Paul Francis Photography » Tutorials

Behind the Shot {Intimate Moments}

Paul — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:00:01 +0000

One of my favorite photos that Paul has taken is this beautiful and intimate photo of Melissa & Eugene on their wedding day. And he used no super fancy lighting equipment to achieve this! Before getting into the technical details of what went into taking this photo, I first have to preface by setting the stage of what was going on before and during this photo was snapped. Melissa & Eugene were married in the late fall, and in the late fall it gets dark quick. Paul planned to take a few extra pictures of the lovely couple for a few minutes during the reception since their time outside was limited due to the sunset timing. After Melissa & Eugene started their fun and lively wedding which included lots of noise and merriment, they slipped away for a few minutes to have their picture taken. This is one of those photos that Paul captured during that time, and it is so soft and intimate, you would never know what was going on just feet away from them in the reception hall!

In order to create that soft intimate feel, Paul shot with his aperture wide open (f/1.4). And whenever shooting with the aperture wide, we make sure to focus on the eyes, because that is usually the focus of our image and where we want the viewers’ attention to be drawn. Since Melissa’s eyes are closed, Paul focused on Melissa’s fantastic eyelashes. While her eyelashes are perfectly crisp, everything else around them is slowly softened by the natural blur a shallow depth of field creates.

As I mentioned earlier, this photo was taken inside at night and there was not much available light. Paul turned up his ISO and then used his flash to add some light, by turning it towards the ceiling and bouncing the light. When the flash is turned toward the ceiling, the light bounces off the ceiling and is softened as it is reflected back down onto the couple. And soft light is super flattering.

Paul then had Melissa & Eugene sit on the steps of the lobby at the reception hall, while he stood in order to get a higher angle. The higher angle and tight framing adds to the intimacy of the photo, because there is nothing else but the two of them in the frame, as if there is no one else but the two of them in the whole world.

Soft light, a wide aperture and shallow depth of field, focus locked on the eyes, and just the right angle and framing turn this photo of Melissa & Eugene into more than a photo, but a love story.

*Carolyn

50 mm, f/1.4, 1/125 sec, ISO 3200

Behind the Shot {Light Effects}

Paul — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:38 +0000

f/ 1.8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 200 using 50 mm lens

Today’s Behind the Shot is about a photo from our engagement session with one of our fabulous couples, Emily & Noah. Their engagement session was held at the Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ.

Because it was during the off-season, there were lots of metal garage-like doors over the storefronts on the boardwalk. The texture and character of these doors was awesome, so naturally we would want to use them for photos. Paul decided to do something a little different to give the photos more depth and to draw your focus more towards the beautiful couple. He set up a speedlight (aka flash) on a tri-pod behind Emily & Noah.

If you have read the other Behind the Shot posts, this sounds familiar because it is the same way we set up the light for some of the backlighting shots we discussed. However, this technique is a little different than those backlit shots I had described in previous posts. For Emily & Noah, Paul angled the speedlight to be pointing towards the metal door (not towards the couple, and not straight up). So the light would blow out the details on part of the metal doors that are closest to the light source. You cannot see the speedlight or the tripod in the first photo, because they are hidden behind the couple. But you can see that there seems to be a glow around the couple where the details of the metal door are blown out by the light. This makes Emily & Noah stand out a little more against the door, it creates depth, and has a similar feel to a vignette (that’s when people use photoshoot to make the corners and perimeter of the photo dark) – only this way you do not have to do any post-processing editing to get that effect and it is also more subtle.

In addition, Paul also gelled the speedlight. Gelling the light means that he velcro- ed on a piece of tinted plastic over the light source to give it a different hue. Paul used an orange gel (aka tinted plastic) to make the light warmer in some of the photos. Can you tell which ones used a gelled speedlight?

I hope this was helpful and informative! if you have any questions please feel free to comment below and let us know!

