posted on Sunday, December 05, 2010 in Matt Adcock
I shot this image during a stretch of 37 minutes or so, while we navigated this very massive property, Xcaret Mexico. Its an Eco theme park and this structure is actually a traditional graveyard, a mexican special site to see for sure. This place is massive, so really 2/3rds of that time for the session is done walking, so everything here was go and go and go, no time for practice. Just play hard and be confident. Check out the slideshow of my fav's to see how technial…
I got very lucky here. I had an assistant who was holding my nikon SB 28 at about 1/2 power for formals, I had just shot a few images of the car and walked away from needing my flash for about 20 minutes or so. As they were leaving in their car, I decided I would pan with the car to make a movement shot and at the very last second, I gestured to my assistant to run (I'm sorta running to) and pointed for her to stand there...
posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2010 in Matt Adcock
I've used this before... a little special sauce with some flash on 1/4 power blasting on a slow shutter.... movement, sexy light, nice little piece of action here.
5d II 1/10th of a second, ISO 1000 at 2.5 with my trusty 35L series prime. The flash was just positioned on the floor about 20 feet away from this location.
I was BLOWN away recently by an image that Sr. Tony Hoffer produced on an engagement session that I recently posted on FF. The concept is pretty simply and as I told Tony in the comment field, as soon as I could rip him off I would TRY.....Keeping respect where respect is due, I give Tony all the props for first showing me a badass photo.
I've changed the situation a little and went ahead on a wedding day with…
I was recently working a big open dance floor, covering the father daughter dance. I had a 5d II with an off camera speedlight, shooting at low power. I was working with 2 cross light DJ hot lights that were very powerful as well.
Well, not any added flash flavor value as we recently decided to take on natural light on one of our most recent trash the dress sessions in Belize. We had an opportunity to shoot an amazing couple (Josh + Lara), lots of energy and every other 2 minutes, Lara kept making me think she was a paid actor playing the perfect fairy-tail bride out on an adventure to trash the dress, no rules, no expectations...just fun.
I love to play at my receptions. Some of my peers in this industry and others on forums have blasted photographers for experimenting at their clients events / weddings. Uhh, I'm guilty of this in a big time way. I like to play with different angles, different lighting conditions and sometimes, trial and error myself into something NICE.
This shot is a result of some trial and error. After a setting adjustment or two, I nailed this couple on the…
posted on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 in Matt Adcock
I've had a misfire or two in the past and sometimes, I'm hating that... Possibly i was shooting too fast for the system to recycle or the PW connection with its trusty sucky cables and sync ports were not 100% hitched up well...who knows.
I was shooting at high ISO's 800-1250 with a 2.0 or faster Aperture and using my Speedlights on 1/64 power with a ND filter to bring the power level down...dragging the shutter at 1/30 or 1/40th to bring in the ambient.
I'm very surprised by the amount of photographers I meet who are shocked to learn that we use flash in full sunlight. I know this topic has been discussed before here and other sites. Strobist remains the absolute #1 resource for those who want to polish up on your flash skills. Follow this link to read one of his lighting…
I've been shooting with the 5d II at night during all receptions and using higher ISO and bringing in more ambient light. One of the issues that always presents itself is the fact that its so easy to use a slave flash to light up everything under the sun (when there is no sun). This technique is fine, except it tends knock down or take away any ambient light that existed. Blast em doesnt = better.
What we are doing these days is using Neutral Density…
I shot a wedding in Birmingham Alabama a short while back and was presented with a few challenges as the bride and groom were leaving in a helicopter at the end.... This copter was in a big grassy field and was to be surrounded by guests waving goodbye to the new couple. I knew this thing would be leaving in a hurry, so what to do......
We went out to survey the location...setup one light with a red gel to back-light the copter for a scene setter type shot, then noticed that…
In follow up to this post.... Whew, after a few thousand miles lugging bags and bags of new gear, i've had one day to try to learn and ride my bike again for the first time.
Ride bike for first time = learn to use multiple underwater strobes (off camera) for the first time.... holy moly what a challenge. I'm not 100% in love with my results from this 2 hr test... but am on my way to…
We have been on holiday... sheesh, after about 90 or so jobs already this year, I'm totally done. Not really, we still have 40 or more left to do in these next remaining months!
