Need advice for upcoming wedding shoot

I have a wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. Lovely young couple, gorgeous location - what could possibly go wrong?

Well, I did my recce at the weekend and, while the location is very nice, particularly the restaurant where the reception and dance will be held, the outdoors areas are going to be a challenge. The ceremony will take place in a tiny garden, which though pretty, is cramped and therefore not really ideal for the after-ceremony shots.

The rest of the resort is mostly natural rainforest. Again, very nice, but the shoot starts around 3pm in South-East Queensland (Oz), by which time the sun has dropped behind the trees and the otherwise lovely little pathways, nooks and crannys are quite gloomy.

So I have to find a way to 'brighten' the shots. Daylight will be very diffuse and all shooting will be in the shade, amongst old trees, succulents and palm trees. Amongst all this will be the bride, in white.........

I can imagine this turning out really well, or being a disaster. I have two flashguns and a large reflector which I can employ to assist a little, but obviously I don't want the wedding dress to 'light up' to much. OTOH, I don't want every pic to be flat and gloomy.

As always, time will be short, so I can't muck around. I'm going up there again at the weekend, this time with my gear to do some experiments.

Any suggestions?

IMO, working in the shade is one of my favorite ways to work. It will allow you to use your flashes to add directional lighting in any way you desire while the shade provides a very pleasant and even fill. Just be careful to balance your flash exposure with your ambient exposure properly to achieve the results you desire.

Steve of Cornubia wrote in post #14566354
I have a wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. Lovely young couple, gorgeous location - what could possibly go wrong?

Well, I did my recce at the weekend and, while the location is very nice, particularly the restaurant where the reception and dance will be held, the outdoors areas are going to be a challenge. The ceremony will take place in a tiny garden, which though pretty, is cramped and therefore not really ideal for the after-ceremony shots.

The rest of the resort is mostly natural rainforest. Again, very nice, but the shoot starts around 3pm in South-East Queensland (Oz), by which time the sun has dropped behind the trees and the otherwise lovely little pathways, nooks and crannys are quite gloomy.

So I have to find a way to 'brighten' the shots. Daylight will be very diffuse and all shooting will be in the shade, amongst old trees, succulents and palm trees. Amongst all this will be the bride, in white.........

I can imagine this turning out really well, or being a disaster. I have two flashguns and a large reflector which I can employ to assist a little, but obviously I don't want the wedding dress to 'light up' to much. OTOH, I don't want every pic to be flat and gloomy.

As always, time will be short, so I can't muck around. I'm going up there again at the weekend, this time with my gear to do some experiments.

Any suggestions?

ask in the wedding and people section. balancing ambient and flash is tricky but a flash on a high stand with the people in the shade you can make it work.

gotta say your preparation is excellent. i'd say with what you're doing to prepare you'll be ready, don't worry about it and have a good time with the shoot.

I have to agree with Rick. You seemed to have scouted the location very well and know your concerns. Multiple trips to a location is always best. I just have one more suggestion, or at least this is what I would do. On your next trip up there this weekend, (I assume you are going around the same time of day you will be shooting the actual wedding?) I would bring along a friend and have them dress in something white and just practice some shots you want to take with the bride, just to get a feel of what you might expect in terms of exposure.

Keith_D wrote in post #14572891
I have to agree with Rick. You seemed to have scouted the location very well and know your concerns. Multiple trips to a location is always best. I just have one more suggestion, or at least this is what I would do. On your next trip up there this weekend, (I assume you are going around the same time of day you will be shooting the actual wedding?) I would bring along a friend and have them dress in something white and just practice some shots you want to take with the bride, just to get a feel of what you might expect in terms of exposure.

Ha! Mrs Wife will be coming along, and wearing her white dressing gown! I've already had a bit of a practise in my own garden, under similar conditions and using th dressing gown. I managed to achieve what could be described as 'perfectly even lighting', more or less, with good exposure, but I'm not getting any 'pop', nor was I able to use the lighting to add any style or drama. Hopefully, the trip up there on saturday will fix that, but I'm not confident!