*Carolyn

Behind the Shot {Backlighting: Speedlights II}

Paul — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:25 +0000

In the previous “Behind the Shot” post I talked about using speedlights (aka flashes) to light images from behind, and I shared one of our favorite photos from last year. Today, I am sharing another favorite photo of ours also using backlighting with speedlights, but in a very different way. The photo below is from Briana & Chris’ October snowstorm wedding. Who would have thought there would be a snowstorm in October?! It was certainly not what we would normally expect for an autumn wedding, but it turned out beautifully. Briana and Chris did not think twice about being adventurous and going out in the snow to take some unique photos.

The setup was similar to the diagram shown in the previous post with the photo of Christina & Cole where the speedlight was setup behind the couple. However, there are couple of things that are different about this photo. In Christina and Cole’s photo, they were ONLY lit from behind as I held the speedlight centered behind the couple creating a silhouette effect. In this photo of Briana and Chris, even though it was dark outside there was still some available ambient light. Because Paul was not going for a silhouette look for this photo, he set the ISO high and opened the aperture (see settings below) to catch that ambient light, AND he set the speedlight so that it would be strong enough to wrap around them. This combination lights Briana & Chris enough to be able to see the details of their awesome wedding day attire, beautiful flowers, their soft skin, and gorgeous faces.

The positioning of the speedlight was also different, it was positioned closer to the bride than the groom in order to light up her veil. Her white veil dramatically reflects the light and gives her an angelic glow. On top of that, every snowflake that is falling around them is also glowing as it reflects the light. Even some of the branches and fall leaves are glowing which highlight the uniqueness of this special day. Normally, just backlighting the couple in order to have snow or rain illuminated OR in order to illuminate the bride’s veil makes for a fantastic photo on their own. In this case, Paul was able to achieve both in addition to capturing the autumn colors surrounded by snow. Truly, this photo is not only unique, but genuinely captures Briana & Chris on their wedding day.

above photos taken with 35mm lens f/1.8, 1/100 sec, ISO 3200

Paul loves one of these photos, I love the other. I wonder which version you prefer?

Behind the Shot {Backlighting: Speedlights}

Paul — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:00:47 +0000

Last year we were honored to photograph Christina and Cole’s wedding at the fabulous Palace at Somerset Park. This venue was absolutely gorgeous and the staff were some of the kindest we have worked with. We were excited about this beautiful location and were eager to utilize the grounds for photos. As you can tell from the Christmas wreath, Christina and Cole’s wedding was in December, so needless to say it was pretty darn cold out. And during the winter months it gets dark early, which meant by the time we reached the venue the sun was down and there was no natural available light. (we had already taken some daylight shots before leaving for The Palace) We still wanted to take a few photos outside to take advantage of this great location and Christina and Cole were all for it. Paul and I went outside and set up a wireless remote speedlight (also known as a flash) and dialed in the light settings. Once everything was ready we brought out the happy couple, so they only had to brave the cold for a few minutes, and we centered them in front of the grand entrance below the Christmas wreath. I (Carolyn) ducked behind Christina and Cole holding the speedlight just below their shoulders as Paul snapped the photo. Here is a diagram to clarify…

Paul made sure that they were framed just right in the photo; romantic pose, framed by the doorway and centered against the building. In this photo all of the light is coming from either the building or from our speedlight. That means all the light is behind them and none in front. This made it easy to get that great silhouette. You can see just a little of Christina’s gorgeous dress and bouquet because the white of her dress carries the light around her. So Paul had to make sure the speedlight’s settings were just right so that the light would not wrap around too much (which would lose the silhouette effect as you would see too much detail) and not too little (to make their silhouettes crisp). The result is a photo that is powerful and dramatic, while also romantic and intimate.

Taken with 24-70mm lens at 24mm, f/3.5 , 1/80 sec., ISO25. Remote flash triggered using Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 Units (Nikon Version)

There are other ways to use speedlights for backlighting as well, which we also used during this same wedding at the reception. In the above photo, we ONLY lit Christina and Cole from behind, which is how we got the silhouette effect. However, for most reception photos we want to be able to see the faces and expressions of the people we are photographing. So if we are going to use backlighting, we also want to light them from the front as well. There are various ways to do this, but for a reception we use ambiant (available) light from the lights in the venue and adjust our settings accordingly (listed below). Then for the backlighting we use the speedlight. During part of the reception I put down my camera and picked up the speedlight which was wirelessly triggered by Paul’s camera. Paul photographed the cake cutting, and bouquet and garter tosses while I held the speedlight. We have to work together to make sure the light is strategically placed. We usually keep the light hidden behind our subject (i.e. bride, groom, guests, people dancing) which creates a rim lighting effect. This gives the photo depth and drama.

