Skip to main content

Shoot: Bride and Groom

Lesson 21 from: From Images to Art: Storytelling in Wedding Photography

Jim Garner

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

21. Shoot: Bride and Groom

Next Lesson: Shoot: Group Shots

Lesson Info

Shoot: Bride and Groom

their energy is being drive from the group were having fun? Yes, were limited to 16 feet of movement. And we have three cameras here on me right now. Bear with me. This is gonna be some fun, but we can make the best out of the conditions that were given were That's our job as photographer. So I'm not afraid to do this thing. Hey, let's do a mock up of the bride and groom, See each other for the first time, and I just show you kind of what I do with my camera. So let's have a groom. Come in. Come on in blue. Are you ready for this? Ready? Oh, all right, so we're gonna get right here. I picked this spot because it's got great light. It's directional right now. Look at the light on blue. If I were to shoot a portrait of him, all they have to do is have him look out towards the light people. Let's do that. Where is my camera? By the way? This happens all the time. I put my camera down. Have no idea where it is. Quick Portrait of blue by by himself, right at this location. I haven't checked...

my settings yet, but look, we're indoors. The last shot I did in manual perfect our shoes. He's kind of sexy. Let's do a bunch more work it baby eyes on me. Yeah, let me. Yeah, do your karate chop, then What the heck? I don't know. Let me let me set up for it. I'm gonna film strip it. He's excited to see his bride. Okay, chop it up, baby. Anyway, he just like his personality, made me want to do something special from He's excited to his bride, obviously. So anyways, we just did a filmstrip. I hope some of those came through. I'm not seeing him come through. Everything's good. Great. Okay, so Well, here's how we're gonna Heidi. I got to come in. So we're gonna have usually I pick a beautiful spot. It's all about starting where the light is good. We're gonna turn blue away from where Heidi's going walking from set up her shot and filmstrip it. So I'm not gonna move my camera. Zoom in and out. Hey, guys, can you pretend former We see each other just like, amazing, while moment to it's just this just pretended up and then have a big hug, just like you normally would. Just do it like you did on your wedding day. Did you guys see each other beforehand? OK, they did it. They saw each other at the altar. Okay. At the were O at the courthouse. I know your story. I love your story. These guys a Loped, didn't you? Almost the kind of that. It's so awesome. I love that story anyways, so we are. We're reproducing this, and it's it's going to be fantastic. Pretend you haven't seen each other in a year. Okay, so we're gonna go right here. I'm gonna set it up first, and guys, I'm gonna go stand right there just for this one shot and shoot over her shoulder. I'm setting my camera settings and not movie. Okay, go for go for the walking. Just tapping on the shoulder and you guys do your thing. I'm in manual. There together is the moment, and they're probably do a big hug that usually dio beautiful. And this is when I switch lenses or go in with the same lens. But I'm really quick at changing these lenses and get the closing shot gorgeous, easy stuff. But the point is showing you this is that we haven't moved the camera much. You guys, how about a big hug it together? This is what I do know that they're finally doing one for the camera, gorgeous. And we need a variation. So I'm gonna use this beautiful veil that guy gorges do it. Kiss her ride on the cheek. You close your eyes and love that moment with you And to be fair, hands behind his neck just like this all the way. Just like you know, a beautiful chin up real high IHS Single image spread right there. Coming through. Cool. Awesome. So, you see, it's easy to make you think We just told the entire story. Film stripped a moment, not changing the focal length at all, keeping the camera pretty much in the same spot. And then we went in for closing shot and we finished with a single image spread of their loving moment. Okay, I love how it's It's so easy to pose. We could just go like this, hug each other, go boom. There's a shot. OK, look at both camera. Both of me. There's many variations. We could do from here. They're looking at the camera that light on blues, not ideal. So I'm just gonna turn towards the window. Their bodies naturally changed towards me. It gets flatter and flatter the light. And I want to show you two versions. Okay, This is a flat light shot. Oops, I am. I had my settings. The images of dark. Sorry, guys. My thumb must have hit it. There we go. So my my fingers hit the settings. That's why you saw some dark images come through. But let's redo that. Beautiful. And I'm going to my single image spread so you could see it. I need it right for tomorrow. It looked like this. Good, good, good. So you could keep him in this way. Good. Blue. Kiss your ride on the temp. Okay. Chin up. Just for me a little bit, Heidi. Gorgeous, Beautiful. And close your eyes. Chin up. Real high. Beautiful. Hands behind his neck. Just a little bit. Beautiful. Is that the right exposure? It is. Okay. Oh, gosh. I broke loose, didn't I? Did you see anything else? Should I do one more? Because I want everyone to see that. My apologies how we doing? I just find it so easy to love each other. That's really yes. You actually do How long you're married now? Two months, guys. Let's give him some love. So obviously there's a lot of personality in this couple, and it's easy to get them to bring it out and just be themselves. So I mean, do you notice? Look, look at this. We're gonna allow that to happen. We're gonna allow that to happen, so Oh, my scare. Mercedes just went back one