Available Light Photography
When it comes to shooting photos at a wedding, photographers often face many challenges such as low lighting, especially in documentary wedding photography where additional lighting cannot be used. The point of shooting in a documentary wedding photography style is to capture the natural expressions of the people attending and the actual feel or atmosphere of the event.
To be able to capture photographs in this manner, the documentary wedding photographer must be able to blend in, taking photos candidly in a non-obtrusive manner. This can be more difficult if you are carrying around additional lighting. Besides, the extra lighting can change the way the venue looks and change it to something different from what it was on the day. Therefore, in my opinion, it can ruin the whole concept of documentary photography. This means that the event should be captured the way it is, unadulterated in any way, so as to preserve the look and feel intended by the bride and groom, and not the photographer.
Unfortunately, a wedding venue does not always have good lighting, especially during the ceremony at the church, which is often dark. An outdoor wedding can also cause problems when it is too bright. In such cases, a good wedding photographer must be able to react to this and use it to their advantage by proper use of the camera settings. With photography, having too much light is not normally an issue; on the other hand, available light photography is most challenging in a low-light environment. Gone are the days when wedding photography comprised essentially of portrait style techniques where the attending guests would pose meticulously with the bride and groom for the photographer to take pre-decided still photographs.
These photos are perfect and undoubtedly beautiful, but they seem to lack naturalism and originality. Additionally, using flash tends to make people conscious and they end up giving artificial expressions and poses. Not only is the ability to seek out the light in a low light environment, but the ability to capture it and its drama is key to success in this type of photography. There are three key elements to ensure you will capture a great image:
- The subject is nicely lit
- Great composition
- A special moment
If you can find this in each of your photographs, you have the winning formula to becoming an outstanding Available Light Photographer.
Also, using the right kind of cameras and, more importantly, the right lenses is a major guiding factor for the reportage wedding photographers
who want to make it to the top. For instance, Fujifilm cameras and the fast Fujinon lens are considered to be among the best for low-light photography, and this is the equipment I choose for my business. There are several factors that photojournalistic wedding photographers have to focus on right from inception, to execution, and to the final product. The camera equipment you choose does play a part in this. I am a great believer that the photographer creates the photographs, not the camera; however, with available light photography, the right equipment is essential in affording the photographer the ability to shoot in low light. After that, it is up to you to control it.
