Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography - Part 4 (Lighting for Engagement and Wedding Images) :: Champaign/Urbana, IL

Here we are, the final article in the Bride's Guide to Great Wedding Photography series. Quick recap: Part 1 addressed the issues involved in hiring a professional wedding photographer, Part 2 explained the importance of an engagement session, and Part 3 discussed what to expect on your wedding day. Now, on to the light!

As a bride-to-be, why do you need to know about photographic lighting? After all, the baker doesn't expect you to know about flour and eggs before you select a wedding cake, and the florist doesn't expect you to know about flower arranging before choosing your bouquets. Why in the world do you need to know about lighting before choosing a photographer?

Here's the difference: while most people will have purchased cakes and flowers before they get married, few have ever purchased professional photography. Since photography is, literally, "writing with light," learning a little about it will help you better evaluate the photographers you're considering for your wedding. My point here is not to teach you how to bake a cake (or how to create a backlit portrait) but to simply give you a better handle on evaluating what you're seeing in a photographer's portfolio.

Light is often the essential ingredient in an image that is beautiful or compelling versus one that is merely average. Skilled photographers can see, modify and shape light to match their vision for the final image. In addition, photographers who are adept at a variety of lighting techniques can make an image where others will struggle. This article will introduce you to three lighting approaches--ambient, on-camera, and off-camera--and show you examples that will help you better select your photographer. Since we've seen a number of images along the way in the previous three articles, I'll use several of them in this post (as well as a few new ones) to illustrate the various lighting techniques described here.

Ambient/Natural/Available Light

Ambient light is simply that: the light that is around you. It may be referred to as "natural light" when outdoors or "available" light when indoors but the key point is that the photographer is not adding light from another source such as a flash. Good, soft ambient light can be found indoors next to a large window or outside in the shade. The images below were all made with "natural" light.

Some photographers bill themselves as "natural light only" or "available light" photographers. If a photographer you're considering for your wedding so describes himself, it's worth asking how he handles situations in which there is little or no ambient light--for example, in a church basement with no windows (where you might be getting ready) or a darkened reception hall (where you'll probably be dancing). While there are "natural light only" photographers who can produce exceptional results, I personally find this approach to be unnecessarily limiting. From my perspective, if I have three or four flashes in my camera bag, then those lights are as available to me as the light coming in through a large window or from sunlight outdoors. And a wedding photographer is often confronted with situations in which the ambient light lacks the kind of impact or subtlety that he envisions in the final image. At those times, then, it is helpful to add light.

Adding Light: On-Camera Flash

When the ambient light is insufficient or undesirable, your photographer will need to add light. On a wedding, this is most conveniently done with small flashes (also called speedlights) although more powerful studio strobes may be used as well. The simplest way to add light is to plant a flash on top of the camera and aim it at the subject. This is called "direct on-camera flash." Below is a photo that shows how I used direct flash at a recent wedding.

Wondering why the frame is black? Didn't the flash go off? Nope--just kidding! I never use direct on-camera flash when I'm photographing a wedding so I don't have any examples. Why? Because it is, bar none, the worst way to light a subject. Period. It creates flat, unflattering shadows and looks unprofessional. To prove the point, however, here's an image of my friend Jetty that was taken with direct, on-camera flash: 

Not only is the light harsh and unattractive, you can see that it even makes her feel unhappy. For the record, you'll find some far better images of Jetty that were made with off-camera lighting in the studio. If a photographer's portfolio is full of images that appear to use direct flash, it may be a sign that he lacks the experience, equipment, or technical skill to use other techniques. Many of your guests will have cameras with built-in flash; do you really want the photographer you've hired to make pictures that are no better than those of your guests?

As an alternative to direct flash, many photographers will use "bounce flash." This technique usually involves placing the flash on the camera but aiming the flash head so that the light bounces off a wall, ceiling, or other lightly-colored object. Bounce flash almost always looks better than direct flash and is easy for the photographer to use (in the right settings, of course: light doesn't bounce very well off of a mahogany panel wall).

Adding Light: Off-Camera Flash

Getting the light off the camera is one of the best ways to create more dynamic images. Why? Because the light defines the shadows and dimensionality of the subject. When the light is moved away from the camera, the photographer can control its direction, shape, and quality--all essential factors to creating good, well-lit images. In "run and gun" situations (that is, occasions during the event when there's no time to set up lights), a photographer may put a flash on a "sync cord" that attaches to the camera and hold it at arms length. This gets the light a little farther away from the camera lens than using direct flash, so even though it is a harder quality of light (that is, more distinct shadows) the light is still more directional, less flat. Skilled photographers can also employ bounce techniques with a flash on a sync cord.

One variation of the sync cord approach is the use of a "light stick." In this approach, an assistant holds a light stand with the flash attached and aims the light at the subject. Again, the light quality is hard but is more directional than direct flash. This is a technique that is frequently useful at receptions but can work for portraits as well.

When making portraits, soft, directional light looks very flattering. In the images below, a flash was placed on a stand and then "softened" with an umbrella (the umbrella makes the light larger; the larger the light in relation to the subject, the softer it appears). Since it takes a few minutes to set up this kind of light, it's best reserved for formal or group portraits.

A single light is also useful for making backlit images, photographs in which the light is placed behind the subject instead of in front. This technique always yields dramatic light.

Back- or top-light is also a fantastic way to photograph details at a wedding.

Even the sun can be used as a backlight, as in this image (hey, it's a light and it's off-camera, right?).

Lastly, there are occasions when multiple lights are useful. Some photographers will photograph formals with a two-light setup, each placed about 45-degrees off of center and aimed toward the back of the group. This helps to ensure that everyone in the scene is lit evenly.

A few photographers also employ a two- or three-light setup at receptions. Editorial and wedding shooter Zack Arias, for example, has taught photographers to place one light at a corner of the dance floor and then use a handheld flash on a sync cord when necessary. Cincinnati-based wedding photographer David Ziser frequently uses a three-light setup: two lights aimed up at the ceiling (to light the room) and then an assistant with a light stick to create directional light. My approach is somewhat of a hybrid between these two. I usually place two remote flashes at opposite corners of the dance floor (which I can control from my camera) and then use a handheld flash on a sync cord or have my assistant carry a light stick as needed. This technique gives me both flexibility and control--the two things I need to make dynamic images for my clients.

Wrapping Up - Thank You

In summary, the goal of this article was to help you see the various approaches and techniques to lighting that a photographer can use to make your engagement and wedding photographs. These techniques are simply tools to make images, not ends in themselves. The more tools your photographer has in his toolbox, the more versatile he can be and the more likely you'll receive images that you'll enjoy.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this series. My hope is that it has better prepared you to find the right photographer for your wedding so that you'll enjoy your photography experience and be happy with the images you receive in your wedding book. If you're in central Illinois (Lincoln, Decatur, Springfield, Peoria, Champaign/Urbana, Bloomington/Normal) or nearby (St. Louis, Chicago) and you'd like to contact me about designing images for your wedding, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks again and I wish you the best with your wedding and marriage.

Michael Gowin

Part 1 - How to Hire a Wedding Photographer

Part 2 - Why You Need an Engagement Session

Part 3 - Wedding Day Flow

Part 4 - Lighting for Engagement and Wedding Images

PPA: Top Ten Things You Need to Know to Ensure Wedding Photo Bliss

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