As I mentioned in the previous post, Joanne and Steve are getting married in Trim, Co. Meath. Trim castle is located just across the road from the hotel where the reception is. Now it really is an amazing location and I really wanted to use it as the setting for the Engagement Shoot.
For these first two images the sun was really beating down (for once this Summer). Maybe not seeing the sun for several months was the motivation for these two images.
I explained to Joanne and Steve the type of image I was after I asked them to hold a pose as if they were in the moment about to kiss. I described it as a burst of light and very fashion orientated. I positioned myself until I got the sun between their lips and filled with flash positioned behind me to get some detail on my side. I knew the sun would not be over-powered that was impossible, all I was doing was stopping a half-silhouette. I know this look and the following one with natural light are not for everyone and its certainly not a traditional wedding/engagement image. Which is fine, I don't consider myself a traditionalist and would make a point of actually distancing myself from that genre of photography. Not there is anything wrong with it, it just does not motivate me artistically.
And the same type of image with just natural light.
Both Joanne and Steve were starting to relax at this stage. I had shown them a few images on the back of the camera (if you get a good one show it off, it really helps people relax and gives them a bit of confidence). This enabled me to get some more relaxed, natural shots. Again these were lit with a single strobe with attention paid to get a nice bit of rim light from the sun around them. This bit of rim light makes a big difference to an image, look at how amazing her hair looks with that warm sun lighting the edges and giving a real 3D feel to the image.
And another.
When I do Engagement Shoots I like to spend a little bit of time photographing the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be individually. For this shot I got Joanne to lie on the grass and softly place her hand under her chin. It was shot entirely with natural light in an open field with a very strong back light from then sun. In order to get proper exposure I took a meter reading from her chin and to get a more hi-key image I lowered my lens to let the light spill into my lens a bit. I did try the camera at a higher angle also but I preferred this look. I converted this image to BW in Photoshop using a BW layer and played with the original colour to get the effect I desired.
I then took a few of Steve. When I am photographing men I try to make them look as relaxed as possible and leaning against a wall is a great way to get this relaxed look. I found this wall putting Steve out of the harsh sunlight and into nice soft shaded light. I cropped this image in a way that would have purists rolling in their graves or falling into them but as I said I earlier I have my own style and I know it breaks a few rules. I stylised this image in Photoshop. Everything about the image made me think of a musician and the finished image was heavily influenced by that thought. 
I finished up the shoot with a nice walking image. I attempted to cross light the couple placing the strobe at the opposite side of the sun. Again I was aiming to a nice relaxed image with a sense of location to it. I placed Joanne and Steve on a little hill so I would give them some stature. The nice big smiles and the camera connection show just how relaxed and confident they both are after having experienced their engagement shoot. This day will be a big help to them on their wedding day.
Article including images copyright of Gerard Foy Photography.
www.gerardfoy.com
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