Lighting the First Dance Simplified | Off Camera Flash | Virginia Wedding Photographers

Virginia Wedding Photographers | Hampton Roads Wedding Photographers | Williamsburg Wedding Photographers 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

We’ve recently completed editing Lindsay and Dylan’s wedding, and we’re eagerly awaiting their film scans to share with you.

We fell in LOVE with their dancing photos, and we thought we’d share a preview from their wedding.

We thought we’d also offer some insight into how we light most of the first dances we shoot.

Here’s a list of the equipment:

Canon 5D Mark II(s)

Canon 600 EXs (multiple)

Canon 35mm 1.4 L lens/ 50mm 1.2 L lens/ 135mm f2 L lens

Lightstand or an assistant 

Newlyweds

One thing to remember: we like to keep things simple and beautiful. This is how we light a first dance but there are definitely other ways too! This is what we like <3

Also – we love shooting film. Give us some natural light and we could shoot film all day.  Also, Ilford 3200 b+w film has a gorgeous, grainy look to it that captures dances well even in low light conditions.

That said, we like the flexibility of being hybrid shooters and being able to get clean, clear images with digital cameras when it gets dark.

ISO 1250, 135mm L lens at f2.5, 1/160 (remember to keep your shutter speed fast enough when using longer lenses to eliminate camera shake)

We start off by finding the correct exposure for the room, without flash, and then underexposing slightly so by using off camera lighting, we can put a moody spotlight on the couple.

This varies from setting to setting.

Then we take a test shot to find the correct exposure with bounce flash on camera, usually pointed at a nearby light surface such as a white wall.

Shooting with our flashes in manual mode is really important to us. A lot of photographers rely on ETTL mode, but we find we get more consistent results when we set everything manually.

Walls can easily be used like big softboxes if you bounce your flash correctly.

Also, remember to check the “zoom” of your flash. If you’re shooting with your flash set to 24mm but you have a 135mm lens on your camera, it might be why your results are looking wonky.

This also applies to bouncing your flash!

(Do be aware that “bouncing” might not always work, especially if you’re in a  venue with wooden walls and ceilings – bouncing off of these surfaces turns your photos red. Then it’s a good idea to have a trigger handy and to use a small umbrella.)

Next we sync up our on camera flash, the Canon 600 EX, with another off camera 600 EX.

The second flash is important. It’s creates a “rimlight” which defines / highlights the silhouette of the couple and helps bring them out from the background.

Have we mentioned how much we love the Canon 600 EX?

If for no other reason, it uses a radio sync transmission system that works flawlessly. Officially, the master flash can trigger the slave up to “98 feet,” but we’ve tested it across parking lots and gotten great results. No need for pocket wizards or any extra gear.

If you’re into keeping your life and gear list simplified when it comes to off camera flash, the 600EXs are for you!

The off camera 600 EX is either on a stand or being held by an assistant as seen in the position below.

Having an assistant is great because it means that you can move and have the light move with you accordingly.

We try and keep the flash at 2 or 10 o’clock to our 6. You can also try with the light at 12 o clock  and lower to the ground to wrap the light around your subject for a silhouette.

Our off camera flash is normally zoomed in to around 70mm. If you’re trying this technique and finding that the light is overpowering the background or wrapping around the subject too much, you might want to adjust the zoom or use a snoot modifier.

Our off camera flash usually starts off at half the power of our on camera flash, both of which we try and keep turned low for three reasons.

1. Conserve battery life

2. To increase recycle time

3. To be less noticeable

For the photos above, our on camera flash was at 1/32 and our off camera flash was at 1/64.

This doesn’t matter as much for black and white photos, but if the ambient light is really warm, gels can help your flashes match the color of the indoor lights.

That’s about it, except this: we try to really watch for our shots, so as not to cause a distraction.

If the couple has their back to you, it’s a good moment to take a break and hold off.

Choosing your shots carefully means you get more keepers, and it also means you’re less noticeable.

That’s about it! How do you light your receptions? Did this help you? Do you have any more questions?

Let us know in the comments below!

xoxo,

Michael and Carina