Have you noticed less posts on FF? I have, no doubt. Why? Well, honestly Ive been seeing LARGE numbers of copycats out there, which is to be expected I guess if you give away your shoot concepts, lighting setups and locations. Where is the originality…
Ok, I will admit that I have been living in somewhat of a fantasy world where our weddings happen on the beach in beautiful locations and usually have very small turnout and are generally, easier to photograph.
I've been so spoiled with beach weddings that I actually went 6 WHOLE months without shooting a church ceremony! Wow, how refreshing it is not to worry about the NAZI church coordinators and the organists who won't let you stand on the conductor platform (even though…
On the topic of my last post on "Cake Humor", I decided I could be on a roll with more cake love this week.
This one is pretty simple because you have the total choice on how you want to shoot this setup. I chose to add color in my example because the background and other ambient colors presented themselves. I honestly believe either shot will make a great album photo, or a super folio shot for that vendor.
I'm not sure if your office is like ours when editing, but the every time a blooper pops up, we all share a laugh and keep going. I thought I'd share my latest flashflavor bloop that landed and got a chuckle out of the crew del sol. Don't mean to offend anyone but If I do, let this be an apology ahead of time. I know many of my clients read this blog so oh well....
This one gets a Flashflavor SB-28 at 1/64th power on a monopod. Funny thing,…
Ok, so I'm shooting a wedding in Atlanta GA on May 16, a week or so ago. I knew that one of my old clients (bride & groom) would be there as guests, and the reason I actually had the job in the first place (word of mouth referral is so strong). I enter the reception and low and behold, I see a camera operator with a DSLR and an off camera EX series Canon Strobe.
Sol & I are exceptionally stoked and honestly elated to be selected for this list. I've drooled over and studied the work of these same photographers. Its really an honor to be listed with them. Lots of inspiration shopping by visiting these sites. I promise, before your next wedding, go through an entire folio on one of these togs sites...…
HOLY Cow... I'm sorta in a bind because I'm short a hand or two hands on May 16th 2009 in Atlanta. We have been CRAZY busy in the middle of high season in mexico and all my shooters are either on other jobs or attending weddings as guests.
My studio actually has 2 different weddings on May 16 in ATL. Anybody interested out there who is near the area? I really prefer…
I was surfing the web and have been trying to figure out what kind of gear would be great to have.....
We will be investing in primes since we have all the desired zoom ranges currently made by canon that fit with our shooting.... 15, 24 t/s, 35, 50, 85 are currently in the toolbox. We have been thinking heavily on a few and thought it may be nice to hear feedback from any readers about their personal fav's and why.…
Yep, the secret is out. Flash adds an element to the photographers toolbox that enables lots of creative freedom. Photographers are pooling their knowledge and offering hand-outs on tips, techniques and often or not, movies on what or how they do what they do.
Thanks to a FF reader, today I was directed to a writeup in the USA Today about the emerging…
Flashflavor dragging a$$ these days... sorry folks. Just clocked 10 weddings, 4 TTD sessions in March... holy moly we are off to a crazy spring spree of shooting like mad.....again.
Those that know us hang in there, we are still here and also working on a new project blog for del Sol Photography. This site has been a major drain on free time with all the development and data gathering, writing, idea brainstorms...etc... lots been happening and we aren't getting…
I was surprised to see the recent issue of Bodissima Magazine, a Mexican publication that hits the stands for the 1st quarter of 2009 in Monterrey and Mexico City. WOW, that's some serious coverage. We have been so lucky to participate with the Trash the Dress movement in the last few years and I'm so proud to see that Sol also got the cover photo too... I'm so stoked to see the movement start to move through…
I just happen to peek over my shoulder yesterday while Sol was editing one of her recent TTD sessions. She is always using her flash creatively in the right bright light conditions, admits to finding a newly learned technique quite helpful.
I definitely enjoy hanging out in venues that are bigger than life. Recently, I needed to fill some space with light. We were dealing with powerful theatrical stage lighting and added a 1/1 full power blast to the right of bride and groom. The light spills and gives some dimension to the space.
