Joshua photographed a couple in a wine cave. Although there were a few obstacles to overcome, Joshua still managed to capture three different portraits for his subjects.
Portrait #1:
Space is Limited
Because there was very minimal space to work with, Joshua first tried to shoot outside of the actual cave. There was an ornately textured iron door that immediately caught his attention. By using a light on the door and a light on the couple, Joshua accentuated the texture of the iron and helped the bride and groom stand out.
How it’s Lit
Joshua used a MagSphere on top of a speed light and propped it right behind the couple to light up the background. Additionally, he set up another flash facing the couple to achieve the best shot. Shooting down at a 45-degree angle, Joshua captures his couple, intending to direct the shadows to the ground.
In a setting like this, it all comes down to how you configure the camera settings. In this case, Joshua used low flash power and allowed the background to expose itself. Camera settings are seasoned to taste!
Posing
Remember when we talked about capturing gender-specific features? Those same rules apply here too. You always want the camera to accentuate a woman’s facial structure and get her to stare into the light, while men are best captured from straight ahead with one side of their face contributing heavy shadows. For this portrait, Joshua had the bride look into the light to expose more of her face while still accentuating other shadows.
Portrait #2:
Between the Doors
For the second portrait, Joshua posed the couple between the doors at the entrance to the cave. He set up a light behind the bride and groom to create a silhouette portrait and included a slight view of the barrels in the background.
Sometimes, not everything in photography will go as planned! Joshua noted that this portrait setup did not work that well. The truth is, you can always learn a lot from photos that don’t necessarily come out the way you hoped. For future reference, the backlight needs to be hidden in a portrait for it to work well. Otherwise, any bright light shining through can be really distracting.
Portrait #3:
In the Cave
Inside the wine room, there was little space to move around, which made it difficult to capture the subjects at a good angle. The restrictions were too troublesome, so Joshua decided to use the barrels as a foreground rather than a background. By setting up a MagSphere, Joshua exposed the wall with light and bent down to take portraits of the couple from a lower angle.
By establishing ambient light and using a slow shutter speed, Joshua managed to get some warm colors coming from the barrels. When working with silhouettes, the best results are achieved when the background is made to be brighter.
Make Your Own Magmod Magic
Looking back on each of these setups, Joshua explained that he wishes many things were different about these portraits. A good photographer always learns from his photos!
When taking photos in a rush, there will always be aspects that you wish you could have changed, but the important thing is trying to improve your technique for next time! Try lighting photos in tight spaces or create unwanted lighting and test your ability to problem solve in a situation like this. Your skills might surprise you.
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