Shooting an inter-racial wedding, any tips?

Like the title says, I am shooting a wedding next week between a hispanic man and a white woman. He is quite dark, and she is a fairly normal complexion, maybe slightly tanned.

Do you guys have any tips to be sure that he isn't too overexposed, and that the dress details and other light things don't get blown out and remain crisp?

I would love to see examples if anyone has some of this scenario, and how you achieved those results. Thanks in advance for the help!

For consideration, I plan to use available light as much as possible, and bounce flash when the light is too low, but I am familiar with the venue and flash will likely not be needed for the ceremony, just the reception.

I've shot several. I don't do anything different than what I would do for a normal wedding.

Just about every couple already wears a black jacket and a white dress, how do you meter those? I think you're over thinking this one.

Interesting choice of words. I bet the Hispanic man would find nothing whatsoever "abnormal" about his complexion.

Expose for the light, not for the subject.

Black suit... white dress... at just about every wedding. Skin tones don't even come close to contrasting like the clothes do. You shoot it just like you shoot any other wedding.

What were you envisioning? A different exposure for one side of the shot that the other?

Scrumhalf wrote in post #17640877
Interesting choice of words. I bet the Hispanic man would find nothing whatsoever "abnormal" about his complexion.

That was my immediately thought although I know what the OP meant.

Iscariotau wrote in post #17640919
That was my immediately thought although I know what the OP meant.

I am sure the OP didn't mean it negatively, but we all have hidden prejudices, myself included, and must constantly be vigilant against them manifesting themselves in a negative way.

Easy guys, the bride and groom are very, very good friends of mine and I would show him this post in a second if I thought it would mean anything to him. Calling her complexion "normal" was probably a poor choice of words, I admit. There is no prejudice here at all, though I agree that the way it was worded could have seemed that way.

Regardless, I understand that the suit is black and the dress is white, I just had never thought about that angle and I probably am overthinking it like rebelsimon said.

I'm not entirely sure what I was looking for on this question, but I appreciate the feedback nonetheless. I'll shoot it as normal and rock and roll.

Two tips. When in doubt, expose for the bride. Then adjust the exposure for the groom in either lightroom (adjustment brush) or photoshop. If using flash or other lighting, and it works compositionally, have the groom closer to the light source.

I've only shot one and people were many different skin tones but I exposed them all the same and they all looked great.


I can't even imagine going to a wedding were everyone is the same skin tone! That just doesn't happen in California.

Im hispanic, yet im paler than all my caucasion friends. They even make fun of me for being so light skinned. Im the ghost in the bunch.

Here are a few examples since you asked for some.

IMAGE LINK: http://s182.photobucke​t.com …dding/barnes-715.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s182.photobucke​t.com …dding/barnes-338.jpg.html

IMAGE LINK: http://s182.photobucke​t.com …ding/barnes-1158.jpg.html

rebelsimon wrote in post #17640872
Just about every couple already wears a black jacket and a white dress, how do you meter those? I think you're over thinking this one.

^^^

Expose according to the AMBIENT LIGHT falling upon the SCENE,

and NOT according the the reflectiveness of the people (their skin brightness) nor the clothing they are wearing!!!

One should, nevertheless, try NOT to overexpose the bride's white gown, as she paid a lot of money and will appreciate seeing details in the dress rather than it being blown out! ETTR is a valuable principle for that reason.

I didn't suggest EXPOSING for the clothes, I asked how he METERS for the clothes.