This friggin’ dude:
Yep, this guy hopped across a gap to get a better angle, then hopped back over after downing a 6 pack of beers. A several hundred foot drop below, one hand carrying a tripod and camera, the dude was wearing FLIP FLOPS for fecks sake!
In fairness, this guy sauntered through it all like a boss, but even the best climbers in the world have slip ups. Throughout this article I focus on getting the best shot, but seriously guys, it’s not worth getting at ANY cost. There was a story a few years back about a photographer who got a bride to go in a river for a trash the dress shoot, the water pulled the dress down and things went seriously wrong very fast. Again, not worth it for a photo!
Have fun, get cool angles and try new things, but stay within your limits and be safe!
When I got married I really wanted a nice designer suit, not anything ridiculous but a brand that I particularly liked – something to hang on to. The best bit was that I wore a full suit to weddings back then, so I justified the frivolous expense by saying ‘it’s ok, I’ll wear it every week for work!’
And for a whole 5 months I kept my word and got my moneys worth out of that suit. It turns out nice suits aren’t really intended for climbing up trees to straddle a branch in the rain at 10PM with a bride and groom standing underneath me as I shouted out where I wanted the flash moving to my wife. And of course every other down and dirty position I could get into at a wedding, on the floor of the aisle, standing on windowsills, lying down in gravel.
Although for what it’s worth the shot in the dark with me straddling a soaking branch (Which – by the way – did a fantastic job of making it look like I’d peed myself by soaking my crotch…with 2 hours of dancefloor shooting to go!) did come out pretty cool.
Use these as starting points, get yourself really low down and see how different the scene looks. What have you emphasised and what have you subdued? If it works, awesome, if it makes things worse not to worry, maybe getting high will help? [Maybe we should call that one getting ELEVATED to avoid confusion?]
It’s amazing how much difference elevation makes to a shot. Sometimes it’s really subtle, the difference between shooting a portrait above eye level or below it. In Film one of the classic ways of shooting is to frame someone in a position of power from a low angle – looking up at them to give that impression of power, or conversely shooting a weakened character from a high angle, looking down at them to make them smaller.
In particular if you’re shooting people it’s worth remembering this. That’s not to say you won’t mix things up and shoot both high and low angles, but understanding the subconscious message you’re sending in the shot is crucial to really great portraiture. Even if you’re not photographing people extreme high and low angle shots can be used to great effect. There’s nothing worse than seeing a photographer taking everything from their eye level! Crouch down, just bend down a bit even! Climb on walls and seats, just try different heights! I mean come on, what are the odds that you happen to be the exact perfect height for every shot?
Sometimes you just have to experiment, like I talked about above. It’s more hassle, it often doesn’t work out how you want it to, but it’s amazing how many times you take a step back from a shot – and I mean a real step back, like 50 meters back! Start further away than is necessary so you can evaluate the scene from every angle! I love shooting like this, or sometimes in reverse, starting close up then backing away to get the shot. After all every lens makes a scene look different, longer lenses flattening the scene while wide’s create maximum separation.
So that’s dirty sorted, get out there and get stuck in, if you’re heading out for a shoot then dress for the occasion, dress down! – Side note – I realise if you’re working as a professional it’s not always easy to dress down, but there are loads of options out there for hard wearing clothes that look smart enough to blend in at something like a wedding!
Often something like the f/1.8 foreground interest shot won’t end up being the shot you’re really looking for, but it keeps you engaged with the scene enough to start to develop your own idea of what story you’re trying to tell with your image. Likewise with shutter speed, the beginners out there may be unfamiliar with the idea of using a slower shutter speed to deliberately introduce blur. Or panning with your subject for maximum separation.
Often slower shutter speeds seem tricky to work with to beginners, the secret is really quite simple. There’s a little bit of luck involved! Even for the professionals. Panning type shots always run the risk of not working out, but the thing with those kinds of shots is that when they DO work out, they tend to look pretty damn special!
What do I mean by telling a story? I mean getting in as much as you possibly can to convey a theme, a feeling, a narrative or any spin you want to put on your art. I’m not just talking about going wider to get everything you can in the shot, I’m talking about evaluating the scene and looking at what WORKS and what DOESN’T. Sometimes you’ll need to zoom in to look past an unwanted distraction, you might need to get high or elevated to hide or reveal something in the scene.
Look at your image as a whole, don’t just get distracted by the focus of your attention. So often I look back at shots and see great images ruined by people in the background who just aren’t engaged in what’s going on. Sure, you can clone or burn unwanted elements in post, but it’s always best practise to try and get a shot as close to perfect IN camera as you can.
I’m still glad I learned those rules, and I would encourage all of you to learn as much as you can about photography’s ‘rules’.
Then forget the whole lot.
I don’t really mean that, I place points of interest on the third lines all the time, loads of people do, it just looks nice! If you get a chance have a look at basically anything by Sam Esmail, you may have already seen Mr Robot. The first thing I saw by Sam Esmail was the breath taking ‘Comet’, I can’t remember the last time I watched a film and was quite so captivated from start to end by everything on screen. What struck me most was the way he frames his subjects, it’s exactly how I love to frame subjects at weddings. I’m not saying I have his genius, but the way we shoot people is almost identical. True, I spend a lot of time getting what I know is more commercially viable for weddings, but every couple gets a lot of shots that I love, shots with the subject at the extremes rather than on the thirds.
The 180 rule essentially states that shots should all be taken from the same side of an imaginary line that goes through the scene. In a conversation we see the left side of one persons face, and the right side of the other persons. When we break the 180 rule we see each character from the same side, confusing the audience if the two shots are cut together. Sometimes it’s good to confuse the audience though!
I digress. As usual. The point is it’s GOOD to know everything you can about your camera and photography in general. Sometimes it’s just too crappy outside to go out taking photos, or you just don’t feel inspired. The truth is there’s a lot you can do to make your shots better from the comfort of your own home, it’s all about familiarity and comfort. If you’re familiar with your camera, it gives you the freedom to experiment and push yourself out of your comfort zone!
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