p.1 #1 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
Ok, so a question for all you guys who shoot off camera flash at weddings....receptions mainly.....we all know sometimes wedding receptions aren't lit well with ambient light....or they're outside....ambient reading is like iso 6400, f/2.8, 1/30s....or worse....so you put up some off camera strobes, shoot like iso 2000, f/2.8, 1/60s, and you basically add some light to the room....not turning into DAYLIGHT, but still giving it a different look in photos than what the room ACTUALLY looked like...
you ever have anyone complain?? It's hard to tell what a room might have looked like when a couple is viewing your portfolio and looking to hire you...they cant tell that it was a cave, so they might think the way it looks in photos is how it ACTUALLY looked, which is what they want...but it's not always the case....
PERSONALLY, i've never had anyone complain about my lighting, or that my photos weren't "accurate"...
i know most people will only "remember" the day from what they see in your photos....so is it even an issue??
p.1 #2 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I did have one complaint about shutter dragging, but that was it...no one has ever said anything negative about OCF at receptions. Just the opposite, actually.
p.1 #3 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
joelconner wrote:
...no one has ever said anything negative about OCF at receptions. Just the opposite, actually.
Exactly, everyone always says to me how much to love the look, etc....i just didn't know if there was anyone who had encountered a couple that was like "we WANTED the look and feel of the reception to be DARK, and that's not what the photos conveyed..."
p.1 #4 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
NathanHamler wrote:
i know most people will only "remember" the day from what they see in your photos....so is it even an issue??
It probably won't be an issue unless you make it look significantly different, or unrealistic.
I had a friend shoot my MIL's birthday several years ago, and she killed the ambiance of the room by shooting at a very high ISO with flash and making the room look very brightly lit.
I'm probably the only one that noticed or cared, and mostly because I was aware of what can be done.
p.1 #5 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I bounce one flash in various ways and keep the room as original as possible.. I never bring strobes and set up a studio set.. Honetsly in my 20 years of being around this business..I have never seen that here in big city Montreal.. If the video guy opens up his spots etc..I ll use that as well..but as far as flash,..The most I ll use is an assitant with a slave flash for the cool two flash light..but thats it..
p.1 #6 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I have a friend who lights up receptions with a couple alien bees... Think... The whole room is bright white light. She did have someone complain that the photos looked nothing like the room and was totally shocked by how they looked due to over lighting. I completely agree with the client in that case. It was just total overkill. The other thing you have to watch is too much light, overpowering expensive wall color washes and uplights. Clients want to be able to see that stuff in the photos since it costs a pretty penny and really adds an element to the design.
p.1 #7 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I've always gone for as much accuracy as I can, while making the images pop. To me, that's the best bet. I don't like turning it into something it was not. The object is to provide memories of what truly transpired. If it was dark, present dark. If it was bright, present bright.
p.1 #8 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
As noted, if not hugely different no one is going notice. Besides many venues lights are not determined by the client anyway so they probably never recall.
p.1 #10 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
Not directly on point but as I side note I have heard of clients complain that some photographers use off camera lights and they are annoying to guests because they light up the place and are bothersome
p.1 #11 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I have seen some reception work where the whole place is lit up and it looks odd to me. I have the OCF about one stop above ambient (never bounced) and this seems to preserve enough of the room.
stevez32 wrote:
Not directly on point but as I side note I have heard of clients complain that some photographers use off camera lights and they are annoying to guests because they light up the place and are bothersome
Where these flashes or continuous lights? One reason I'd never use video lights.
p.1 #12 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
Most venues are pretty bad lit but it keeps the memories nice so when i use flash i try to just make it compatible with available light. It is not that hard as available light is often quite flat for naked eye (many lights in all direction) so adding little directional light and raising ambient with umbrella can do wonders.
p.1 #14 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
One of the many reasons I don't like the OCF-reception look. In the weddings I work they hire someone to set a mood and pay a ton of money to have that mood look different than the last wedding's. I'm not about to blow light all over the place and ruin that, particularly when most OCF setups light the floor so intensely. If it looks massively different than how it felt then the client probably has the right to be upset.
p.1 #16 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
I get that some people set up the scene to have it look a certain way, but at the same time what are you supposed to do when even the chuck norris of cameras cannot capture any images?
I seriously shot one last night that the light levels were in the second(s) range, with only the dj's one strobe going...and you sure as hell couldn't base focus or exposure off of it.
What do you do?
You light the scene and give the clients images that they paid you to complete.
p.1 #17 · Complaints about changing receptions "look?"
RobertLynn wrote:
I get that some people set up the scene to have it look a certain way, but at the same time what are you supposed to do when even the chuck norris of cameras cannot capture any images?
I seriously shot one last night that the light levels were in the second(s) range, with only the dj's one strobe going...and you sure as hell couldn't base focus or exposure off of it.
What do you do?
You light the scene and give the clients images that they paid you to complete.
Yes, but there are ways to light it and keep the mood and ways that change the feeling. You don't even have to be Chucky Norris to make it happen.
