Lighting Fun for Everyone

Did you know when you are at a wedding you can turn your flash off and get stellar images with that phone of yours? I swear it is true! Not that I used my phone for these images, but the principals of light are the same.

(No addition lighting was used to capture this image!)

So how do you know if it will work to not use the flash? Simple, practice, practice, practice! The more pictures you take the better you get.

Wedding etiquette dictates that flashes, especially during the ceremony, are frowned upon as ceremony are a sacred affair and to be taken seriously and a band of shutterbugs trying get a shot would detract and distract from the moment.

Generally wedding venues have lit the alter so that you can get beautiful images without any additional lighting. This lets you and me get fantastic images of the bride and groom without being intrusive. The only downfall if you may have to take several pictures to get the perfect image if you do not have a tripod.

Lets talk detail! The image that lead this post is quite simple, the brides delicate heels resting on her gown. If I had chosen to use a flash I would have blown out the dress and bot been able to see the lovely beading that made my brides gown so beautiful.

This detail had the perfect amount of natural lite falling on it to give a stunning visual representation of the hard work that the bride put into her thoughtful gifts. Because I used the available light we could see the entire length of the table. You might notice that I chose not to focus on the very first gift box but instead the second. This was a deliberate choice to demonstrate the great length of the table.

Now lets talk cake cutting! Generally I would use flash, but the venue offered a cool spotlight so I took advantage and turned the flash off!

The flash is a powerful tool to take advantage off. Like this images might have been missed without a flash. He was tossed above where most of my light had fallen so he might have come out under exposed and he was moving quite fast so to go fleshless might have resulted in a blur and that just would not due!

Another great example of the necessity of additional lighting is this image on the dance floor. The flash enabled me to black out the background giving the illusion that the couple was having a private moment to themselves instead of a very public first dance.

In summation, all kinds of lighting are lovely so experiment and have fun! Take lots of pictures and see what works best for you! Happy picture shooting!