Author’s Intro: This is a guest post written by Nada Ljubinovic. Nada is an amateur photographer, who enjoys sharing her ever developing skills and knowledge on all photography related topics. Nada’s most recent interests include wedding photography. Connect with her on Google+.
Wedding photographers have a significant day ahead of them. Their mission of the day is to attend and shoot a lovely wedding and ensure to leave behind the wedding photos that will last well beyond today.
But let’s not forget the other wedding attendees. As much as it is about the bride and groom, this special day is also about their friends & guests and how their presence adds to the special moments that will be cherished for years to come.
It all sounds great, the scene is set, everyone is having a great time and then the photographers’ nightmare starts to creep in as they notice the sun starting to fade and yet there is still no moonlight.
Yep that’s the glorious and scary aspect of photography — dusk photography. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
Awesome colors and dusk lighting
Good wedding photographers, whether they are Melbourne wedding photographers (my inspiration), Tuscany wedding photographers or Rome wedding photographers, will tell you that this is the best time of the day to take some awesome shots. (Learn more about the secrets of shooting at the dusk here.)
While it’s true, there are numerous considerations that the photographer needs to keep in mind for the end result — amazing wedding photos in the dusk lighting.
So here are five basic, yet handy tips that will help any photographer take amazing dusk photos with that “wow” factor and that can help earn a positive professional reputation.
Tip 1 — Come Prepared With Equipment & Accessories For Dusk Wedding Photography
The importance of preparation for dusk lighting cannot be emphasized enough. You have to be sure that all the equipment is ready to go and capture the special moments.
So what all has to be ready to go — on-camera flash, reflectors, lightboxes, mini-softboxes and a good battery charging pack are all must-haves for any photographer who want to capture stunning dusk shots.
Wedding Photo Kit — Equipment and Accessories
Being outdoors at dusk is a great time and you can surely get amazing photographs. The key is to get the lighting right; therefore use the diffusers and the reflectors. A great reflector with gold and white sides will allow you to play up more of a warm glow to rely on the fading natural light around you. (Check out more on studio lighting and equipment here.)
Tip 2 — Act Quick — Setup The Shoot Beforehand
If you’re using your on-camera flash and other accessories, get them set up properly well beforehand. You have not much time to waste — dusk lighting is only 20-30 minutes of the show.
Dusk lighting in wedding photography gives you the opportunity to play with lights and shadow on a level that just isn’t present when shooting in broad daylight. However, you may have to adjust based on wind or crowd movement. As long as you know about these possibilities ahead of time, you’ll be able to pull off your best photos.
Tip 3 — Make The Most Of Surroundings & Natural Scenery
Outdoor photography is all about utilizing the beautiful scenery around you, so you can leave behind the backdrops at your studio and take advantage of the amazing venue your newlyweds have chosen. When they review their photos, they would certainly like to see more of the contextual backgrounds (the venue and the natural scenery) rather than a canned backdrop that you rolled out.
Make the most of the surroundings
Tip 4 — Pose, Repose & Compose — For The Memorable Wedding Shots
Dusk is the time of the day that rapidly descends into night. Don’t count on being able to always have time to set up that perfect shot. Sure, you will get the couple to pose for a few shots, but allow them to freely move about the venue; chase them to capture the intimate moments.
Go for creative angles that really showcase your ability to come up with unique, dynamic images. Go by the choice of your client. Every couple is different: some couples will want a more traditional look, while others want their playful side showcased.
Tip 5 — Finally, Its Time To Process The Images
Keep in mind that even if you take great shots in-camera, post processing is still a must. Your camera will not be able to get everything in place.
Make sure you give yourself time to process every shot. Weeding out bad frames, adding the retro touch, black and white conversion and make-touchups are a part of the process, but this is easier when you shoot in RAW format.
Convert your wedding shots to black & white
Great wedding photography is all about pushing the limits of your photo equipment than relying on default settings to capture the true magic of someone’s special day.
These tips should serve you well in not only dusk lighting conditions, but in other areas of wedding photography as well. Good luck!
Author’s Intro: This is a guest post written by Nada Ljubinovic. Nada is an amateur photographer, who enjoys sharing her ever developing skills and knowledge on all photography related topics. Nada’s most recent interests include wedding photography. Connect with her on Google+.
