Written by Chuck Jackson
Last year, I changed my approach to photographing wedding receptions. Previously, I confined myself to using my studio strobes to the posed formals – now, I’ve expanded the role of strobes in my wedding photography! An example of how I captured the Bride and Groom having their first dance using an off-camera strobe at their wedding reception is above.
Instead of just relying on ambient light and on or off camera flash, I started using studio strobes in addition to those techniques. I have been very pleased with the results! I find myself now shooting dimly lit reception halls at ISO 100 which is really cool (in comparison to the 640, 800, 1000, 1250, or 1600 with or without a single camera mounted flash)! Furthermore, I’ve also used these flash units during the actual CEREMONY of the wedding, as well (See example below where two off-camera strobes were used during the wedding ceremony).
Since I use two camera bodies for weddings, I go back and forth between my standard on camera flash (when used) to allow me the flexibility of maneuvering around and capturing the wedding from various perspectives on one camera body and then using my Radio Popper controlled strobes (allowing me to trigger the strobes without line-of-sight from across the room) with my other camera body to ensure I have all the bases covered. Doing this also allows for an increased level of flexibility and significantly diverse and beautiful looking imagery to make your Bride and Groom very happy!
Chuck Jackson is a wedding photographer for PhotoActive Photography in Tampa, FL. Check out http://www.photoactiveweddingphotography.com to see hundreds of wedding images and samples from other photography genres, as well!
Wedding Photography According to Chuck Jackson 