I so appreciate your ability to successfully navigate these crunch time situations and convey the importance of mental prep and planning. I don't shoot weddings but have done a great deal of location shooting and it's always the case that things rarely go as planned and you feel like your flying by the seat of your pants. Honestly, it's kind of a rush to know you can draw on the muscle memory of experience and create something of beauty out of situations that might otherwise be a disaster. Hats off to you Katelyn!
You mentioned a family member on oxygen and accommodating them. I'd love to see a video about accommodating family members/bridal party members with disabilities. I was just in a wedding as a wheelchair user and the photographers ended up unintentionally hiding me in quite a few shots and I think educating others on this would be super helpful!
The following comments are a gentle critique. Please take it with my need to suggest other options. In the beginning, why didn't you shoot at 1/200 and ISO 640 instead of ISO 2,500 and 1/800? They're basically standing still. I don't understand the need for such a high shutter speed and ISO. Later you were shooting a 1/160 and got great shots. I don't think her hand movement in one of your 1/160 shots degraded the emotion of the image at all. Perhaps it made it more real. A perfect opportunity for auto ISO. Have you ever considered using direct on camera flash at two stops under to maximize the catchlights in their eyes since the ambient light is already flat light? Why not do the group shot first and let some people leave and get out of the rain, and have fewer and fewer people in the shot till you just finish with the bride and groom shots? I find this a more efficient people pleasing way to shoot. Great suggestions on planning. Thanx.
I think she mentioned it in her closing statements that the first pictures of just the couple were admittedly hurried and her priority was that she get "something." With this being the case then I think she definitely did the right thing by taking the less risky option of the higher shutter to guarantee the sharpest images. Then she was able to switch to lower shutter/lower ISO when she knew that she had the first set to fall back on.
This is awesome, thank you! One question, you mention you had your shutter 'as low as it could go safely', but it was at 1/800 for a lot of those pix. But these were just still portraits, why did you need the shutter so high? Even with an 85mm lens, couldn't you have cut that down by one or even two stops to be able to lower your ISO?
How do you get everyone so in focus with such a low f stop on that big group! I feel like I’m doing something wrong cause I feel like I can never get families all in focus without being at like f stop 6 most times!
At 70mm at f/2.0 from approximately 30 feet away, the in-focus portion of the depth of field is over 6 feet in width. Since everyone is standing in a line (I like to tell people to line up their toes to avoid the all-to-common group curve.
Are you at 1/80th or 1/800th? If 1/800th, you had a little more wiggle room to go down on that but I get it, you are flying through these and the camera can handle the ISO just fine!
I'm curious why you were shooting 1/800 for ss when your ISO is higher? I find usually anything over 1/500 is overkill unless it's really bright. Would love to hear your take as someone who has done lighting and location!
You KILLED it!!! I'd love to say that you also did a fabulous job NOT bringing the bride into all the stress in your head. You moved fast and efficiently and even in the midst of everything moving quickly (like with wedding party shots) you were a gem. The women around me were saying, "She's so cute!" in response to the fun little things you were saying to get us to move and smile. You were amazing!!
I had a wedding a couple weeks ago and the timeline got so screwed up! I was panicking as dinner took an hour longer than planned and due to hair/makeup taking much longer than planned as well as an unplanned receiving line and a few unplanned stops along the way to the reception I still had family formals, bridal party photos and couples portraits to do. I was internally frantic as i kept watching the clock tick and the lighting situation get dimmer and dimmer, and it was also raining off and on. Once I got the opportunity after dinner I set up a spot on the patio outside so I could round family up quickly. Mother of the bride was so skeptical of my choice and insisted we stay inside (with the horrible orange pot lights 😅), I finally had to be assertive and told her “I promise you will thank me later once you see these photos”. Thank god I did that because the outdoor photos ended up turning out fabulously! Sad part was I didn’t end up getting photos of the entire bridal party together (some of the bridal party left etc…🤦🏻) but was able to get the (chaotic) family formals done, separates of the bridal party and couples portraits at the end. I was happy when I saw this video! Made me realize that weddings are so unpredictable no matter how many times you’ve done them. Love your stuff Katlyn!