The following photos were taken with 24-70mm lens at f/4, 1/160 sec., ISO-5000

I love that you can see all the little specks of cake flying towards Christina’s face as Cole gets her!

I hope this all was clear and offered some insight! Please let us know what you think!

*Carolyn

Behind the Shot {Our Softbox Setup Gear}

Paul — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:00:17 +0000

Over the past few “Behind the Shot” posts, we have gone into some detail to explain how we took some of our favorite photographs using a softbox setup. People are usually amazed to hear that these photographs are not edited with PhotoShop at all. Thats right, they look that way the moment we take them. So how do we take photos like the one below? Read on past the photo to see.

In the following photo that Carolyn took during our recent engagement session with Anna and Andrew (pictures to come soon!) I have marked the various pieces of equipment used to light the shot. There is a list of the items and their manufacturers below for your reference, but the basic jist is that we have a very bright flash, called a strobe. Everything you see here, the entire softbox setup, packs down to a much smaller, more transportable size – so don’t be intimated by the look of it. The strobe would normally be plugged into an outlet in a studio but since the outdoors is our studio of choice we need a special battery pack that will provide the power we need. The big black material box next to the strobe light is called a softbox. This is what we call a “light modifier” that helps soften and spread the light as it comes out. Have you ever seen one of those white umbrellas during a family portrait? That is also a type of light modifier. In fact there are numerous types of these modifiers in different shapes and sizes, but the softbox is the one we prefer to use. The whole setup is supported by a light stand, the thing that looks like a tripod. So how do we get the strobe to fire off at the same time our camera is taking a photo? There is a wireless antenna on the strobe that receives a signal from a controller that sits on the flash mount on our camera. This is called a wireless sync. Pretty sweet, huh? For more behind the scenes for the shot above, you can read more here. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below and we will do our best to answer them for you. For a complete list of items used, read on past the photo:

Strobe Light: Paul C. Buff Einstein

Battery Pack: Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Battery

Wireless Receiver: Pocket Wizard MC2

Softbox: Paul C. Buff 24×36 Softbox

Light Stand: Manfrotto 1005BAC Ranker Stand (Black)Manfrotto Air Cushioned Light Stand

Wireless Transmitter: Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 Transceiver For Nikon TTL Flashes and Digital SLR CamerasPocket Wizard FlexTT5 (Nikon)

Zone Controller: Pocket Wizard 804-709 AC3 Zone Controller for NikonPocket Wizard AC3

Paul

Behind the Shot {Our New Rockstar Promo Photos}

Paul — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:30:56 +0000

If you have visited our website or our Facebook page recently, you may have noticed our sweet new promo shot. Carolyn and I are blessed with very talented photographer friends but due to our busy schedule we decided to try and pull off taking our new promo portrait by ourselves. I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting to be as happy with the shots as I am due to the fact I thought we were undertaking a fairly crazy project, attempting to set up the camera on a tripod, pose, and then make sure it came out good. (and repeat as necessary) Carolyn and I ended up having a blast and were lucky to not get escorted out of the quarry we used as our on-location set. The setup along with all of the shots you see here and the equipment take-down all took less than 30 minutes. Here is how we did it:

We started by having Carolyn stand against the wall as I set up our softbox light and dialed the lighting settings to get the look we wanted. We felt the first shots looked a little bland and we wanted to create some contrast on the wall behind us so we set up a couple speedlights behind us, angled back to hit the wall behind us to frame us in place. We hid them behind our legs since there was nowhere else behind us to set them up out of the shot. I didn’t have a remote with me so I had to put the camera on a 5 second timer and run back and forth to trigger the camera for each shot but when we were finished we were very happy with the results.

Final settings: Nikon D700 w/24-70mm 2.8 @ 24mm, 1/250, f8.0 and ISO200

Here are our two Nikon Sb800 Speedlights, triggered by our amazing Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 " class="broken_link">Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 receivers.

