Pixelstick is the lighting
gadget for you.
In essence, the Pixelstick is a tool for light painting, a technique whereby exposures are made by
moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph.
Youve probably had a play around with sparklers and slow shutter speeds in the past being
able to draw shapes whilst the image is being recorded can be fun.
The Pixelstick takes this to a whole new level, giving photographers the
ability to paint absolutely anything onto the image canvas.
The Pixelstick is a long (73) aluminium rod crammed with 200 RGB LEDs,
which can produce over 16 million colours. The key is that each one of
those LEDs is individually programmable, meaning that the Pixelstick can
display any image you choose to load into it.
The LEDs act liks a pixel on a screen, displaying your image one vertical
line at a time as you walk. These vertical lines, when captured by a long
exposure, combine to recreate your image suspended in mid-air, leaving
the Pixelstick (and the person carrying it) invisible.
The Pixelstick comes with 12 built-in patterns to get you started, but the
real magic comes when you start loading in your own images via the SD
card slot on the controller.
Youll have seen photographers in the LIT book using images of fire or
rainbows, but words, illustrations and even moving gifs can be used too.
Once youve chosen your image, you use the Pixelsticks controller to tweak brightness, speed,
white balance, orientation and a host of other options to further customise your shot. Then its
just a matter of setting your camera to a long shutter speed,
securing it to a tripod or other steady object, then walking in
front of your camera whilst triggering the Pixelstick.
Theres a removable spinning handle which allows you to
create the spinning light painting images that youll have also
seen in LIT.
134
Lightpainting is a unique way to differentiate your wedding photography work from that of your
peers. Despite it not being a rather niche technique which doesnt suit all styles, an image which
features well-executed light painting will tend to have a much bigger impact to clients than
something that has perhaps been seen many times before.
After all, its typically these somewhat whacky light-painted images that become viral over social
media, especially when the viewer has no idea how the image was created.
The Pixelstick is a tool that helps photographers create something truly unique. I reviewed one for
the purpose of LIT, and found it to be well built, intuitively designed and above all, a whole lot of
fun!
Theres a slight learning curve to the preparation of image files and actual execution of the shot,
but after a few attempts, I was able to create images similar to those seen on the Pixelstick website.
I especially liked the ability to load multiple images into the Pixelstick controller at once, then select
the one that best suited the occasion on the fly. In this way, I can imagine wedding photographers
loading the Pixelstick with various images that
can be used to create a tailored product unique
to their client perhaps the clients names, a
wedding date, or even a photograph of them
from an earlier point in the day.
The light painting possibilities of the Pixelstick
are endless, and its exciting to see what new
images will be captured by creative wedding
photographers around the world.
Find out more about the Pixelstick at www.thepixelstick.com