I just used this as a quick way to execute a shot when on the run, walking around the building to get just about every photo along the way. I shot these…
I recently was hanging out with the Professional Photographers of Canada-Alberta here in the Riviera Maya and was speaking on my photojournalism ideals and giving a quick demo of using low lighting conditions and accenting a subject with flash / video light and using color correction gels. Sol accompanied and helped assist us on the beach with the demo. She also provided well needed moral support for…
posted on Thursday, January 01, 2009 in Matt Adcock
I took some time yesterday and gathered up my creative best of for 2008. This year has been a very good year for learning, hands down. I have dedicated this year to learning new compositional techniques and seeing the light in a totally different way... (using fast glass)
I have used less of my flash at higher powers and have had a great time using Neutral Density gels to even lower the power of my slave flashes, thus shooting at 1/256 power on an…
This is an update to give a little more depth to the last completely underground Cenote TTD session.
Technically, this kind of session really can push the equipment to the total risk. We ended up tossing a Pocket Wizard Multi Max in the drink on this session. I never really liked that Max, too many buttons to push on the front. I'd find myself shooting and having brushed…
Recently, i've been exploring lots of photography in / around the water. This last weekend, we were neck deep in water shooting a client in a dark dark place. I wanted to add lots of color to the water but didnt want much of that color to jump out and light my subject.
I wanted to post this photo for my readers who stop by from time to time and see if you can figure out what I did here. I have a very clever idea for executing this technique and want to see if anybody can come up…
Recently, I was assembling a few galleries and found a few shots that Sol shot and wanted to share with you. Let this be a little motion motivation for you :) Here are 3 frames where a flash helped act as the shutter and freeze the action involved, just enough so the ambient and movement patterns would leave a ghosting look. This technique is easy to follow, drag shutter, add flash :) low power flash preferably.
posted on Saturday, October 25, 2008 in Matt Adcock
Where have I been lately? Not writing too many FF posts... sorry bout that. I wanted to add a little weekly motivation to your wedding photography diet. I shot a wedding last night, Friday in Athens Georgia. To my surprise, I woke up this Saturday morning with a SMILE on my face that I didnt have to go to a wedding!!!!! Just to show you how my day started, here is the first awake thing that I did this morning...*note that the eggs fell as you see them, no arranging :)
posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 in Matt Adcock
I'm still doing a little testing and now that I have this new format, i can post bigger photos.
Are these images too big for your screen? My max size is 930 pixels wide... I figure since this blog is all about the image, then posting BIG juicy shots will have more impact.
Here is an example 930 image... Every year, Whale sharks migrate to the waters of the Riviera Maya for feeding on plankton. You can charter a tour and go swim with them. I took my underwater…
posted on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 in Matt Adcock
test post for FF...
Feel free to post a comment, had some trouble before with spam....
Man, IM sorry for the lame-O break that I took on FF. On the redesign, the comment system was not working as I had wished and I was getting flooded with spam. In addition, I went to Costa Rica on my honeymoon for 18 days....wow, what an adventure that was. I'll be posting the video that I shot on the trip. For once, I did not shoot any still photos! I bought a hybrid HD vid…
Flashflavor is getting a total makeover and we are excited to put up something different / more professional for this blog! The look is coming from our friends at flosites who have worked on this with me for some time now. We ask for some patience as we get things together to make the change. Since Flashflavor just had its one year anniversary, it makes me think back on old times and where the flash madness every started. I brushed the dust off…
While I am in the US, I am giving a small chat about getting the flash off the camera at the local Pictage user group meeting (pug) at Java Vino tomorrow at 7pm in Atlanta GA. These meetings are set up by Pictage so that users can get together and network and talk about business. I'd love to invite you to join us! Please come to visit if you can :) The meeting is at: THURSDAY June 5th 7pm-9pm at Java Vino in the room upstairs! 579 N. Highland…
