Rather than just dump off a bunch photos and call it a blog post, I’m going to be doing a fair amount of writing and sharing some insight into the back story of a photograph.
Hopefully this will help aspiring photographers, and also provide my clients insight into the thought that goes into making a photograph. My other goal in doing this is to show that it’s the thought that makes a photograph, and not necessarily the equipment or technical side of things.
Shot @ f/4 on a Leica 50mm Summilux 1.4
This photograph, to me , is a perfect combination of a beautiful setting, amazing light, and a bit of luck. What made it possible was anticipating and discreetly directing the moment.
Having walked these steps a few times, the light really caught my eye. It was really soft and beautiful from the frosted glass directly in front of the stairs. I knew I had to shoot in it.
I put together a plan to get Rachel in this light without forcing or posing her. This was taken just moments before Rachel and Tim had their first look. I knew that if I put Tim somewhere that required us to walk these stairs I would get the photograph.
I waited nearly 10 minutes to get this photograph. While I anticipated the moment, I checked my settings a handful of times. I had to be certain that I got everything in focus while being able to get details in the highlights and shadows.
As I heard them walk down the hallway, I composed my frame and snapped a dozen or so photographs from this sequence. I knew that I got the shot, and then made my way outside to let Tim know that she was just around the corner.