"Rising To The Occasion"

"Rising To The Occasion"
© David A. Ziser

Here is another image from my Wedding Shootout this past Tuesday at Photoshop World. I love it’s simple design, rich colors, and dramatic presentation.  We had just wrapped shooting but just before we boarded the bus, I knew I wanted to shoot this white superstructure at the church entrance.  I ask our groom to stand in for the shot.

I had to be very careful with placing him in front of the framework - I didn't want any of the vertical elements to be "growing out of his head".  I like the low camera angle with the wide angle lens - it accentuates the lines of the image even more.

Lighting was a bit tricky.  I brought my strobe in from camera right and managed a nice loop lighting on his face.  My problem was that the sun was way to bright on the left side of his face (as you're viewing the image). 

Most of my gear was already back on the bus but I still had a Zumbrella that was not yet packed away.  I asked one of the students to "get tall" and shade the groom's face for this shot.  It worked like a charm and we captured a very nice and somewhat dramatic portrait in the super bright Las Vegas sun in the middle of the afternoon.  As Hannibal Murdock used to say on the A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Camera specs: Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 32mm, F 16 @ 1/200 second, ISO 320.  Enjoy!  -David