proper exposure for beach weddings - Advice needed

[leanne_ash]

I would love input on the best camera exposure and lighting to use for beach

weddings. most of the ones i shoot are into the sun. My equipment is the D200,

D70, Nikkor 50mm 1.4f, Nikkor 24-120mm VR, Nikkor 55-200, SB800 and SB600.

All lenses have UV filters. What is your advice for the ceremony and the

family/bridal party portraits, also on the beach? Thanks!

[peter_mounier]

Your exposures are going to depend on the ISO you use, the intensity of the light (ie: sunny or

cloudy), and the depth of field you need or prefer.

If its sunny, you should expose for the sun lit subject rather than the shade, and use fill flash

to fill the dark shadows.

If you're shooting film, err on the overexposure side. If you're shooting digital, shoot raw.

Basically, there are too many variables to tell you precisely what to use.

 

Peter

[picturesque]

Do a search using the words "beach wedding" and you'll find lots of posts. Here is one.

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JkR4

 

If it is bright sun, basically you are at f11, 1/250th, fill with flash. For portraits where you want a wider aperture to blur the background, use ND filters or HSS given you are close enough to your subjects that the flash will have enough power. For group shots, stay within about 10-12 feet from your groups so your non-HSS flash can provide enough fill. Use manual flash for the ultimate control since flash metering can get fooled.

[marlboro_smith]

If I was going to have to do beach weddings on a regular basis(I don't live near a beach), I would build adjustable Light Shades that could be in the sand out of PVC pipe. You need to shield the people from direct sunlight at all costs. Mid Day sun is just impossible.

[picturesque]

Eric--unfortunately, that is impractical. You couldn't set up shade/tent big enough to cover groups or cover a ceremony. Even a 10x10 tent will have pockets of bright light streaming in depending on the time of day. Anyway, you still have to balance flash fill to the background. Presumably, the client picked a beach location to see the ocean and beach in the backgrounds. It might work for close-ups, half lengths, etc., of posed portraits, but for everything else, nope.

[danny_wong2]

Eric:

 

The last time I did a beach fashion shoot it took my assistants crew of four three hours to set up the diffuser and reflector panels along with all the lights.

[William Michael]

One of the major (if not the major) challenge, is balancing the flash fill with the (strong) ambient light: i.e. having enough flash power.

 

In this regard the closer you can work, the more effective power your flash will have.

 

Another point to consider, is the time of day and the education of your clients, in this regard.

 

If Beach Weddings are common for you, then if given the opportunity, choose the better times for more creative light, or least hint at what those times are:

 

Hmm . . . are you on a western or eastern water`s edge?

 

Some Eastern coastline beach sunsets, can be very troublesome.

 

I have often used 2 x large reflectors (6ft dia.), on the beach, but with the aid of one assistant.

 

I would not like to manage any physical lighting solution much bigger than that, without a lighting crew of at least three extra pairs of hands: for construction / demolition, security, stability, safety, insurance, OH&S and to ensure local site regulations compliances (if applicable) ? which incidentally are becoming quite rampant here, even without attracting the Authority`s attention, by looking like a movie set.

 

WW

[William Michael]

Err . . . Danny was scribing at the same time as me . . .

[kiva]

What is the level of responsibility that a photographer has to inform the client of the challenges of such a wedding?

 

~Say nothing and give 'em what they asked for?

 

~Hint at the best times of day but not give reason?

 

~Full disclosure regarding all challenges faced for wonderful wedding photography?

 

~Full disclosure followed by the suggestion to find a location where the bride and groom are in shade?

 

Are we not the "experts" in light?

 

How do experts in other fields respond when they know the customer has really made a potentially poor choice?

 

Is a suggestion regarding location viable information for the customer?

[marlboro_smith]

Nadine,

 

I agree 100% on the impractical-ness of my suggestion. I was just extemporizing on the possibility of something to deal with direct sunlight in this situation. The wind of most beaches would knock it down in a sec.

 

What can be done? Direct sun on a beach is very very difficult.

 

Eric

[picturesque]

William--sure, you can give the couple and their families all the info you have about how their pictures may not be optimum due to the difficult (for photographers) lighting. Out here in California, I would predict you would convince them to change the location/time/whatever about 0% of the time. I'd use shade if I had shade. A lot of the time, there isn't any. Even Hawaii beaches have more shade than some California beaches. Around here, the best you can hope for is that it will be bright overcast, or even, dark overcast, or fog, and no howling wind. It is fill flash all the way... Not to be negative, but even non beach weddings will have blasting sunlight a lot of the time, and clients who want to be photographed in the sun.

[William Michael]

Nadine:

 

Which `William` were you addressing, I think William Morgan?

 

***

 

William Morgan (and Nadine):

 

`What is the level of responsibility that a photographer has to inform the client of the challenges of such a wedding?`

 

My opinion was summed up in my original post: `if given the opportunity, choose the better times for more creative light, or least hint at what those times are`

 

Let me expand to make my position more clear:

 

I would offer suggestions, if the question were asked.

 

I would take a better time of day if I had the opportunity between two.

 

I would NOT initiate a negative conversation about the locale or the time of the service or a request for any specific location shots (provided they were not crazy).

 

It is my job to accommodate the customer.

 

If the customer chooses a Beach at Midday in Summer: but I know I could get better results elsewhere and / or at another time: the latter is totally irrelevant.

 

If I were to overtly persuade them into another location or another time, I will not get any `better shots` for my CUSTOMER: because they wanted the beach and they wanted midday.

 

Also, by placing any doubt in their mind about the outcomes: they will not recognize the results as location or time related: but simply that my capacities were lacking.

 

WW

[picturesque]

William W.--yes, I was responding to William Morgan. I understand his point of view (and have made comments to clients re location in the past), however, I was pointing out that it would not go over very well re beach weddings out here in California. And yes, I agree, the customer would view my babbling as a lack of photographic skill.

[leanne_ash]

Thanks for all your advice...to answer some of the questions...i'm shooting on the west coast, so we have a great sunset. When helping the couple determine their timeline for their wedding day, I steer them toward having their ceremony about 1 1/2 hours before sunset, this way i have about an hour after the ceremony to shoot family, bridal party and couple formals. I shoot the family and bridal party first - in the more harsh light - and then shoot the couple about 20 minutes before sunset. i save the best lighting for them. for the family and bridal party, i often have my assistant hold a light reflector to help block the sun if there are no clouds to do so. The formal time isn't what i struggle with the most...it is actually the ceremony time. Some vendors actually angle the chairs and ceremony set up away from the sun, which is great! it truly helps, but some vendors have not caught on to this, so the ceremony is set up directly into the sun! I shoot a lot from each side to avoid direct sunlight and sillouettes, but sometimes shooting into the sun is avoidable. f11 and 1/125 with fill flash was suggested...is this the best for the ceremony? i use the nikdon D200. should i use the spot metering, 3D metrix color metering, or center weighted metering? i also just learned that the TTL-BL on my SB800 does not work with spot metering.

[William Michael]

> Some vendors actually angle the chairs and ceremony set up away from the sun, which is great! it truly helps, but some vendors have not caught on to this, <

 

Whilst I am more on the reserved side being overt with unasked for suggestions to the B&G: as you build up your Wedding repertoire, networking with different companies in including the Event Managers, is all part of good business.

 

Remembering people`s first names, a complimentary 11 x 14, and a casual, private suggestion for improving their business, is usually always remembered in a favourable way: indeed often you are asked to provide a bunch of business cards.

 

The point is, people do not usually `catch on`: it is often better if a polite suggestion for the next time is made, IMO.

 

WW