Hard work but somebody has to do it.

Comments? ...Bob

That's a bunch of gear and trouble for one photo!

all that gear and no tripod?

A bit of overkill?

Could be, that little windmill the people are holding up (presumably to generate power) probably isn't as efficient as it could be!

tim wrote:
Could be, that little windmill the people are holding up (presumably to generate power) probably isn't as efficient as it could be!

Actually I think the thing that they are holding up is a diffuser to soften the light. If you look at the shadows the sun is almost directly above them. Shooting at this time of day makes the photos look very hot and I think that softening that hard light is the right thing to do. I perfer to move my subject into the shadows and then use fill flash. This kind of sunlight leaves too many small shadows on the face and can lead to the subject squinting too much.

I would never shoot in that kind of environment with a tripod. He is probably shooting at at least 1/200th of a second. The tripod in this setting just takes too long.

Exactly what I was thinking. They're avoiding harsh sunlight on the bride, and avoiding blowing out the dress, I'm sure. Excellent idea.

Thanks for looking. It was brutally hot... however somehow the bride kept her cool! The lighting conditions for that time of day were extreme. Yes the power generator is really a diffuser in disguise. The two ladies that are holding it are experienced lighting technicians and know how to hold the diffuser without being told. Outdoor portraits give you all kinds of different lighting situations. If it had been an overcast day the lighting setup would have been quite different. ...Bob

I'll bet I am not alone in wishing to see the actual shot of the bride!!!!

Perhaps my attempt at humor was too subtle

Show us the pic of the bride!

(Quite a bit of misdirection in initally posting a photo with NONE of the shade falling on the bride's face but only on a portion of her dress!)

I gotta wonder why they set up the umbrella so far from the bride that it almost serves as another point source of light rather than as a broad source of fill. And why the light is so poorly aimed into the umbrella (one side, not more central) and why they use such a tiny umbrella (almost gotta use it 2 feet from her face for it to really soften, and then it is only good for the face itself!) And I gotta wonder why that second light stand is serving only to hold a hat at the top.

Tim, I got it. Thanks for all the comments. First of all, let me explain something. I was there on an unrelated assignment. He (the photographer) just happened to be in my way at the time so I was just taking pictures of his set-up. There is no way that he would let me post any of his images here even if I knew who he was. He was a little annoyed with me anyway so I stayed way back.

I agree with everything said here, but my main thought was why on earth would he schedule a bridal at 1:00 in the afternoon. Harshest lighting conditions possible. However I think he probably got an ok exposure. ...Bob

Probably the same reason I shoot people outside at 1PM... the couple has already booked a place for photos before they've even contacted you.

sharpfocus wrote:
Tim, I got it. Thanks for all the comments. First of all, let me explain something. I was there on an unrelated assignment. He (the photographer) just happened to be in my way at the time so I was just taking pictures of his set-up. There is no way that he would let me post any of his images here even if I knew who he was. He was a little annoyed with me anyway so I stayed way back.

I agree with everything said here, but my main thought was why on earth would he schedule a bridal at 1:00 in the afternoon. Harshest lighting conditions possible. However I think he probably got an ok exposure. ...Bob

Sorry to say it, but you completely missed focus... the background is great... the bride's blurry.

And why is he shooting UP at her? Not very flattering angle.

I much prefer shooting in the shade over all that craziness.