I have written about Epic Photography in a past FF post, and after seeing this week’s submission, I’m happy to suggest another photo that I feel defines the subject perfectly! Today’s image comes from an awesome photographer in Atlanta, Andrew Niesen from the LaCour Studio, a group of 4 photographers, 2 husband and wife teams. Mark Adams from the LaCour studio submitted this GEM a while back showcasing how one photographs a beach ceremony with NO available light.

 

Strictly Ballroom First Dance at the Historic Biltmore
By Andrew Niesen, LaCour

The iconic Georgian Ballroom at Atlanta’s Biltmore was the centerpiece of Robin Best and Brian Gage’s wedding. They scheduled their wedding based on the ballroom’s availability, and they described its beauty during every conversation we had with them.

The Biltmore was the hub of Atlanta’s social scene in the 1920s. With lavish marble floors, sparkling crystal chandeliers and handcrafted plaster ceilings, the Georgian ballroom exudes the dramatic elegance of the “Roaring 20s.”

As Robin and Brian’s wedding approached, I thought about how to create a striking photograph that would serve as the climax of their wedding story. To be meaningful, the photograph had to communicate on multiple levels. It had to reveal the personalities of the main characters, the context of the story and the mood of the event.

This communicative aspect of photography is especially important because I believe that our work becomes the foundation for family legacy. The story we tell through our photographs will be shared with several generations. Robin and Brian’s children will learn about their parents’ personalities and values through the wedding photographs.

By selecting the Biltmore’s Georgian Ballroom, Robin and Brian were making a statement about their style, personalities and values. The grandeur, classicism and history of the ballroom were consistent with other details they had carefully planned for their wedding.

Since the intricately textured ceiling is the hallmark of the ballroom, I chose to accentuate it by skimming light across the ceiling by backlighting it with a single White Lighting monolight. The monolight was triggered by a Pocket Wizard radio remote.

My assistant set up the strobe on a stand in the rear corner of the ballroom about 10 minutes before the first dance began, and I shot several test images, adjusting my ISO and aperture until the histogram showed data across the entire spectrum, from solid black to small areas of pure white.

I used a 17mm lens on a Canon EOS 1D Mark II to emphasize the magnificence of the space. Then, I waited until the couple moved to the center of the dance floor and were positioned in a way that a silhouette was visually “legible.” The resulting photograph appears as a 12×18” photograph in the center spread of Robin and Brian’s wedding album. It’s their favorite photograph from the wedding.

 

I’ve shot in this ballroom numerous times…Haven’t tried this…. I like to see other photographers interpretations of a wedding venue and how it all comes down to ONE defining photography. Andrew tells a wonderful story here and just imagine yourself in his shoes… “This communicative aspect of photography is especially important because I believe that our work becomes the foundation for family legacy“….. Don’t you think your photography would take on a new meaning if you used this motivation to photograph your next epic image?

 

The LaCour team have produced some studio management software that I have recently purchased. Although I don’t have it customized and working with my system, I have seen a live demo by Mark Adams. ShootQ is innovative studio management platform that almost mimics a studio manager. All I can say is that you must check out their product video demo. They are currently hosting studio setup parties for ShootQ across the United States. Also, would also recommend that you take a look at their blog, as they take a different angle to blogging than the typical wedding photographer.

 

Comments? Are you inspired by this photo? If you have any photos that you would like to reflect the “epic ballroom” type shot, please send them to the Flash Flavor Flickr group

 

Thanks again Andrew and LaCour.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 11:11 am and is filed under Photographers, LaCour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.