How to Shoot a First Dance

July 20, 2014 Christa Taylor

For years I struggled with how to capture moving subject in low light. It's like a recipe for disaster. There I was, flash bouncing off who-knows-what, my mangled camera strap getting in my eyes and sweat pouring out of my hands like I was in the mojavi desert. Not good.

It was time to do some research and stop panicking every time I heard the DJ cue the first dance.

Thanks to The Greys and Jasmine Star- I picked up some very helpful tips.

2 Flashes

I have 2 flashes, one is a SB800 (for Nikon) and the other is cheap knockoff brand by Youngnuo ($80 vs $400). I use Phottix triggers and put the SB800 on my hot shoe and the second flash on a table or stand in the background.

The flash on my camera I turn to TTL and set it to aim straight up towards the ceiling, the white bounce card in place. Using constant focus setting (for moving subjects). I then lock focus using the beam from the TTL flash and shoot away. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

The second flash I set to manual mode (the cheapy only does manual mode anyhow) at 1/16th power, just a little pop of light for a cool effect.

Now, I'm sure I'll continue to modify and perfect this system overtime, but if you need somewhere to start- that's what I do :)

Here's what it looks like:

1/125th 50mm f2.8 ISO 800

this one I did not use a flash on my hot shoe, just ambient light. ISO 1000 1/200th 85mm f2.8

1/160th f2.5 50mm ISO3200 (VERY dark in there)

How to Edit Capture Time when shooting with 2 cameras

June 10, 2014 Christa Taylor

So...I have this terrible habit of forgetting to sync my camera with my second shooter. YES I KNOW. I totally should remember this by now right?? wrong.

So in case you're like me and forget on occasion, watch this incredibly helpful video on how to edit the capture time so your photos appear in sequential order of the wedding day.

How to Pose Couples For Engagement Portraits

November 13, 2013 Christa Taylor

Dear Christa -I am looking for some tips on taking engagement photos. I absolutely love your work and any advice you have would be greatly appreciated! -Nervous Poser That all-too-familiar moment of terror when the couple is looking at you with that "I feel awkward" expression on their faces. Panic is clawing at your gutt as thousands of thoughts rush through your brain, clouding your vision and making you sweat like a pig about to be baconized.

No. bueno.

How to avoid Getting Stuck

Whether engagement, wedding or even family portraits posing your couple is intimidating. That's why I've come up with a strategy for planning out my shoots prior so I never feel "stuck".

1) Create a Posing Manual

The best advice I can give is start tearing sheets out of magazines. Pick up a few magazines, paw through and snap a pic on your phone or slip them into a binder to tote along.

I have a posing manual with dividers for couples, women fashion, women boudoir, seniors, families etc. I also sketch out (yay for stick-figures!) my poses on one simple sheet so I can have an "at a glance" reboot of the poses I want to cover.

Find Creative Poses That Match your Brand

Have you ever thought about how certain poses represent your brand better than others? I didn't until I realized that my particular clients (those that are attracted to my style) don't gravitate towards super playful flirty poses. What do you feel like you default towards? Those are the types of photos and poses you should be looking for and compiling into your binder.

2.) Practice on you and your man

Get in front of a mirror and work out the poses ahead of time so you know how to communicate the position to your couple.

3.) Create a Flow

I create categories in my head that I want to capture every time I shoot.

standing poses
sitting poses
poses from above shooting down
wide angle poses
tight intimate head shot poses
walking or action poses (piggy back, picking up and swinging around, running up from behind with a huge hug)

50mm f2.0 1/640 ISO400 Same pose, three different moods.

I then create a "map" in my head, depending on the location, for what poses I want to start with. Walking or action poses are the best to start with as they warm the couple up and make them feel comfortable, relaxing the muscle tension in their faces etc. You can then move to other poses, saving the most intimate or complicated poses for last when the couple is really warmed up.

Do: shoot the same pose from 180 degree angle. You get a completely different shot from the same position.

Do: Work the distance. I'm always telling myself- "get them separated, work the distance shots"

50mm f2.2 1/320 ISO 400 This was the first pose at this shoot- started with the distance and moved him in from there. I instructed him to stand tall behind her, pressing into her back and kissing her shoulder or neck.