I've been doing a bit of jet setting lately and recently ended up in a beautiful outdoor Atlanta city setting for David & Laura's wedding. The day prior to the wedding, Laura told me that she spoke on the phone to her future Father-in-law for the first time every! He had a ton of questions about ME and when I was shooting and where etc.... I knew from the beginning that David's father was a photographer. I didnt have a problem with the father of the groom toting around a rig and shooting all night,…
Well, I must say that I'm impressed by all of your creativity with ideas on how to light this setup. Everyone who commented has a great idea and we all have respect that there is no right answer on how do to this stuff... matter of fact, I'm a bumbling idiot at most of my weddings with last minute inspiration to do whatever it is that I do... I'm liking all the suggestions, even the one of attempting to light the ocean. I'd be curios to try this setup at an upcoming wedding. Possibly a blue gel?…
What would you do for this scene to add some flavor? I'm going to write a follow up article about this photograph. But, before I do, I'd like to leave it open for a small amount of discussion... if you care to give an idea. When you see this setup, how do you rig the lights for it? What kind of flash setup would you have for this scene? 1 or 2 lights aimed at the stage on clamps? Any other setup for an approach to photograph this area some sexy scene setters? If you read this blog and have 2 minutes,…
Our apologies for the sloooow posting. We have stepped into our high season and just to give a little breakdown on what is happening, consider this: Production status: In May, del Sol has 22 weddings, 10 TTD sessions and an engagement and 1 rehearsal dinner. We are shooting more days than there are days in the month, crazy eh? We have a team of 4 shooters, myself, my wife Sol, my Atlanta associate Melissa and our Mexico associate Vincent. If my FF posts lag or dont show up, its because my head is…
This is my very first image captured by utilizing the Radiopopper system. Thank you Kevin King for getting these to me, all the way in Mexico no doubt! I am such a bad professional. I ripped the bag open to reveal my new set of RP's just 45 minutes before I walked out the door to a wedding 2 days ago. I ran around my place like a crazy man testing for a few minutes, but really didnt do much pro testing on these units before I unveiled them at a pro gig... shame on me eh? My client will be so disappointed…
After reading flashflavor and seeing our work day in and day out, do you ever wonder what it is that we do to get the business that we get walking in the door week after week? Well, In this FF post, I am going to give you my true secrets. I'm telling you this because letting this secret out isnt going to diminish my "true fan" base. Hopefully, this post can be about some inspiration for you. For the last 5 years, we have been very client driven and have done all or everything to build a fan base.…
I was unloading batteries today after a recent shoot. We stage all of our gear on a table as we pull old batteries out and put new ones in. I looked down at our equipment pile and got to thinking about a Flashflavor post. Since ALL our gear is mixed up, how the heck do we know whose is what? Once you start to build a nice equipment inventory, its about darn time that it get cataloged or labeled so you know what ya got! We are a studio with 4 maybe 5 shooters at a given time. It is crucial to us…
I was pleasantly surprised this week to find out that photohsop user magazine published a story I wrote about the trash the dress phenomenon. I was very excited to be featured (along with my wife) next some seriously talented folks. I had a chance to meet one of the photographers published in the article at WPPI, Cliff Mautner. I also parked myself next to the Nikon booth to hear him speak about making…
I am very excited to see the birth of the Radiopopper this year. This write-up will serve as a initial preview of my experience with this revolutionary unit. In order to give a full review, I will need this baby on a few of my wedding gigs. I hope to be shooting with them at my first few weddings in April. We haven't used TTL at a wedding with off camera slaves in a long long time. Heck, I can't tell you when. I love to change up my game, so the popper is an exciting new tool in my tool box! We…
I've been spending my time these last few days hanging out at WPPI in Vegas and finally got to meet up with Kevin King, creator of Radiopopper. Kevin is a pretty rockin photographer and an awesome entrepreneur as well! Kevin let me play around a bit with this killer device and he even told me that I may be able to get my hands on a set pretty soon so I can experiment with them…
We have been very lucky in a sense that our clients commission us to fly all over the world and shoot in some super exotic places. One of the requested sessions is typically an after wedding session where there are no rules and the dress likely will end up in the sand or swimming in the ocean. This allows for total creative freedom. I wanted to share another one of these sessions we shot recently in the Dominican Republic. We ended up spending the whole day with these folks driving across the entire…
