Here are some of my favorite shots from their awesome day!

 

 

Wedding Photography Ohio

Meet our little Jordan Emmanuel.  The miracle of life is amazing! 

 

 

Brittany came all of the way from Indiana.  You wouldn't believe it, but this was her first professional photo shoot.  She was prepared to model! 

The beauty-image was captured using one light, an Elinchrom RX strobe, with an attached Elinchrom silver beauty dish using the silver insert.  The light is positioned about 3 ft away: up and slightly camera-left, creating the nice triangle-of-light under her left eye.  A silver reflector is below about mid-chest level.

Background is grey seem-less paper.  It almost turns black because of the distance the model is away from the background - about 8 - 10 feet.  The gradient is naturally occurring from the fall-off of the light.

Movement in the hair comes from a fan positioned a little low and camera-left.

Thanks to Henri's Cloud Nine for bringing me another amazing model!

Nikon D3

85mm f/1.4 lens

f/8

1/200 sec

ISO 200

 

 

Even though it was freezin cold, this night, we captured some very warm images with Jim and Thanh!

Nikon D3

200mm

f/2.8

1/800 sec

ISO 2500

 

When in the studio I like to set the white balance in camera using the custom white balance setting. 

On the D3, set the White Balance mode to "PRE."  

Push and hold the 'WB' button until 'PRE' starts blinking.

Take a photo of your grey card.  Inside the viewfinder it will blink "Gd" for good.  If not, do it again.

Yes, you can always correct white balance on the computer, but why not just get it right in camera?

Henri's Cloud Nine brought Lindsay to get her promotional image.  She is such a pro; it was a short and sweet session.  Just the way I like it!

Nikon D3

86mm

f/10

1/125 sec

ISO 200

 

Congratulations Lindsay Cater!  She was crowned Miss Ohio High this past weekend.  Hosted by Henri's Cloud Nine. 

Guys can have a lot of fun before the wedding begins.  They get ready at the last moment, are usually watching a game on TV, and playing cards.

Nikon D3

24-70mm f/2.8 Lens

24mm

f/4

ISO 800

1/60 sec

 

 

Check out this new way of presenting, rather than using the standard slideshows usually found in a typical Power Point.

This is Tatsiana.  I met her on the set of fashion photographer Kevin Michael Reed while documenting his production of The Coolbook 2011 prom dress catalog this summer.

Tatsiana is an amazing model.  The image above was captured while she waited to go out for her next set.  Since there's only a few moments available we moved toward the windows for light.  She modeled, I captured.  The gentle light coming from the north-facing windows is very soft, and falls off evenly to her left side.  The dark auditorium behind her makes for great contrast and acts as a light subtractor. 

Working with a top quality model is always wonderful because they are aware of the body position from head-to-toe, which makes each pose a beautiful image.

 

Nikon D3

24-70mm f/2.8

62mm

f/2.8  + 1 exp

1/1000 sec

ISO 2500

 

 

Simple is best.  There two lights coming from behind, one from the front.  Add the fan for some motion, then provide an atmosphere of fun so the model can perform.  This last one is the missing ingredient which many forget. 

How is she supposed to model her best if there's unneccesary tenion, or a boring mood in the room?  Who wants to work in an environment like that?  Nobody.  So, keep it fun and happy!  Provide lots of encourgement, and praise when it's good.   =)

Nikon D3

70-200mm

f/16

1/125 sec

ISO 200

Elinchrom RX 300 & 600 lights

Elinchrom 27" Silver Beauty Dish

 

Tip: I used black foam core board to block the rear lights from spilling into the lens.  Also, since she has blonde hair I meter the rear lights the same as the main.  In this case, f/16.  If she had dark hair I may have metered the rear lights at f/11.

Here's a short promotional video of my photoshoot with Jess Bovia.  (Thanks to my lovely wife for video footage.)

 

 

Sunday I was out with Nicki & Brian.  I came across a set of steps that went down below the ground level.  Several things I liked about this setup were the reflection in the window, the higher shooting angle, a gate to shoot through, and the light being reflected by the building across the street.  

It's amazing how many creative 'nooks and crannies' exist to photograph your subjects when you look around.  It also helps to have a couple who enjoys having fun with themselves.  =)

Nikon D3

70-200mm f/2.8 lens

f/4

1/80 sec

ISO 1600