@@Chris-ey7zy there was only 4 bridesmaids! But hair and makeup should have definitely started earlier on in the day. I’ve learned since and now require hair and makeup to start at 8am, even for a 3pm wedding.
1/800s? What did I miss? The Ferrari passing by at 100mph? They aren't moving at all. Why the heck are you shooting at 1/800 of a second? I would have understand if you're shooting this with a 400mm lens, probably,....not.
Thanks for sharing this helpful video 🙏🏻 QUESTION: Why do you shoot ISO 2500 and then a shutter of 1/800...? I would have used a lower shutter speed (maybe 1/250) and than lowered my ISO but maybe there is a good explanation and I wold love to hear 🌱
I would love to see how you edit photos with really high ISO. My last wedding ran late and it was ACTUALLY dark when I had to do family formals and I did it all with off camera flash. It was a nightmare.
you could have shot at 1/250 safely and cut the ISO to about 600 or less. for formals, i bring a strobe on a stand for fill. image quality and skin tones are perfect.
I shoot sports and wildlife and have zero interest in ever shooting a wedding but I just love your videos. I learn something every time and your work is absolutely phenomenal. You crushed that shot under pressure in less than ideal conditions. In hindsight the flat light looked fantastic in the final product!
Jersey, I've been where you are. I once said at a wedding "I don't EVER want to be responsible for the photos!" Consider weddings but start small. Once you get used to the intense pressure it's pretty fun. There's a ton to learn and you'll never be finished learning. The pay can be good too. But yeah, Katelyn's videos are great in so many ways.
Love that this is both educational for shooting as the light is fading and teaching about delivering a great client experience. And the teamwork of you two splitting and shooting at the same time to knock all those shots out! Also, love the bride's shoes!!
ISO 3200 is nowhere close to "high ISO'! Try shooting football at night. We are at ISO 12,800 all night long, getting very usable images with the R6. Don't worry about high ISO. That's a mental limitation, not a real limitation.
Hello I was searching for BTS video for overcast scenario because Im wondering what to do in my mind Im thingking of using OCF for a fill light or something like that does it make much of a difference? Thannks
I noticed that you shot with a fairly high ISO on the formal shots, however, out of pure curiosity can I ask why your SS was at 1/800 for subjects with low to no movement? Just thinking that your ISO could have been lower if you'd gone with a slower SS. I don't want to sound cranky or telling you how to suck eggs, as I know you're a class photographer - just thought it unusual that you felt a lower SS would impact the images negatively. Please excuse me if I've missed something obvious :)
Love the way you continually guide your subjects, full of energy and positivity, and manage to get the shots you need, all at the same time. I think you prove every time that it's people skills that count the most in your challenging profession. Thanks so much for generously sharing your hard-earned skills ❤️
Thank you! Loved your advice during the location interaction. We have to remember that we have photographer’s instinct for a reason! This happened to me last week at a wedding, but with bright light. One of the family members wanted a different location, but I stood my ground (while feeling guilty) and the photos turned out great!!!
Loved watching the video… and jumped for a second when I thought… is that Jody???? Love her so much too. You both have been so influential in my photography. ☺️💞
This friday night, I shot at ISO 20,000. Had never used such high ISO. I admit the file can not be printed larger than 5"x7", but all the clients wanted was for social media. I wish I could sent some of these pictures to you (It would be unethical!). Why did I do that? Because I didn't want to lose the spontaneous moment, and I didn't have time to go look for my flashes. All I had was the light from the garden landscape. I am more and more "in love" with my Canon R6!
Hi, I just had a question as to why the shutter speed is at 1/800 if it was a dark situation? Is it because of motion blur during the parts that they are not just posing but doing something with movement?
It was, it would have been to have been 1/250 and like 1600 ISO. In the rush and chaos, I was fine. If I had slowed down it would have been better to adjust.