How much can I begin to say about the fun that we are having with our subjects. Our clients are escaping to a wonderful destination location and planning the wedding of their dreams. Why not dream a little more and go out on an exotic excursion to be photographed in the land of fairy tales? This is exactly what we are doing with our sessions and I often need to pinch myself. Picture yourself in the middle of a muddy deep dark hole and bats are flying around, everywhere. Watch out, if you step in…
Have you ever been shooting and had this miracle blessing where an off camera strobe (not your intentional flash) just appeared from the background / foreground and illuminated your frame, thus delivering a magical image that was totally unplanned and seemingly excellently executed? If so, then you should be thankful to be LUCKY :) Well, in our few years of shooting we have been lucky enough to see a random strobe appear. In this photo example, Sol…
I know everybody is totally annoyed with me that I only update this blog once every 7-8...ok, maybe 9 days or so. SORRY. I'm busy shooting and traveling, really, I promise! Anyway, I need that time to muster up content that is actually worth something, so this week, I want to post something that I think will help a few of my readers grow closer to actually nailing the shot they initially envisioned! Sound easy enough? Well, with some practice and some studying, its totally doable! In this post,…
Our job as a documentary photographer is to showcase the mood and ambiance of an event. Often enough, 5-7 hours into a wedding is enough for us photographers to start to get tired and lazy on our feet. Have you told yourself or assistant "hey, we have shot this dancing stuff for hours, I'm going to start shooting less"? Well, I would totally agree that 50 drunk folks on the dance floor can start to look redundant! I would suggest that the moment this question comes to your mind, OPEN YOUR MIND and…
merry new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have been traveling and traveling and I have landed in Atlanta for a week for a wedding. We are headed back to the Mayan Riviera on the 8th though, this cold weather stuff is not for me! I wanted to share my new christmas present with you all, a box of goodies that every photographer likes to see under the tree. We picked up a few more lenses, but I am most happiest about my new 85 1.2 and my new 35 1.4! How much fun and exciting is this!!!!!!!!!!! We are actually…
MERRY CHRISTMAS! I wanted to put up a small taste of flava over the holidays, seeing that I only update FF every week or so. We just got back from the Dominican Republic, 4 days of adventure with some cool clients! Today, we are with my family for some needed time off and I found an image to share with FF readers! I pulled and old trick out of my bag a few weeks ago (dec 8, 2 days after my wedding)! I will occasionally put a flash or two under the table to light the reception table settings in a…
I just wanted to say thank you David Hobby at Strobist for your kind words and recognition. David has helped both Sol & I achieve publication in 3 magazines, around the world... all in the last 2 months! David Hobby is one of the super heros of internet marketing. If you sell anything marketed to photographers, you should be advertising on his site. He has zillions of readers and…
Have you ever seen a Mayan Ritual performed at a wedding??? I for sure hadn't until my last wedding! I got this set of keepers at one of my last gigs in the Riviera Maya.... My 11/17/07 bride totally surprised her guests with an entertainment performance that I must admit, was absolutely unbelievable! I was getting ready to photograph one of the most insanely exotic sequences of images I have ever captured during a day of matrimony... I was aware there would be evening entertainment, but 12 ornately…
As a follow up to my last post about dragging the shutter and keeping ambient, I'd like to showcase similar circumstances we experienced from last weeks wedding in a beautiful garden, very looooow lighting conditions. We wanted to photograph the first dance with a little added light, in order to make an exposure. We used a fast prime for a few shots without flash, which ended up providing a dynamic portfolio…
I often sit here wondering what I am going to do at the next wedding to change it up, making everything different. One thing I've been trying lately that will certainly make you smile a little bit more in your pursuit is to try and use the ambient! Add a little flashflavor and you will be hooked! I'm very happy shooting my receptions at ISO 1000 or 1250 with my Canon 5d and using my primes at wide open or my 2.8 lenses, shot with 1/30th of a second. That will pretty much allow you to BLAZE highlights…
We are moving towards doing 100% destination weddings, BUT, we are still contracted here and there to shoot in a big church or cathedral, where you can expect DARK dungeon type lighting. I always find it a challenge when the ceremony starts at 7:30 pm in the summer, Catholic service, so you are easy looking at 1 hour ceremony and 15 minutes of formals... Basically, there is NO natural light outside for any bride & groom shots... oh well. Pull out the