In this shot you can see our softbox setup which we plan on blogging about sometime in the next few weeks.

So we would love to hear what you all think, we had fun taking the pictures and are happy to share them with you. Have a great weekend!

Behind the Scenes {Softbox – Strobe Light Photos Part II}

Paul — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:30:36 +0000

One of our favorite groomsmen photos from 2011 is of John and his groomsmen. We used the same lighting techniques as we did for the the beach shot with Sonia and Dan. Cecilia and John’s wedding was in the heart of Baltimore so I knew there would be plenty of great architecture and lighting opportunities. I found this alley which I had scoped out earlier that morning and I knew there probably wouldn’t be any traffic on a Saturday morning, perfect for the couple minutes we needed to get the shot.We also had plenty of time with the guys so we had the opportunity to do several setups. The light was streaming in from camera right and bouncing around in the alley similar to the way it reflected around at Kristin and Ben’s wedding. But for this particular shot we wanted the light to really pop on the guys to give a different look. So we used our strobe light which gave the added lighting necessary and a little more drama. The guys look pretty diesel, don’t they?

We like to show a few shots during the day so the bride and groom get a preview of what their wedding photos are looking like. I always enjoy seeing and hearing the reactions.

Final camera settings: Nikon D700 f/11 1/160 sec ISO-200

Paul

Behind the Shot {Natural Reflectors & Diffusers}

Paul — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:09:24 +0000

Natural reflectors and diffusers are a great way to make a couple really look their best. We often find ourselves shooting weddings midday in the summer… which is both good and challenging for photography. It’s good because we love shooting in natural light, it’s available in abundance and it’s pure in color. It can be a challenge when in direct sunlight which often is harsh, creating deep shadows on the face. Sometimes shooting in whatever shade you can find is a simple solution. But not always, if the shade is too far from the light source and is then too dark or becomes lifeless.

At Kristin and Ben’s wedding, it was sunny and hot. A wonderful day for a wedding, but the lighting was harsh as is typical for the summertime. We found the courthouse in downtown Somerville to be a perfect place to shoot. The building is completely white, which makes it a giant natural reflector. But there is also an archway underneath that shades the light. This also made the courthouse a great natural diffuser while under the alcove or on shaded side of the building. Under the archway the light is covered, protecting from the glaring light and preventing shadows that can be unflattering on the face. Meanwhile the white color of the courthouse reflects the existing sunlight back onto our subjects, Kristin and Ben, making them evenly lit with tons of awesome soft light. When the light is reflected it looks softer and more even, making their skin look radiant, allowing them to look as gorgeous as they really are. Sometimes we use our own light diffusers and reflectors to achieve the same effect if there is none to be found naturally in the area. Using natural diffusers and reflectors ( “natural” meaning something that’s already there, such as a building – not our lighting equipment) is always best because we do not have to carry it around, and in this case it is WAY bigger than anything we could carry with us!

*Carolyn

This photo was taken under the archway near the shaded side of the building on the D700 with a 35mm lens f/2.2 1/1000 sec. ISO-400

This fun glamor shot of Kristin was taken under the archway closer to the sunny side of the building, which brought in more natural light coming behind her. Backlight can sometimes create a dark subject (Kristin), but because the building is all white the light is reflected back onto her and lights her with that even soft beautiful light. This was taken on the D700 35mm lens at f/2.2 1/250 sec. ISO-400.

This last photo is my faaaav! This was taken on the shaded side of the courthouse, again they are shaded from the harsh light and thereby shadows, while alllll that white around them from the building and steps is bouncing the sunlight back perfectly. Plus the setting is gorgeous and their pose is romantic, looove it! (by the way, Paul took this photo so I’m not being egotistical). Taken on the D700 85mm lens f/2.2 1/1250 sec ISO-400

If you’d like to see more photos from this lovely couple’s wedding click here.

