In this video, Joshua shows us how he creatively photographed the groom while getting ready.
The best thing about a pocket flash is its convenience. Large photography gear can weigh you down and is cumbersome to move around. During this shoot, Joshua eliminated all of the bulky gear issues and made it simple.
Find Your Space
As we saw in our “Three Shots One Spot” blog post, it can be tricky to find photogenic space in a hotel room. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try. Part of the fun during wedding shoots is capturing wholesome candids of the bride and groom getting ready. Luckily for you, all you’ll need is a pocket flash and a clean slice of space somewhere in the room.
Gear
Using a Godox TT350S, Joshua makes an ordinary space into a dramatic one. The pocket flash positioned above the groom creates shadows and powerful light contrast. Considering that the subject is up against the blank wall, the final composition comes out looking simple and strong.
The pocket flash creates a spotlight effect, bringing out the subject’s features and creating a tight, close up portrait. Joshua notes that you could also achieve this effect with a MagMod grid, but the pocket flash condenses the space and really allows for a more intimate viewpoint.
Action Portraits
In this scenario, Joshua noticed the groom was moving around a lot. Specifically, he was going in and out of the bathroom checking his appearance, so he used that to his advantage when brainstorming ideas for action shots.
Action portraits are photographs that capture the subject’s movement, whether it be staged or legitimate. In this case, Joshua gave the groom a bit of direction so that he could get the action portrait just right, but the groom was still staged in this position already.
Setting the pocket flash on the floor creates a backlit scene for the subject, and when standing right over it, the subject remained prominent and was still surrounded by external shadows. The dark foreground and bright background exaggerate the groom and make his actions noticeable and sharp.
You could even take it a step further, play around with the settings, and go for a silhouette action portrait. Just remember that sometimes subjects like to see their faces after the shoot so try out multiple variations with your given space and lighting!
Pocket Full of Sunshine
Pocket flashes are easy to tote, strong in light power, and camera-compatible.
See what unique portraits you can create, and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube Channel for more content from The Shutter School. See you next time, right here on the blog.
