First Wedding Shoot

This summer I assisted with a wedding shoot (my first time working at a wedding), and of course the day began with Murphy's Law in full effect... Some background first..

My Aunt got us the job and set up the equipment rental, she is the "boss" of our operation and I am proud to be her assistant. She brings an artistic eye and a rich past of photography experience to the table. She is the networker of our duo. I handle backup shooting, lighting, and post production magic. Together we are quite a formidable team.

The day of the job we went to a local camera rental store to pick up some equipment we had a hold on. Upon arrival, they inform us that we need a credit card with a limit that can cover the full cost of all the equipment just incase it breaks or we steal it. Neither of us carry credit cards so we were left there, jaws on the ground stranded. My Aunt has a DSLR, so we weren't without one big gun, but I only had my s95 on hand. Takes great shots if the lighting is right, but is no replacement for the D70 that we had on reserve.. We quickly rallied, adjusted out game plan, and charged forth determined to get the best goddamned shots we could... AND SO WE DID!

So here is a sampling of two shots from the event. Both of these photos are great examples of what can be done in post when you have a very specific idea in mind but the even and situation don't allow for you to create your vision with the raw capture.

This first shot was taken before the ceremony began in the dressing room. The lighting wasn't ideal, the quarters were close, and the natural daylight was not playing nicely. Pictured below is the final shot after some Photoshopery (never underestimate the awesome power of the Shadow/Highlight adjustment in PS, it can save an image that seems to be lost due to under/over lighting). The face was lightened, details were enhanced, contrasted boosted, and finally the image was moved to grayscale.
[mouse over to see original]

Any obnoxious or visually distracting objects will get removed from an image if I see fit for these types of pictures, especially if they are for a client and it is for a memorable occasion. I feel it is important to try and keep the capture as close to the raw photo as possible and not alter the appearance of people (especially faces) any more than necessary. I've seen a few studios that drop all the wedding photos on some god awful Photoshop Plug-In that putty faces everyone and filters the crap out of an image so it doesn't even look like a true capture of that moment in time anymore (aka that soft lighting effect that is all the rage these days..). I avoid this at all costs.. that being said, if a client pushes for it, they are paying and I will do it. BUT. I will try and talk them out of it first. Too much beauty in the true capture of the moment. Moving on...

This next shot captured pretty close to what we had in mind for the shot. A silhouette of the bride and groom starring lovingly at one another in front of a lavishly decorated window. However, the original capture wasn't dark enough where I wanted it even though the outside captured right where I wanted it. There was also a car in the background and some ugly reflections in the window. Those were removed before converting to grayscale so that the composition had better flow and wasn't as distracting.
[mouse over to see original]
  

All in all, the shoot went amazing. I can honestly say after this experience, it was more exhausting working a wedding as a photographer than it was being the groom at my own wedding. Despite that, I look forward to the next job. It's a unique experience to spend a day getting to know two strangers and observing them with their families. This group was great and made this first time doing this kind of work a breeze.

Here's to hoping the next job goes as smoothly!