*Carolyn

Why we Shoot Nikon {Nikon vs Canon}

Paul — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:30:08 +0000

We have been asked time and again while shooting a wedding; “Nikon? Why not Canon?” I know, such a personal question. Certainly in our experience as guests at weddings, we have seen mostly Canons being used and most of my close wedding photographer friends prefer Canon. I always answer that each system has their advantages and disadvantages. Personally, when I was doing photography as a hobby, I had heard great things about the Nikon D40 being a great, inexpensive camera, so that is what I bought when I was able to scrape together the money. I remember very vividly that I got it right after I proposed to Carolyn. That camera served me well as my interest in photography grew. Eventually as my photography schedule got more busy, I set aside the funds to upgrade to a better Nikon. While I thought about converting to Canon, I stayed for a few reasons, a list that has been added on to since:

fast and accurate autofocus (I have heard several Canon users complain about their camera’s ability to focus on low light)
weather sealed magnesium alloy camera body (great for when we need to shoot oustide in bad weather)
compatibility of older lenses (this allows us to change lenses between digital and film cameras)
solid, good gripping camera body (in our opinion it feels more comfortable than the Canon comparable models)
DUAL MEMORY CARD SLOTS!!! (our main camera has this, we love that our photographs are backed up to two cards instantly)

So while we DO think Canon have better video recording and a cool shutter click, neither of these affect our ability to take beautiful photos. So, we have to say that we have been very happy with our choice and unless Canon releases a camera that has the ability to see in the dark, we plan on sticking with Nikon.

For those interested:

Carolyn holding a Nikon D700 with a 50mm 1.4

Paul holding a Nikon D700 with a 35mm 1.4

Behind the Shot {Softbox – Strobe Light Photos}

Paul — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:30:54 +0000

We received some positive comments recently after sharing the idea behind one of our 2011 wedding photographs so we decided to do a series of “behind-the-scene” posts explaining the technical and inspirational aspects of some of our favorite images. Enjoy!

After we were finished taking photos of Sonia and Dan at Monmouth College, we wanted to stop at the beach for a few quick shots with our softbox lighting setup. As we have mentioned before, it can be difficult (with some lighting situations, impossible) to take a photograph where the sky’s true vivid colors are visible while lighting the couple well at the same time. Once you adjust lighting for the sky, the couple would be really dark. We are able to use our softbox setup along with a strobe light to paint amazing soft light on the couple. (We will be doing a post in the future that shows our lighting setup along with a list of the items used) Trying to photoshop the sky later is time consuming and usually doesn’t look too believable. But setting the shot up this way from the beginning turns out a much better shot. We love to show our couples the preview on the back of the camera so they can see how amazing they look. They usually cannot believe the images are not photoshopped!

For this particular photograph, the jetty stretching out from the beach was a perfect location with a view of the ocean splashing against the rocks. Francis, who was assisting me as second photographer, was just out of the shot holding the lighting rig against the wind while shooting with the other hand. For a shot like this I will usually start at f10, 1/100s with an ISO of 100 and make my adjustments from there. So the following is the final shot:

The crazy thing is, this next photo was taken only minutes before the above shot, as we were walking out towards the end of the jetty! The settings were 85mm 1/3200s f/2.0 ISO400. The camera is set to expose the light nicely on the couple’s skin. This give you an idea of how we can take a typical day and turn it into an intense photograph. And while we prefer to take a majority of our photos using natural light, we like to get at least one photo using these lighting techniques so that the couple can have that one photograph that stands out as something a little different.

What you see next is a test image once the camera was set to expose for the sky. At this point the strobe light is not being triggered yet. Notice the couple is now too dark while the sky’s coloring is much more vivid. We obviously need to add some lighting so Sonia and Dan stand out more.

To compensate, we use our softbox setup to cast a nice soft light. We will go more into how this works in a future post, but the basic idea is the softbox sets off a flash at the same time I am taking a picture resulting in an evenly lit couple.

The settings for our final image were: 24mm 1/250s f/13.0 ISO 200. Pretty sweet huh? And photoshop was never used or needed in the final image. What you see is what we showed Sonia and Dan right after we took their photo:

We will be writing more of these behind the scene posts over the next few weeks so tune in to see how we took some more of our beautiful photographs.

You can view Sonia and Dan’s full wedding photo set here.

Paul