subject separation from background

[danzel_c]

<p>here's a photo from '09 and i will be shooting at the same church today. i'm curious to know how others would have exposed the background? would you have exposed for the highlights in the background? and would the effects of that have created more subject background separation (made the background darker)? my thoughts are yes and i plan to get there early and experiment with the lighting before the ceremony. one other thought i have is to move the couple up the isle use a long lens and blur the background. what would you do here? thx!</p><div></div>

[bruce_rubenstein]

<p>Separation is achieved in several ways:</p>

<p>- Tonality: lighter stands out more than darker</p>

<p>- Color: hot colors (reds - yellows) stands out more than cooler (blues - greens)</p>

<p>- Size: bigger stands out more than smaller, foreground objects can be made larger in the image than background objects using a short focal length lens and shooting close to the foreground subjects.</p>

<p>- Focus: sharper stands out more than out of focus.</p>

<p>- Composition: don't have background objects running through primary areas of interest in the foreground (having the background sign running right through the B&G's heads is very bad).</p>

 

[matt_needham]

<p>For couples and small groups I usually bring them up the aisle to increase their size relative to the altar area. This also allows room for a back or rim light.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>bring them forward a bit - might not be able to due to the things on the sides... </p>

<p>I'd suggest a shallower DOF (F8 or F9) as opposed to F16-22. </p>

<p>Also expose for the subject - not the background. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[danzel_c]

<p>great suggestions! thx!</p>

[picturesque]

<p>I would say that background separation--more or less of it--depends on the kind of picture you are making. For a formal shot like this, I don't mind the background being bright and sharp. After all, the couple chose the church (I assume) for a reason. About the only thing that is a bit much is the sign, because the words pull attention away from the couple in a big way. For a shot of the couple alone, I agree that pulling them forward so all you see in the background is the cross (the words are much smaller and not readable), is the best solution (and not necessarily using a long lens to blur the background). You would not be able to do that with groups, though, unless you had a lot of space at the end of the pews.</p>

<p>I don't know that you could make the background a whole lot darker since sun is crossing the carpet. If you go that route, the image would need to be much more dependent upon flash and anything white will still stand out.</p>

[ejder]

<p>Without photoshop or being able to reshoot the image:</p>

<p><img src="http://www.joeyallenphoto.com/00Z790-384587584-1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Eyes find the brightest objects...</p>

[shawn_mertz]

<p>Move them farther from the background. A lower camera angle may help hide the sign behind the couple, but be careful it can be an unflattering view of the couple.</p>

[sherijohnson]

<p>I would not use a lower camera angle, I would use a higher camera angle if you must shoot them in the church. If it were me, I would use a more open aperture to blur the background if possible with your equipment.</p>

[fuccisphotos]

<p>I don't like that there is the artificial horizon line that goes straight through their heads. using the rule of thirds would have been nice here. Having them just dead center vertically just doesn't do it for me. I think it makes the sign even more distracting having it in the middle. I think it would be a way better crop to bring it down and have that at the top. It's kinda funny to think then, it's like a title caption of the photo, Living Transformed Lives.<br /> So I would have moved them so that line didn't cut straight through their head, and I wouldn't have worried about getting the whole cross.<br /> Also, many people with formals don't get them enlarged much bigger than an 8x10, their faces will be very small in a shot like this. Unless the background is AMAZING, I would zoom in closer on the couple.</p>

<p>Lastly, avoid having things like candles growing out of their heads (forced perspective wise of course) if you can.</p><div></div>

[bruce_rubenstein]

<p>I would under expose the ambient light level by 1.5 - 2.0 stops and light the couple with an umbrella trying to keep the light off the background. (If I had a softbox I would use that because it's more directional and easier to control the spill.)</p>

<p>I wouldn't crop this too tight; it makes it look like they're standing in front of an ugly bill board.</p>

<p>In the thinking out loud category - depending on how things looked to me if I was actually there, I might move them way up the isle towards the back of the sanctuary to make all the clutter little and out of focus. I would still light them to make them stand out more.</p>