second. There we go. Okay, now that we got that out of the way, we'll start shooting some art for you. Okay, Cool. So what will you do now is bring in the bridal party just for some fun shots against this wall. But, hey, what the two of you till we're gonna use a foreground background before I bring you guys in. Hey, you know what? I've got an idea. Why don't we stick Heidi against the background? You're gonna work? It worked out. Post girlfriend? Yes. She's playing with the camera already. Okay, Okay. Okay. Blue, come up here. This easiest technique ever so foreground background technique and it's gonna use motion and movement motion posing. How's my market? So I get to go, right? Right about there, Right? Okay, for a little bit, cause I'm not. I'm limited to very little room here and blue. How about I have you stand right there are having a go here, so he has to look this direction towards the light blue a little bit about right there, my friend. Thank you. Good Blue. Yeah, she's lovely. Love it. He's cracking a look at your blood. You're working for him. Come on, make it happen. Woo So called blue. Look over here. Look. So also So they're playing each other. I'm doing students focus on him focusing. Heard about 10 feet apart. I've got the 72 200 on and I've got my settings air 8/100 of a second. I'm still I so and is the easiest thing in the world just to do a quick spread. And here's how you motion pose out of it. Blew a go getter. Go yet are Do what you are, lover lover row. Lovely. All right, And snuggle up. Snuggle up here ago. Beautiful. You guys dancers, She is your your karate chopper. Your karate chopper. Here we go. Ah, little dip. How about three inches back? Just dance. Little dip. That's good. Okay, I'm letting the light kind of guide this. Ah, wait a second. We need a big beautiful how my exposures A little bit dark. Someone open up. Want to? And here we got two clicks more beautiful and touch foreheads together and just go to and step towards that back wall to its beautiful and the I'm going to ask care to come in and she's going to just hold that veil. We're gonna create a single image spread right here. Sorry. That's from twirling so much. Maybe go right by the Yeah, we could take a baby. Step that way. Let's talk about the light. Why we set up for this? You could just I'm gonna talk with life for a second. So the window bake is here. This is all the buildings West wall. It's what time? Right now it's 3 to 30. The sun is coming over the top. It's bouncing off the buildings across the street and it's coming directly. And you could see the lights started. Hit this furniture. Okay. The drapes are acting like a big soft box for us. There are actual light source. So that whole wall is perfection right now. If you look at my hand, I could use this directional light all day long until disappears. It's wonderful. Okay, so it's directional here, So her face should be looking this direction or feet. This way over here. I'm gonna just switch sides. It's the same thing right there. It's flat. You can't see this, but there's no shadow highlight of my hand. And right here, I'm able to use that as directional life. Okay, See this back wall here? You're able to turn towards that. There's a pattern of candles. There are. It's incredible lighting. Now there's these. Wonderful. See that light right there? Shadow highlight, Shadow, highlight Shadow were definitely use that in a second. Okay, I need to stay in here, though, for the camera crew, but we're gonna quickly grab a shot there with just the two of them in a minute. Oh, it were first. Let's do a single image spread. I know that Heidi face always needs to be turned towards the light source. The main thing I need to consider is her return face towards I mean, what ultimate? If I was posing her, I would have her feet away from life and then looking back or moulding into the light. So it's really real simple. Here's the light source coming here. Twist away. Lean towards and back. Okay, Does that make sense? So lights coming this direction twist away. Lean back. Okay? And it's it's not Hands on. The side is up. So chest is kind of Ford that make this like that booty back chest forward. Let's try that You wanted Heidi already putting back just for and the hand. Good. OK, now she's perfection. Now I'm gonna bring in our groom blue. Let's do Heidi by yourself. First day, and this is actually how I do it. I set up the broad and then bring in the groom. I love this. Okay, Carol, this switch sides of the veil just for this Examine Turner towards the veil. But by Okay. So I steered her feet away from the light in the health, asking you to watch this pretty and the beautiful Do you see now? She brought her need in a little bit automatically. Beautiful. Let's take this real quick. Do we have flowers? Just in case. It might be fun to get flowers and give a reason for hands to be that you could take any flowers. And I want to shoot this beautiful dress on you. It looks so good. Okay, so this is great, because now I have a reason for her hand to be up like that. Okay? And I'm gonna motion pose into it. We're not just gonna poser were to use motion to do it. Okay. Hi, kids. You this face me straight on. Make it hard on me. Okay? You ready? Good, good, good. Look at your man. Beautiful care. Go down without a little bit. Let's do both Hands on perfect twist shoulders that way. Core just dropped that veil. Beautiful. Coming in for the closer and beautiful chin down just a little bit and Oh, yeah, I thought I want to see beautiful groups. Did it fall off? No, I'm good. Okay. So now you're She's in that pose, and she has a reason to be looking back towards the light. So that's where I put Blue, right? Pretty straightforward. Here we go. So back in your position you're gonna be facing that way. Looking back. So you're gonna go