@@KatelynJames Hi Katelyn. I love your calming voice and I have learnt a lot from your tutorials. Keep up the good work. I especially have to applause you for willing to share your “mistake” shooting at a non-ideal shutter speed and admitting it publicly. It makes you so much more relatable. I have only done a few weddings and I totally understand how easy it is to have the non-ideal settings dialed in the midst of absolute chaos!
Wedding photography isn’t my thing and I notice your photos are light and airy, which to be fair is very acceptable for this type of photography. Can I ask do you edit your photos this way or do you shoot a stop or so over exposed? My next question is, I know you where outside to capture as much ambient light as possible and at speed because of diminishing daylight but why no flash or external lighting?
woo hoo Katelyn!! you get 'em! By the way, did you use flash at all? I thought I saw that on your camera. :) and you are using ONE SPOT focus right (pointed at the bride and groom with everyone lined up straight)?
I’m terrified about this for my wedding next Friday. I feel like I’ve planned really well but we’re already going to be limited on time with the sunset being early and now it’s supposed to be bad weather too 🙈🥺
Thank you. I have an outside wedding coming up I’m planning on rain (maybe some tents) and low light in the middle of trees 🤦♂️. I’m gonna be shooting with my prime lenses.. Wish me luck lol I love the challenge tho..
This is our life as well! It is exhausting enough on a "regular" day. Keeping the group engaged, staying positive..and yes, we love our 2 new R6. They save the day. If my 28-70 would just come in!
how do you charge for destination engagement session? Not sure if you made a video in regards to that. Not a wedding, but and engagement lol thank you!
As a heads up, when shooting a formal wedding party on the same focal plane, you can pretty much shoot wide open if you prefer. This isn't camera specific either - any camera will have the ability to aquire focus on a single focal plane. Ideally you'd be better off using a narrower depth of field though.
I have been in this very situation a bunch of times..... nice to see some of the same things I have done on your shoot too!! thanks for your sharing this one!
OCF wasn't needed here - ISO 2500 is hardly a sniff for an R6 or any other worthwhile full frame camera. I live in the UK and very rarely do I use OCF at weddings unless it's for creative light work at night time. Knowing your gear and what it can and can't do is the best way forward. I mean look at the scene - you have rain coming in, changing light and you need to get the job done - adding any ocf at this point is just a waste of valuable time when you know your gear can and does get the job done without flash. afaik, Katelyn does a huge amount of her work using natural light, so I'd guess straight away that's why she didn't use ocf - a creative choice I guess, and the right one.
I am about to do my first wedding in four years and I have gone through all your videos for ideas and tips. Thank you for the content it is helping so much. I am confident that this is going to be just fine. Thank you again
I'm curious why you decided to frantically shoot in a driveway/bush with low, flat light instead of a "grand" church with bounce flash? Secondly: greenery looks great in photos, but doesn't it look odd that a married couple would be standing alone, in knee-level grass by themselves? That seems much more unusual than shooting with the church as a background. Love your videos! You're awesome! Just would like to know more about my mindset when making those creative decisions
Wow! I could feel the stress as I watched this. You handled it like a pro. Never let them see you sweat, right! Thank you. This is a good reminder for an upcoming winter evening wedding coming up.
I'd love some advice on working with a planner/decorator for ceremony orientation. I had one of the worst lighting situations at a wedding recently and simply adjusting the position of the alter would have made a huge difference. (Like shadow on his face and bright sun on her face.)
Did this couple do no first look? When you don't do a first look, do you still do maids and men separate before? I do to at least try to save that time. When the wedding party is huge and time is short, I am so tempted to not do individuals with each bridesmaid and each groomsman. I know it is the standard but I'd love to start skipping this on HUGE parties with a time crunch!
You did amazing but I'll be honest. That wasn't dark at all and your shutter speed was way too high, but i do understand how tough the situation was with the couple so maybe you forgot about your settings
Did you ever been shooting with your r6 in the rain ?? Im asking because I have the same camera and lenses as you and im scared to take my gears when is raining im not sure if the system is water resistant.