This is one of the things that we all must do, and the question is how do we do it dynamically? The cake is an intimate object, sitting over there in the corner, next to nothing sometimes... but, often there will be a few candles and maybe some ambient light focused on the table, adding to the mood of the reception. Ok, so now we found some ambiance, now what? I recommend that you change up your game! First, I would like to get you in the mindset of how we can utilize a room's ambiance by focusing…
Recently, I motivated myself to come up with an idea I had and have since been practicing :) Seriously, I hadn't tried the camera on the monopod idea before August 18 and at my very next wedding, August 25, I pulled it out to see what I could do. Folks, I plan to wear this bad boy technique out! Its clever and different almost every time you use it, because it allows you to change your vantage point. How many times do you see yourself standing on your tip toes or leaning or stretching or doing something…
I haven't even downloaded my 2nd shooter Sergio's images yet, but felt like this story has urgency due to the implications that hurricanes have on our clients and that the fact is we just experienced what some brides would call, "THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE" Actually, this group was the complete opposite of that. Vanessa has to be the coolest bride I've ever met... Under the circumstances, she played it out like a champion of champions. This…
I am on isla holbox, a 45 minute ferry ride for a point in the north of the yucatan peninsula, 3 hours away from the nearest big city, cancun ...writing from a dialup computer. I have a bride getting married today who has been told by the govt that she is to evacuate the island with friends and family. i am with my amigo, sergio photographer, and we are going to document the event as it goes... this one is going to be exciting. The bride plans to still…
I shoot some pretty direct flash, as hard as the light may be sometimes...i kinda like it. I've heard talk about photographers that use hard light and it seems that sometimes it may be frowned upon...My take is "who cares". If you have had a chance to dig through my stuff, you will find a portfolio with some hard light hanging around. I'd say the edgy feel sorta defines my style a bit. You can always migrate to a bounce flash and soften the situation quite a bit but, most of the time, I'm on the…
I'm going to deviate from posting nothing but flash flavor and talk a little bit about why and how I got in the position I am in today. I constantly seek new inspiration and ideas. Every now and then, there are a few jems that stand out and I would like to mention them here. There are a few photographers that I admire and have learned quite a bit from in the last 10 years. Nature photographer John Shaw, was a major source of inspiration…
I wanted to talk a little bit about using your flash on your engagement sessions. Yeah, its harder and more work but the results for me turn out WAY better if I'm using the remote strobe for assistance. Let me show you what I'm talking about. I know I know, I'm a lucky A$$ for having a Mexican wife and for being able to shoot in the Riviera Maya...I figured if I'm going to get to pimp my locations I was damn well going to utilize all my tools in the toolbox to do it! I was asked to shoot this couple's…
going to make this short...still on vacation :) I have been thinking about this shot as I was browsing the digital wedding forum the other day, looking at some images from many awesome photographers posting images with strobes behind their subjects or coming in from an angle, adding a halo of light to the frame... I believe this technique is one you can put in your bag of tricks to carry around with you...its one that allows you many many very different possibilities. Include the flash in the frame,…
WHEW...Sol & I are officially going to go on vacation tomorrow. Flight leaves at 7am, will be out of the house at 5. No, I haven't packed anything yet... I'm going to try to enjoy the Black Hills of South Dakota, Jackson Hole WY, Grand Tetons & Yellowstone. We are there for 2 weeks. Problem is, Sol & I are totally up to our ears in editing... We shot 4 weddings, 2 e-sessions, 1 ttd session, 1 rehearsal dinner in the last 8 days...oh, we traveled 5000+ miles to do it. Virgin Islands, Captiva Island…
This post is all about dealing with tough circumstances at a wedding reception. Basically, night club lights! I did have a killer guest photographer assisting me on this one... If you didnt get a chance to see this piece of fine art, check out my amigo, Mark Adams from LaCour who contributed to this past FF post: beach…
