Wedding photography should i use a flash

This resulted in images that were overly bright, unnatural, and sometimes hazy and blown-out. It did not resemble the timeless and clean imagery we wanted to be known for. Once we finally nailed the off camera flash setup widely known as how the amazing Justin and Mary Marantz teach flash we felt SO much more confident in our photographing skills and our ability to deliver a beautifully consistent gallery to our clients. Related: How to style wedding day details.

Things go quick on wedding days. Because of this, we need our flash system to be easy, streamlined, and quick to move. The backlight flash is difficult to nail perfectly. We constantly got lens flare and it affected where we could stand and what angles we could shoot.

Multiple flashes prevented us from delivering really consistent results. There is only one sun when shooting outside, which means when you take photos outside there is only ONE lightsource! And this is true. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons when deciding on one flash vs multiple.

One OCF is more natural and timeless; these images create natural, soft looks to them, as opposed to bright flash bursts in the background. Related: Gain confidence when posing couples. Profoto A1 flashes on a stand with a white 18 inch umbrella. The umbrella spreads the light out in a nice even way. We have Nikon D cameras. I shoot with the 50mm and Jordan shoots with the 85 mm for the most part during receptions.

During open dancing we both use a 35 mm lens. Depending on the area, we shoot between and Low aperture usually between 2 and 2. This also helps bring in as much ambient lighting as possible. The darker the venue, the more likely you will want to use flash to supplement your photography. While you could shoot without flash in a space like this, and maybe some photos might even turn out to be usable, why would you want to?

The ultimate question here, in our opinion, is: Would you really want to shoot a wedding without using a camera flash? You can use flash to create interesting light that did not otherwise exist. We can totally understand those who really want crisp faces in every image by using a flash to overpower shadows and even the sun to get cool shots during the mid-day.

We keep in consideration the comfort of our clients in all of this. Flash photography can be intimidating. We blink just seeing our own flashes go off. With clients who often feel anxious before having their photos taken and just being in front of a camera, adding a flash and all the bells-and-whistles could just increase this feeling.

When used correctly, they add a lot of value to our images that our clients take notice of, and help elevate our approach to photography as a profession requiring some technical expertise. Given that we feel strongly that having a flash can enhance your photos in darkly lit spaces, we have put together two flash setups — both of which we have used in our professional careers.

Below we list a budget friendly setup , and a professional level setup that we use today. These setups would be capable of supporting a single shooter with both an on and off camera flash, so as to enable the most diversity in image lighting options. Early on into our business, we shot with just on camera flash techniques, and as a result only had a single speed-lite mounted to our camera bodies.

This setup is actually fairly common among wedding photographers, both because of the cost and because of the reputability of the equipment. Our reason for replacing it mostly came down to it being a little inconsistent from time to time, and time consuming to learn and get to work.

For the cost, it is a very good setup. Just be prepared to do some diving into the user manual for the flashes, and becoming well acquainted with how to use the gear.

Unfortunately, it is not the most user friendly of setups, but with practice — you can still take excellent photos. Beginning with TTL mode the auto flash mode , you should be able to start getting good flash photos pretty quickly. PocketWizard Plus IV x2. Profoto Shallow Translucent Umbrella. Gary Fong Lightsphere Diffuser. Our decision to upgrade to this more expensive setup was fueled by our frustration with our original setup. As one can imagine, the decision was not made lightly — considering this setup is 3x the cost.

Fortunately, we were able to reinvest some of our earnings into better equipment — and as we have found — having easier to use flash gear makes flash photography less intimidating, and easier to put into effect during the hustle and bustle of the wedding day. Photograph all portraits there when asked. This way, the photos are consistent.

You can test your flash lighting beforehand so you know what settings create the best results for the photos. You can also place your flash beside the DJ booth and light the entire dancefloor from that one flash. Use two flashes to add more depth and dimension to the photos on the dance floor. Keep one on camera and one in the corner or next to the DJ booth. Dragging the shutter means using a slow shutter speed with flash.

This can also create interesting photos of the guests dancing. It can give the illusion of movement within the photo. During the wedding day, there are many details that you need to photograph. For example, using flash to light rings can help the stone shine a little more than if it were left to just ambient light. The getting ready details like the dress and shoes most likely will be photographed indoors.

You may need extra fill light to bring out the details. During the reception, use your flash angled at 45 degrees. You can use flash at an angle or perpendicular to your object. That way you can create nice depth within the photo and highlight details that were selected by the couple. Once you feel you have a great photo of the detail, try angling the light a different way.

See if you can get something a little more creative and experimental. This can also help you to practice different types of lighting with objects. You can later apply them to photos of people. Flash can seem cumbersome at a wedding. But it can be useful to fill in light during the midday sun, add light to an otherwise dark venue, and create interesting and fun images during the reception. Set the same exposure across multiple photos perfect for bracketing. Share with friends Share. Show Comments 1 Hide Comments.

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