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Making Something out of Nothing! - part 2 of 1 2

by Juli Ann Cialone Published 01/01/2009

A great solution for bad locations can be very, very simple. Our preference? Go for intimate close-ups which everyone loves and which require no backdrop at all (see Image [4]). These images are always favourites of clients, no matter if the scenery is great or not. The closeness and romance of a simple nuzzle is powerful. Don't underestimate the power of intimacy which can be captured with the camera set wide open, blurring out any unsightly cafeteria-like locations. In addition, we take the closeness to an extreme. We get couples to laugh, giggle and interact in fun series of images which takes the viewer into a storyline and not into even noticing hideous backdrops. All these can be done at very close range. Have her whisper in his ear, have him nibble her neck, etc...and crop very tightly (see Image [5]). The emotion is in that tiny area and is romantic, sensual and fun. Watch how easily attention from bad scenery can be diverted simply by adding that fun, emotional storyline to the images.

To create fun, dynamic images in an area with little scenery, try adding some fun movement images into the mix. Don't be afraid to get your bride to dance around, playing with her dress while the groom watches. We like to isolate her in the images and then shoot the groom's reactions (see Image [6]). Don't be afraid be afraid to get them to walk or even run together. Have them do this coming towards you and going away from you whilst making sure the background is out of focus. Don't be afraid to allow them to just play around, tickling, hugging and just having fun. All this emotion is enough for scenery to be completely optional. Done anywhere, it always works.

So we have a great location and even great lighting but we have a bride who isn't really looking like the belle of the ball. Apparently no one has told her that she picked the wrong style dress or got the wrong style hair or put too little make up on. But she still wants to be the princess, glamorous, beautiful and gushing with romance. This is more commonly our bride than the super model, so don't feel as though your studio is the only one that attracts these brides who need just a little guidance. To be honest, most people don't have a sense of style or taste. They really just do what the current trend is and follow along. Such is the present issue of strapless dresses; which (gasp) cause us immense problems for various reasons. For one, they are often very heavy and weigh down the bride making her slouch. They also require the tops to be tight (for obvious reasons) and so often pinch the bride's skin no matter how skinny she is. This pinching, which becomes a huge (literally) issue especially with larger brides, makes the skin fold over the upper fabric of the dress and sometimes pinch in on the centre of her back, both of which are unsightly. As photographers, our job is to creatively hide these dressing flaws, enhancing the positive over the negative.

Of course, retouching these visual issues is always an option, but it is best to minimise the post production if you can. Depending on the problem, there are various solutions. For the bride with the strapless dress issues, creatively using a veil can often be your simplest solution (see side Image [7]). The longer the veil, the poofier the veil, the better since we can wrap it for glamour and drama. For the bride who has bad hair issues (and don't even try to convince her to change it!), try angles where you have to shoot from a higher angle. When she looks up her hairstyle will drop back and her eyes and face take precedence especially if we shoot wide. My 85mm f1.2 lens is perfect for this, bringing into focus the positive while blurring the negative (see Image [8]).

Don't get the wrong idea. There are many instances when we arrive at a wedding and just want to get back in the car and high tail it out of there. Sure we have gasped in horror when seeing the bride stuffed in her dress (five sizes too small to be exact) like a Christmas turkey. And there are definitely times when I've wanted to cry because our once great weather forecast one September day just happened to be in the path of the season's next major hurricane (so much for leaving the changing leaves on the trees...). We are human of course. But the key factor here is that no matter what we are dealt with, we never give up. Laugh a little (cry a little) and go with the flow, is pretty much our motto. Challenge ourselves to make the true beauty of what is in people's hearts and minds on that day come to fruition. We are artists, and that is why we are being hired. Artists can see beauty even in a dirty parking lot. So forget about your client's shortcomings and show them how amazing you really are. Don't be surprised if you get even more referrals from the guests who see these hard-to-get images - they will know how truly talented you are if you can make (even!) their friends look so amazing!

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1st Published 01/01/2009
last update 09/12/2022 14:59:08

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