Bengske.com - Photography: How TO Tutorials, Tips, Tricks and Techniques. » Wedding Photography

Marvelous Examples of Wedding Photography

courtney — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:00:30 +0000

Wedding photography is an unique art. The photographer is not only tasked with capturing something beautiful, but also with capturing the story of a couple. Because there are only so many ways you can take a photo of the same events – the dress, the father of the bride, the vows, etc. – photographers have [...]

19 Striking Examples of Wedding Photography

Jeff Thomas — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:00:40 +0000

Wedding photography is an intensely personal branch of photography for the bride and groom involved in the shoot. It documents their special day, and becomes the memories that they cherish throughout their marriage. That’s why composition is such a key element in these photographs – they depict the fun, romance and excitement of the experience.

The 10 Most Romantic Wedding Compositions

Jeff Thomas — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:03:50 +0000

When you are hired to photograph someone’s special day, you become responsible for capturing the romance and immortalizing it in your pictures. This means knowing that although the bride and groom are going to be impossibly busy on the day itself, you still need to find the time to take perfect couple photos of the two of them. The only way to do this, is to go in with a game plan.

Blog | Tips for 1st Time Wedding Photographers

Lucas — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:25:20 +0000

I recently shot my first wedding in Florida and had a blast and came away with some photos I was proud to take with a couple that was very easy going and fun to be around, it also doesn’t hurt they are good friends of mine. But this post is dedicated to those of you [...]

The Outdoor Wedding: Using Scenery for Memorable Wedding Pictures

Jeff Thomas — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:00:51 +0000

As a wedding photographer it’s your job to understand every aspect of wedding photography, so that you can produce quality images on demand. This is slightly more difficult with outdoor weddings, as scenery and climate becomes a very large part of the decisions you make on the day. Learning how to use outdoor scenery to your advantage is an essential part of composing and capturing great wedding photos.

The A-Z of Wedding Photography For Photographers

Jeff Thomas — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:00:40 +0000

Wedding photography can be difficult because you’ll be expected to take quality photos of everything and everyone, capturing the day as it happens. As a photographer you already know that there will be some photos that come out great, and others you’d rather not look at again – which is why you need a game plan.

How to Take Stunning City Engagement Photos at Night

Jeff Thomas — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:03:07 +0000

There are a few general trends in wedding photography these days. SLRs are getting cheaper with ‘prosumer’ camera capabilities getting more powerful each year. Post production is getting easier and faster with the new releases of Lightroom and Photoshop. Lifestyle photography and Photojournalism are buzz words thrown around these days that take the focus away from the technical aspects of photography and move it towards capturing expressions and moments.

Photography | Jasmine Star Inspired

Lucas — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:11:36 +0000

So I’ve decided to start hitting the photography side of things a little harder, if for no other reason because I enjoy it! Out of necessity, I will be taking a lot of self-portraits since that will be the easiest and quickest way to experiment and take photos, not because I enjoy being in front [...]

How to Photograph a Hindu Wedding

BenGsKe — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:00:18 +0000

By: Chenthil Mohan. Shrouded by the plethora of ceremonies and rituals that mark an Indian Wedding, the work of a Wedding photographer becomes much more challenging and unpredictable. The diversity in customs and conventions from one wedding to another paves way for a need to get acquainted with commonalities of Indian Weddings, so as to [...]

Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 Lens Comparison

BenGske — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:12:32 +0000

This is a personal comparison of the Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 L USM lens (24-70) vs my other Canon wide angle lenses the Canon EF-S 17-55mm Image Stabilizer (IS) lens (17-55) and Canon 17-40 F/4 L USM lens (17-40). The 24-70 looks and feels like a heavy quality precision jeweled instrument that should last two life times. I originally purchased it as a backup to my 17-55 IS for wedding photography. I love the look and handling of primes but during a wedding many times you can not move so you need a zoom. I also needed the 24-70 for my new Canon 5D Mark II since an EF-S lens will not fit on a full frame sensor camera and my Canon 17-40 was too wide and too slow for weddings but great when need for wider work. I also considered the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS but I wanted the Bokeh that the F/2.8 aperture would provide and I saw reviews that the 24-70 was the sharper lens. I performed sharpness and contrast tests back to back on all my wider angle lenses and all were amazingly sharp. The 24-70 along with the 17-40 seemed to have the best contrast and colors. The 24-70 like the 17-40 is also weather sealed and has better reach then the 17-55 or 17-40. And the 24-70 and 17-55 both have the F/2.8 speed, but the 24-70 is much heavier then the EF-S and the 24-70 does not have IS. Wedding photograph taken with 24-70 at 24mm 24-70 zoom at 70mm, crop by zoom without moving Unexpected events: The 24-70 F/2.8 L lens seems to have a knack for going out of calibration! Soon after acquiring it and after two weddings I noticed photos taken at the end of the second wedding were soft wide open. I compared the photos of the first wedding and was shocked to find they were much sharper then the second. I was also disappointed my copy of the 24-70 has the same poor grabby zoom feel as the 17-55 EF-S lens. Every other Canon L zoom I own has a buttery smooth zoom action especially my 17-40 F/4 L. Repairs I sent the 24-70 in to Canon for repairs and surprise! After sending it in the zoom is much better and it's now actually sharper then the 17-40 at all settings! And it's turned into a real stunner mounted on my 5D Mark II at times approaching the look of a prime lens. It's now suddenly really sharp at F/2.8 but then softer until about F/4 for some reason but that's fine as I either shoot wide open or stopped down to F/5.6 or so. I'm much happier with it now after repair and the zoom action is smoother as well. Repair statement from Canon: "We have examined the lens according to your request, and it was found that the adjustment of the pcb assembly was incorrect the image was blurred. Electrical adjustments were carried out on the pcb assembly. Other electrical adjustments, inspection and cleaning and mechanical adjustments were carried out." Photo taken at sun rise with the 24-70 of the Vegas strip from the 17th floor of the Stratosphere Hotel But now after taking the 24-70 on a trip to Vegas it starting to get soft at F/2.8 again. This same trip I have other lenses I used just as much or more. I even accidentally dropped my 17-40 onto the floor from waist height and its still flawless!! The 24-70 I have always handled like a critical care patient. Pros: Weather sealed Great lens hood included Very sharp stopped down Fantastic colors and contrast Great USM super fast auto focus Sharp wide open when in calibration Auto Lens Vignetting correction using peripheral Illumination Length does not change when zoomed if lens hood is mounted Cons: NO IS! Cost Size Heavy Very soft wide open if out of calibration Very Repair prone, the only lens I own that's needed repair! Wide angle end is a little narrow on cropped sensor cameras Hood blocks built in flash for 40D and Rebels in top part of photos Zoom action was poor and grabby when new but later went smooth after repair and break-in Continued use: I find myself reaching for this lens when using the 5D Mark II and usually for a wedding for the Bokeh, contrast and clarity. And I find my self really missing IS which makes a huge difference in a very dark location such as inside a church lit by candle light when you may already be at 3200 ISO just to get the shot. For the most part the EF-S 17-55 IS F/2.8 is THE lens I have on my 40D most of the time. If I wasn't shooting weddings and didn't have a 5D Mark II I wouldn't own it at all and would suggest the 17-55 IS F/2.8. Auto Vignetting peripheral illumination control: Canon has Auto Lens Vignetting correction that works with this lens both in camera with JPEG's and in RAW using peripheral Illumination control in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) when using newer Canon digital EOS cameras (Canon Rebel T1i, 50D, 5D Mark II etc.) . No more vignetting when shooting wide open!!! When shooting Raw open the file(s) in DPP and click on NR/Lens Lens Aberration Correction / Tune and click on Peripheral illumination. The newer cameras already pick up the amount of vignetting based on focusing distance, zoom setting and F stop from the lens and the camera has saved the information with the Raw file. You can then adjust the amount under Peripheral Illumination if you don't like the amount automatically suggested. If you shot JPEG then you get the auto amount. Pretty cool! Conclusion: The Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 L USM lens is fragile and has required sending back to Canon for recalibration but is a must have in my arsenal mainly for wedding use. The color, saturation and sharpness of this lens are simply second to none in the Canon wide angle zoom arena as long as it's in calibration. I'm hoping Canon will come out with an Image Stabilized and less fragile version soon!