"A Private Moment”

"A Private Moment”
©David A. Ziser

I decided to dig back into the archives for today’s image.  This one is from a wedding I photographed shortly after switching to the Canon 20D – yep, we’re going back a few years. I should also say that the groom's family have been my best clients over many years.  I've photographed 20 Bat/Bar Mitzvahs for the family and two weddings.  This is the first of the 22 cousins to be married!

As you know, I’m a big fan of back lighting, and, whenever I get a great location – this just happens to be the groom's parent’s home, I like to pull off something dramatic and special. We had finished all the getting-ready-photographs, family portraits, and bride and groom portraits and it was time to head to the synagogue.  On the way out the door, I asked the bride and groom for one last photograph before we left.  This is the image I captured.

Lighting was simple – all I had to do was balance the ambient light (about 1 stop underexposed) with the light from my Quantum laying on the floor behind the couple at 1/4 power. I love the result.

Compositionally, look how all the lines from the stairs, both left and right, together with the converging vertical lines of the back wall and windows all point you to the couple.  Also, note the contrasting colors of the warm tones throughout contrasting with Dale Chihuly glass sculpture on the table in the foreground. All coming together for a pretty cool combination in the finished image.

Camera specs: Canon 20D fitted with 10-22, lens at 10mm, F6.3 @ 1/200 second, ISO 400.  Enjoy!  -David