behind arms around her waist, Okay. And blue, I'm gonna put you behind that way, thereby letting the like it by. So your heads in front right there and then kiss her right there in the temple. Okay, so that's molding in the light. All right? Now is so many things we could do with the post when you switch hands with flowers. Let me get it first. Let me get it first. This is flat footed right now, right? Okay. Can you see that? That's just an average photo. Let's spice it up a little bit, okay? And I have to emphasize that you got to do this stuff super quickly and move on otherwise stylized and kills the energy as we talked about earlier. So let's spruce it up, switch hands with your flowers, and then grab under his arm and grab his shoulder here. I'll show you. Yeah, you like that? I should boom and then grab that. And then, Okay, there's the Basic Post, but now it's motion pose into a real moment. Okay, Blue squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Beautiful. Okay, loosen up. Just for one second go a little lower honor waste and want to squeeze probable Good, good. Look at each other. Forget about me. Gorgeous, gorgeous. And let's finish this up with something different. So, Heidi turning, hugging fast, you can beautiful. There's emotion Pose right into Probably what will be care of people, Davila, What's going to be our single image spread? Were scare gonna hold it up there? Beautiful. 123 screens. So beautiful. Kiss that, Manuela. He loves you. Gorgeous. And four inch dip. Three inch step right towards Kara. Beautiful Carol. Lower with the ville and we get it beautiful. And I'm closing the shot with tight image. Lovely, beautiful guys. Okay, we got enough variety to create that story. Tell that story I'm feeling pretty good about. Let's to something different now. I'm gonna use this wall to create another single image bread. I would do one of our groom and one of our bride separately than one of them together, and we'll stick those images to all three of them in the book. Are we good? Okay. Groom first since we started Heidi last time. Okay, You're gonna stand right there against that empties empty space. Okay, cost your hands over. Let's go feet away from the light. Good. You could just tell him to mirror you, by the way. Good. Good, good. And just button that jacket for me. Can I have to change my settings of my settings? I need to go a little bit brighter, so to click to the left. And so these candles, other graphic So he's gonna have his feet away And looking back towards the the graphic nature of the candelabras here. Yeah. Cool. One more shot and blue two inches closer to those candles, please. There. Got my friend. Perfect. Good. Fix your jacket for you, but it up. Laughter, love. Have fun, baby. Beautiful. All right, So there's blue shot. I'm gonna get hiding there, too, And they're gonna get him both there together. Why not more variety, the better. You're so cute. Okay, face your feet out here. Yeah, perfect. I'm a picture of a okay. Oh, sorry, sweetie. Sorry, my friend. Be cool if that veil came across, wouldn't it? Oh, I like that. I like how she's showing me how we want the body language for this. So, Kara, can you hold that down like that. Good, good, good. Just put your shoulder open. Gets there beautiful. It looked back towards the left and there's my set of shot. I'm gonna go one click to the right for exposure And both hands on the flowers for me. Beautiful, gorgeous and won t three drop care. Beautiful blue. Come on. And don't move, Heidi. Uh, you guys just do love moment there. Whatever you want to do, it's natural to you get a little closer the candles for me, though, if you could. And here we go. So through Yeah, that's you do it. And the lights coming for this direction Some say Heidi, look over there. Looked that way and whispered air kissed her on the top of whatever you want. Let's go arms around him, though. Let's make it there you go making left. So he's baking. Your giggle is whispering. Something is here. It's their moment. Yeah, I set it up. Flowers up a little bit, are beautiful, beautiful. And then can you put your hands right on his shoulders? Grab his shoulder here with the other. Yeah, that's fine. I'll just leave the flowers in the I wanted to see Real Hyuga. Riel, grab their ago. Perfect screens. Clean squeeze. Good, Good, good. Kiss him on the cheek this time. Beautiful. Generally close with the wide shot. And here it is. Good guys. And I want one more time because I'm having fun. I'm tethered! All right? Normally we would be We'd get this thing so fast and just move on to the next scene. We'd be walking motion of movement, but again, I got just a few feet to work with.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Foldable Field Guide
10 Steps to Success

Ratings and Reviews

Ester Knowlen Photography
 

LOVE LOVE LOVE all the bits on how to create a wow shot without stressing about getting it/catching it by chance. So SPOT on!! A little bit of planning, a little bit of vision, and great ideas/recipe for amazing "wow" shots that are prompted and genuine (unique just like the people we shoot), rather than stressed over and chased. :) Amazing video!! :) Thanks Jim Garner!!

222 N 43rd Pl
 

This is such an amazing course. It is my first purchase that I have made with Creative Live and I couldn't be more pleased. Jim shared so much information and so many insights. It's great to be able to watch the segments over, picking up something new every time. Taking volumes of notes! I am starting to implement Jim's approach to photography—storytelling. I am just starting out in wedding photography and am so excited to have found this gem tutorial! I would highly recommend this to any photographer who wants to take their work from photographs to art.

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES