p.3 #3 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
If I have to shoot inside and the light is bad or requires me to shoot with a low shutter speed (<125 @ no more than 400 ISO) I use a set of Quantum T5D's bounced off of a ceiling. If the cieling is to high or produces strange light, I put a softbox on both of them and point them at the group..
Small, portable, powerful and no plug wiring to haul around. I can pack an entire set up (already set up) in a light bag that is 48" long and can hold both units easily. Great investment... The first few wedding I did I rented the units to see how they would do and what the results would be.
The wedding I did a few weeks ago required me to shoot the formals with a bright backlight arched window with the sun set blasting through it.. When I shot for the sunset... the BG were black silhouettes and when I shot for the BG the sunset was blown out. The strobes lit the scene perfectly and I got the results I wanted. Would not have been able to pull that off without the strobes.
Also... I only use the strobes if I absolutely need to as they can drive guests crazy.....
p.3 #7 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
MIKE ben wrote:
For those who uses studio lighting; 1. do you use an assistant? 2. do you set is up prior to the wedding?
Assistant if it's windy for the brolly. If not, they're shooting mking of photos and candids. If I have my Don't Hassel the Hoff' shirt visible, they're on strict "JC" photo duty.
p.3 #14 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
ozarkboy wrote:
Also, In direct sunlight, I usually leave the heavy equipment in the car and just throw on a good diffuser, like the Fong light sphere, to eliminate the shadows in the face.
Good diffuser & Fong should not go together in a sentence, ever. Why would you want to throw on a diffuser for outdoor with the sun?
p.3 #15 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
1. Enough light/DOF for any size group.
2. Fast recycling of strobes vs. battery-powered flashes means less waiting, faster shooting. (This wouldn't be worth it if I only had to take a few.)
3. Even if using speedlites, I'd still have stands....so I just have a little bigger stands--not a big diff., IMO.
4. Two vagabonds makes everything as self-contained and portable as the speedlites...just heavier.
5. Predictable color, minimal post-processing.
Which is why I stopped using flashlights when shooting formals away back when I changed over to digital and had to do my own processing. I needed shot to shot consistency and more power.
Outdoors I currently use an onboard flash with GF (it makes a difference close up though for group shots it just sucks up power), as soon as the new Radio Poppers ship to Europe I'll be able to have a reliable off camera light as main and using ratios have the on camera just as fill. Been looking forward to that for a while.
p.3 #16 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
Most of my formals are limited to 20 minutes so I gave up on bringing in much in the way of lights. Just 2 580 flash units and good photoshop skills.
Around my area they want you out fast!
p.3 #17 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
I used to bring 2 AB800's and 2 AB400's, lightstands, battery, umbrellas/softboxes.. it got to the point that I couldn't carry everything in one trip. How much crap do we need!?!?
So I got efficient.. I've already got 580's with me.. why not use'em? 2 double-fold umbrellas (which I don't use anymore.. I just use the omnibounces), PW's and battery packs. Here's a junk shot of the setup..
It takes 5 min to set up where the AB fun took 20 to set up. And another 20 to take down. These work just fine for me.. I went from bringing a suitcase to a really small bag.
p.3 #20 · What do you use to light for Wedding Formals?
I disagree. Flash can make a photo if used properly. In fact, most of the churches I shoot in would make for horrible formal light if it weren't for my two flashes.
