Talking Pictures | A Bridal Portrait

Get a bunch of wedding photographers together and before long the conversation is sure to come around to light. At its most basic level, photography is the simple act of recording light as it falls across a surface. However, how that light is used can make a massive difference to an image and its impact on us as viewers.

Not sure what I mean? OK, here’s an experiment for you. Go stand by a window, hold your hand up in front of you and move it around. Now try shifting your position, relative to your hand and the window. Look at the way the light falls across your skin and how it changes as you alter your point of view. One position will show up all the fine lines and hairs, while another will make your skin almost glow against the background. Being able to ‘see’ the light and predict how it will look in a photo is a skill that can take a lifetime mastering (I’ve been shooting weddings for 14 years and am still learning). With practice it gets a little easier but every now and then I’m still blown away by what’s possible.

Here’s a shot where everything just came together perfectly. This portrait of Suzanne was taken at Woodhall Manor in Suffolk, under an open sided, covered walkway in the walled garden (fellow photographers who’ve shot there will know exactly where I mean). This is the key factor that makes this image so soft and luminescent - rather than coming from above, the light is from the side and is soft and diffused by the time it falls on Suzy’s face. This combined with a short telephoto lens and shallow depth of field draws the eye to her luscious lashes and fab makeup, all framed by a loose tress of hair. Aside from a few tiny tweaks to colour, contrast and crop, this is how the image came from the camera - there’s no photoshop or retouching.

One of those brilliant moments when you press the shutter button and know something special has just happened :-)

Shot with a Fuji XF 56mm f1.2 R lens and X-T4. 1/340th of a second at f1.2. ISO 160. Hair: Karen’s Beautiful Brides, MUA: Sabrina Pro Makeup

Thanks for looking at this Talking Pictures post - if you’ve enjoyed it, why not see others in the series which dig a little deeper into a single image and the thinking behind it.