The Bride Babe

[Photomart]

I'm not a big fan of shooting weddings ... but I sure do like shooting fun brides! Everytime I held the camera up to take a shot, Julie did something goofy ... it was great fun!

[jestersncourt]

Great work, Marty! Looks like a fun bride to shoot! I have one coming up and hope they turn out half as good as that!

[jford]

Nice stuff. I particularly like the energy in the first, and how you held so much detail in the dress.
Thanks for sharing.

[stevenD]

love that last shot, her face looks awesome in it...

[lsc1]

Marty,

Great work, love the Chuck Taylors. On the first, did you have to drop in a nicer sky? Only asking because it looks like an overcast sky near the horizon but pretty and blue everywhere else.

Cheers,

[Photomart]

Nice stuff. I particularly like the energy in the first, and how you held so much detail in the dress.
Thanks for sharing.

Great work, love the Chuck Taylors. On the first, did you have to drop in a nicer sky? Only asking because it looks like an overcast sky near the horizon but pretty and blue everywhere else.

I took all the images using only my SB-800 speedlight, so I had only basic control over the light. The sky was dark and cloudy, and rain was off to the west. I metered on the white dress so I could hold some detail, which made the sky an bride dark in my original image. In PS I added a duplicate layer and used Brighten Contrast to lighten the entire image. Then I used Layer Mask to hide the lighter layer and painted over the bride and the dress to brighten her while leaving the sky dark. I was in a hurry, and there are a few sloppy areas where I "painted outside the line" (I've painted outside the line since kindergarten LOL).

[lsc1]

Hope you didn't think I was slamming your work on the sky, just asking to see if what I was seeing was correct. I frequently paint outside the lines - especially with a couple of adult drinks. Here's one I had to drop in a new sky because the sky was overcast and blown out.

[Photomart]

Originally Posted by lsc1

Hope you didn't think I was slamming your work on the sky, just asking to see if what I was seeing was correct. I frequently paint outside the lines - especially with a couple of adult drinks. Here's one I had to drop in a new sky because the sky was overcast and blown out.

No, I didn't think you were slamming my technique, and I always appreciate comments. I keep a folder of skys (cloudy, sunset, etc.) that I drop in when needed.

Over the past few months, whenever I shoot outside, I tried to find better techniques for balancing the flash from my speedlight with the ambient light (so I don't have to replace the sky so often). So far, I've had pretty good success, but nothing like what I want, so ... I'm getting a Vagabond to increase my flash power and coverage. I just posted a new thread called "Outstanding in My Field" where I borrowed friend's Vagabond and beautydish (and instantly fell in love with the results).

Lesson to be learned: Don't borrow good equipment ... it's hard on the wallet.