I am so glad I learned photography when knowledge of lighting meant something and posing was a bit more then stand there and lean in a pice line and then fix it with presets later.
You calmed me a bit, Katelyn! I can’t even believe the timing of this video! I have a wedding Saturday and rain is forecasted! We have a tropical storm on the way. I was just starting to panic and this helped me so much! So many good tips that I will be executing!
Do you have a video or any advice on how to shoot an outdoor ceremony/reception in the dark with not a whole lot of light and only an on camera flash? My technically 2nd wedding I shot was basically done in blue hour and dark and only a portion of the nice backyard had a ceiling to bounce light. Not bad results but would love to gain more insight on better use of on camera flash.
I truly appreciate that you shared this video with us. I am not a professional photographer, and I have a question about the big group photo where you only set the aperture to f2.5. I thought that the aperture should be more than 4.0 to make sure everyone's face in the big group gets sharp. Thank you again for sharing your insight.
Also, I think you are so gifted. On my wedding day, I had a great photographer, but he did not make me feel relaxed. I like how you kept complimenting your clients and made them feel relaxed.
I wish I had you for a wedding photographer. My wedding was tornado warnings and such and the photos were terrible. So that's the whole reason I became a wedding photographer. Thanks for all your help. Also, can we talk about your romper? Please share where you got it!
that’s funny 😂 not about your photos though. but i came. a photographer for a similar reason. just to be able to give people great photos for a reasonable price
Why would you need to? ISO 2500 is hardly a game changer nowadays. Using a little NR in post will cure any noise at that ISO. Flash will just be more time consuming to dial in settings, which given the light was fading fast would likely need the power changing on the flash as the light goes, more to the point balancing flash images outside if the rest of the wedding was shot in natural light wouldn't go well for consitency. I'm a lover of natural light anyway, so personally I'd push my ISO to the point where I felt uncomfortable and ISO 2500 is ok for me. I'd tweak my SS first though, as 1/800 is unnecessarily high for static subjects.
How do you manage to keep everyone's eyes in focus when shooting such a large group at f2.5, especially zooming in for compression? I find that extremely challenging even when I have the subjects as even as I can along the focal plane.
Keep them in line no one behind another person. There heads right next to eachother in the straight line is super important. Even then they won't all be in focus but it will be close.
I always try to do that but very rarely get all eyes in focus, especially wide open. With the group shot of the Groomsmen for example, the guys at the end look like they're closer to the camera than the guys in the middle yet they still look nicely in focus here even though it's shot fairly wide open at f2.8 .
I would have if it was absolutely the only option but really, if I'm going to use flash for portraits, I would prefer to use it indoors so it looks more natural. I'm not a big artificial light in a field kind of photog
Shooting still subjects at 1/800 and complaining about high ISO? Hmmm 🤔 interesting. I could freeze a ballerina 🩰 at 1/250 talkless of still subjects. With 5 axis stabilization in modern cameras 📷, you could’ve shot them at 1/125 and would’ve brought your iso to about 400. But what do I know ❤️😊
@@Chris-ey7zy true Chris, it doesn’t… but 1/125-1/250 is PLEEEENTY enough to shoot portraits. The clients aren’t dancing 🕺🏾 💃🏻 are they? So, 1/800 for portraits is quite exuberant, especially when we are ‘complaining’ about high ISO’s. Infact, I shoot clients at 1/25-1/60 and just ask them to stay still if I’m really in a crunch for lower ISO’s and get TACK sharp images. We can all learn from one another.
@@Chris-ey7zy it’s obvious she’s been burnt 🔥 before by shooting low Shutter speeds unknowingly… it’s okay❤️ Lower shutters can be our friend if we are aware that we are shooting it and when to shoot it❤️ enjoy 🥰
@@glenabolu9331 yes If you are trying to balance low light background and flash though if you can’t hold your camera steady then you’ll get camera shake from too low shutter speed
Katelyn I cannot tell you how helpful your videos and educational resources have been in my journey as a photographer. You are seriously a gift! Thank you for making me a confident photographer. I am so grateful. 🤍