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135
LOWEL GL-1
Resembling a handheld drill, the Lowel GL-1 Power LED is a powerful handheld, focusable and
dimmable tungsten colour light.
Designed as an innovative tool for still photographers who need great quality light with precision
control, the Lowel GL-1 has been steadily gaining in popularity with wedding photographers since
its release.
The key feature of the GL-1 which really put it above other handheld continuous lighting devices
is the high quality of light which it emits. The focusable Fresnel lens can create a spotlight which
has virtually no edge-to-edge falloff or hotspots. In addition, the colour of light from the GL-1 is
perfectly consistent, allowing for very simple white balance adjustments in post.
The beam of light from the GL-1 is similar to a CTO gel, which makes it perfect for warming up
subjects skin tones or balancing with tungsten lights.
After focusing the beam of light using the
sliding outer barrel of the GL-1, you adjust the
light power output by squeezing a trigger
or rotating a wheel located at the back of
the unit. The trigger moves in and out as
squeezed, whereas the dimming wheel stays
fixed on your chosen light output setting.
This allows the GL-1 to be used hands-free,
or attached to a lighting stand via the tripod
mount on the base of the unit.
The GL-1 lasts for approximately 1 hour at full brightness per change, which in practice is more
than enough for portraits at a wedding.
Some photographers like to use a couple of GL-1s set up on light stands during the speeches, in
order to project one tight spot light beam on the talker, and one slightly wider one at the newly
weds or bridal party to capture their reactions.
Having the ability to run the GL-1 from the AC adaptor offers the possibility to use it as a continuous
light source throughout the event. A built-in fan is silent and unobtrusive, providing the necessary
cooling to run the unit indefinitely.
Optional accessories can be fitted onto the Lowel GL-1 to add to the creative options. The lens
accepts any 82mm filters (such as one for daylight correction), and Barndoors can be added to
further control the light.
136
When I first heard about the Lowel GL-1, I must admit I was slightly baffled. Why would photographers
purchase this rather cumbersome looking tool to light their portraits when much smaller, cheaper
LED panels were available. Dare I say it, why wouldnt one just use a handheld torch?!
Anyone whos ever used an LED light panel will know of their limitations, most notably in the control
of the light direction and spill. Theres simply no way of focusing an LED panel, and even if you use
Barndoors to direct the light, youll never achieve a perfect spot light.
As for handheld torches, their purpose is to throw light forward, regardless of the quality of the
light. Using a regular torch to shine into your subjects face for example will yield terrible results
(not to mention blinding your subject if your torch isnt dimmable)! Hot spots, inconsistent colour
temperature and light spill are a few of the issues youll run into.
Its difficult to appreciate the quality of light until you actually see the recorded image on a large
screen. Unfortunately, by this time its usually too late!
So with this in mind, I decided to see what the fuss was about with the Lowel GL-1. Id already seen
that several of the worlds top wedding photographers included in this book were using the GL-1,
so I was confident that there was more than meets the eye to this somewhat controversial gadget.
The first thing that youll notice about the Lowel GL-1 is the build quality. Whilst I wouldnt be
confident dropping it from a height, it definitely feels like its been built to last.
The fan whirs silently into action as soon as the GL-1 is turned on. I cant see the noise being an
issue, even in the quietest of church ceremonies.
As for the light that emitted by the Lowel-GL-1, as I mentioned before, its only during post processing
that you really appreciate why the GL-1 commands a premium price. The quality of the light is
really flawless, allowing you to light your subject as if you were in a studio.
The level of control that can be achieved by focusing the light from the GL-1 allows you to pinpoint
your subject, throwing everything else into under exposure. Or, by dimming the light output, you
can easily balance the ambient light to create an evenly-lit subject without harsh shadows or hot
spots.
Another popular usage of the Lowel GL-1 for wedding photographers is a technique actually
borrowed from architecture and real estate photography. By setting your camera to a long
exposure, the GL-1 can be used to momentarily spotlight an object, such as a table centrepiece, to
achieve the desired exposure.
By repeating this technique through the duration of the exposure, magazine-quality images can
be created where each important element of the scene has the correct illumination and sharpness.
137
The old way of doing this would involve setting up multiple lights on each individual subject, or
worse still, using one light and taking multiple images to create a composite in post production.
Using the GL-1, the image can be quickly created in just one exposure, entirely in-camera.
If you have the luxury of an assistant, or like me, arent afraid to ask a member of the bridal party
to lend a hand, its easy to create a dynamic illuminated portrait in seconds with the GL-1. Theres
no light stands to set up, and thanks to the GL-1 being a continuous light source, the Live View
image on the back of your camera is truly what-you-see-is-what-you-get.
The size, weight and cost of the Lowel GL-1 may be hurdles for some wedding photographers
looking to invest in a professional lighting solution, but for those who can see the value in this
versatile tool, there really is no other option that can compete in the same league.
Find out more about the Lowel GL-1 at www.lowelgl.tiffen.com
138
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Condon is a Sydney based British
wedding photographer shooting
weddings around the world.
Through his work with popular
photography website Shotkit, he has
gained knowledge and experience
working with some of the worlds most
successful wedding photographers.
Mark compiled the LIT book to
demystify off camera lighting and
help wedding photographers step
out the comfort zone of natural light.
Photo by Daniel Stark www.shotkit.com
Other popular books by Mark:
The Shotkit Book Lightroom Power User
Discover the camera gear of the worlds Supercharge your Lightroom

best photographers. experience.
www.shotkitbook.com www.lightroompoweruser.com
The Shotkit Book Vol II More Brides
More photography. More camera gear. Smarter marketing techniques for the
More awesome! modern wedding photographer.
www.shotkitbook.com/ii www.morebrides.com

