Detroit wedding photographer: Tips on shooting wedding rings.


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Anyone that knows me well,  knows that I get soo excited to shoot the detail shots on the wedding day. who knows, Maybe I missed my calling as a product photographer. 😉  I feel the couples details are primary in telling the story that makes up their day. As wedding photographers there are so many details to keep track off on our shot list.

When I first started shooting weddings the most challenging for me was the ring shots. Lighting the rings, sharp focus on the rings, composition and being creative with the rings etc … the list goes on and on. I’ll spare you and just get to it.

      Below are some tips I’ve learned along the way to help capture the weddings rings in an effective and less time consuming manor.

Lighting : True or False. When shooting details there will always be a near by window or some source of natural light to get you started. FALSE!! Well maybe in a perfect world. But,  that isn’t the case most of the time. In my experience shooting with an on camera speed light works great for shooting wedding details. Not to mention the time it saves from running around looking for natural light.

How to –

while your camera and lens are angled downward towards the ring. Keep your flash pointed in an upright position to bounce off of a white surface or wall. No white wall in sight? consider packing a white board in your shooting kit.  The white board is always helpful when your dealing with high ceilings and colored walls. I like using the white board because it’s light and easy to carry. there is so much to pack on the day of a shoot. The white board doesn’t add any extra burden. I begin by bouncing the flash off of the wall in front of me to avoid flat lighting. This helps to get that twinkling effect we all love and pick up the details of the ring.

 

weddingdetailsBontisharose      Focus: Trying to use auto focus while shooting a skinny wedding ring is tricky. I use these simple techniques to ensure that the ring is in focus.

How To-

The best tip I’ve found for a sharp ring shot is focusing on the prong, you know, that part of the ring that holds the diamonds into place. or the edge of the ring works as well. 1st make sure the ring is on flat surface. Also, remember that the center focus point is the sharpest point on the camera. So yes, this may mean you have to focus and recompose the shot then do your cropping in post.

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       and lastly, hold your breathe just before pressing the shutter. I find this trick very helpful in avoiding camera shake even though i’m using a IS lens.

Composition :

Sticking the ring in the middle of the frame make’s for a boring shot!!  Livin things up a bit by using the rule of thirds.  I love using leading lines to draw attention to the important element within the frame. You can achieve this by using other important objects or details that help tell the story of the day. Below I used the flowers stems to lead your eye to the ring.

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Environment:

I always start with an interesting flat surface when shooting the rings on a wedding day. Can’t find anything interesting? Try grabbing a wedding invitation or that days newspaper, this always adds emotional appeal to the photo.

Shallow depth of field:

if your shooting with a macro lens shallow depth of field is pretty much a giving. But , if your using a zoom lens remember to add some distance between the wedding ring and the back ground. Don’t just shoot in front of a blank wall!! Get creative, Consider using the brides boutique, putting the rings on shoes or hanging them from details at the reception hall. The season of the wedding is always important and  helps in the story telling. Try incorporating some element of the session into the detail shots.

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      Ok, so there you have it, As I see it. I hope this helps guys xoxo