On a wedding assignment when the client asks for nearly 100% documentary coverage, it becomes the PJ's duty to discover moments of candid brilliance that can fill the album with beauty. This post is all about a simple technique I use at weddings occasionally to grab an awesome portrait of the bride & groom without them ever knowing it happened. This particular image comes from a reception where things were happening fast. The ceremony started at 5pm, on a December evening. It was total darkness…
As I study my lighting techniques, I try to understand why it is I do what I do. Sometimes, I have no idea why I do something....it just works so we shoot and move on to the next scene. As I develop this blog, I am beginning to think more about my techniques, putting a label on the 'whys" and "hows" of our approach... For this photographic example, I would like to direct you read Strobist | Lighting…
On the way out of the church on a cold winter day, I needed to take advantage of any indoor photo chance I could! One thing you must do is utilize your resources. I looked up and noticed a 20 foot high balcony! This was a perfect location for a light source....(especially with the wide isles and also noticing that the church employees had just turned OFF all the inside lights).... I had my assistant take our speedlight up to the balcony and set up the lighting for this quick and easy shot. In order…
Photographers have long known about the magical time after sunset sometimes known as the "magical hour" or the "golden hour". In this time, it is said that the colors and the quality of light will be tip top. I am often in the Riviera Maya shooting and that particular coast looks east mostly so we end up waiting for the sky to change colors. I am a big fan of the 30 minutes after sunset and the next 30 minutes after that. This technique will improve your portfolio because it will enable the client…
KIDS at weddings rock! If you use your imagination, you can make fairytale imagery! When shooting a reception, I'm pretty sure we have all noticed small children playing on the dance floor with no inhibitions..Spinning, jumping, rolling, twisting, sliding and always SMILING. :) PERFECT photo chance... I don't really like to stand anywhere for more than a few seconds while shooting as the shot angle & composition possibilities will start to grow redundant...so, we move around and change it up. With…
I was lucky enough to have graduated with a BFA in theatrical production before my breakthrough into photojournalism. My instructors in college challenged me to think dynamically when evaluating an ordinary scene. One of the methods of emphasising a powerful movement or action on stage was to utilize a lighting effect to add strength to the moment by incorporating a back light, down light or a color sequence that emphasized the mood or energy of the upcoming scene. I think we have all chased our…
I was having a conversation with an associate the other day and we were discussing music and entertainment and the use of the word EPIC as a description for the impact of the music we were listening to. I then asked, can a photograph be "EPIC"? If you are an Ansel Adams enthusiast, your answer would be YES. First, I'd like to provide a definition of epic: adj. Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size. When photographing a setting, it is the photographer / photojournalist's…
I've been getting a few emails about who I am and what we do and where are we based out of.... I have been an Atlanta GA based wedding photographer for the last 5 years. Half of my weddings are destination weddings throughout the Southeast US... GA, NC, SC, FL Coast and the Caribbean and the Riviera Maya. My Homepage, www.mattadcock.com | www.mattadcock.com/blog One day a few years ago, I was introduced to one…
My awesome photographer fiance, www.soltamargo.com & I shot a wedding on April 9th and ended up going back out the next day with the couple to do a trash the dress session in the middle of the Jungle in the Mayan Riviera. We decided to film a documentary movie (www.delsolphotography.com/ttd/ttd1) with our P&S camera while swimming in a Cenote with our 5d's. We live in Playa del Carmen and have a great…
Locating your speedlight in the haste of shooting a wedding can be tough, but with a little intuition and the ability to act quick on your toes, you will surprise yourself with an idea that adds a little flavor to an ordinary scene. I have an example where I was without my personal assistant and was asked at the very last minute to ride along with the bride and groom in their get-away car, which I decided wouldn't be a great idea when I walked out the front of the church and saw no car waiting.…
We wanted to get this blog started with a post about BREAKING THE RULES as the off camera flash typically presents many challenges at weddings where you have very little time to think and react, moreover, change the settings quickly on your off camera strobe. (I'm not suggesting that all the photographers in the world go out there and flood church ceremonies with strobe lights... just a small "flavor" now and then) I have a fun example where we have all seen the rule: Wedding Ceremony | NO FLASH…