LIT For Wedding Photographers - Mark Condon

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1

STEP 1 - SUBTRACTING THE LIGHT

Camera: Nikon D750

Camera: Nikon D750

Camera: Nikon D750

Nikon Df Nikon 35mm f/1.4 Nikon SB-700

Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/1.8 Neewer TT850 MagMod Flash

Canon 5D Mark III Canon 35mm f/1.4 Frezzi MFIC-PT

Canon 5D Canon 16-35mm Canon 600EX-RT

Canon 5D Mark III Canon 16-35mm Canon 600EX-RT CheetahStands

Nikon D4 Canon 70- Neewer TT850 MagMod Flash Modifier

Canon 6D Canon 35mm Canon 580EX II Yongnuo YN-622C

Nikon D750 Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 Phottix Mitros+ Manfrotto

Nikon D610 Nikon 24-70mm Yongnuo YN-560 Yongnuo YN-

Canon 5D Mark II Canon 35mm Canon 580 Ex II Phottix Odin TTL

Nikon D4 Nikon 85mm Lowel GL-1 Neewer Joby GorillaPod

Canon 5D Canon 35mm Yongnuo YN300 Fairy lights

Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/2 Nikon SB-800

Nikon D3s Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Nikon SB-800

Canon 5D Canon 24- Cheetah Light MagMod Flash

Nikon D750 Nikon Nikon MagMod Sphere CTO gel

Nikon D750 Tokina 16- Yongnuo MagMod Flash Modifier

Nikon D750 Nikon Westcott Flex Bi-

Nikon D750 Nikon 24- Nikon SB-900

Canon 5D Canon 24mm Yongnuo MagMod MagSphere

Canon 5D Canon 24- Yongnuo Yongnuo YN-

Canon 5D Canon Canon Canon 600EX- HonlPhoto 1/8 Inch

Canon 1D Canon 14mm Canon 580EX PocketWizard

Nikon 24- Nikon Pixelstick Manfrotto

Nikon D4S Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Westcott Ice Light I

Canon 5D Canon 70- Profoto B1 CTO filter

Canon 5D Canon 24mm Phottix Mitros MagMod Flash

Canon 1DX Canon 35mm f/1.4 Canon 600EX-RT MagMod Flash

Nikon D800 Nikon 24- Nikon SB-910 Yongnuo YN-622N

Nikon D750 Nikkor 35mm Nikon SB-910 Phottix Odin Manfrotto

Nikon D750 Nikon 35mm f/1.8 Lowel GL-1

Nikon D750 Nikon 28mm Nikon SB-800 Manfrotto Steel wool

Canon 5D Canon 35mm Canon Pink gel filter Wwater

Canon 1Ds Canon 16- Elinchrom Elinchrom Ranger

Nikon D700 Nikon 20mm Nikon SB-800 Yongnuo

Canon 5D Canon TS-E Profoto B1 Paul C. Buff

Canon 5D Canon Canon 600EX-RT Godox 23

Nikon D5 Canon 35mm Nikon SB-900 Switronix TL-

Canon 5D Canon 70- Canon MagMod Flash Half CTO filter

Find out more about MagMod at www.magmod.com

Find out more about the Pixelstick at www.thepixelstick.com

Find out more about the Lowel GL-1 at www.lowelgl.tiffen.com

Other popular books by Mark:

The Shotkit Book Lightroom Power User

Discover the camera gear of the worlds Supercharge your Lightroom

The Shotkit Book Vol II More Brides

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