“Un Boda En Madrid” is the unique marriage of a man and a woman, expatriated to Madrid for a few years. I won’t tell you about their lives because of his status, I don’t really have the right to do so, but I will tell you about the conditions of the marriage. This marriage was a real challenge. I had to adapt more than ever to the conditions and renew myself. Searching within myself for solutions to obtain the best possible quality was my leitmotiv of the day. I set the context…
BACKGROUND
At the beginning of November in the Madrid countryside (Southeast of the capital of Spain) on the side of Cuenca for those who know, here I am at the wheel of my little car arriving in a kind of Hacienda Auberge to meet my newlyweds! Ahhh… Spain! How I love this country! Except that that weekend, the Spanish weather had decided not to make my task any easier.
The bride and groom had warned me, the apartments were quite “old” and dark. I had planned lights just in case! And fortunately because on the morning of the wedding, it would have been difficult to make it any more gloomy: rain, thick clouds and low luminosity. The rooms all varnished wood and covered with varnish didn’t help. Luckily there was light in the rooms… but unfortunately I realize from the first pictures that halogen light, which is not a stable light, does not allow me to guarantee a coherent result…
The ceremony that was supposed to take place outdoors takes place indoors in the veranda to finish where an ugly shadow comes to annoy me by veiling a part of my bride and groom’s head! The planning is getting behind schedule.
The light gives way to darkness very quickly and the evening falls faster than expected. The fields of olive trees spotted the day before are soaked and prevent us from accessing…. These are all reasons that can sometimes make my work complicated. So many obstacles that I have to overcome in order to obtain the satisfaction of my bride and groom that is so important to me.
“Un Boda En Madrid”
SOLUTIONS
During this wedding in Madrid I learned that for every problem there is a solution.
Your light is too low, you lack the pure luminosity of daylight? Move the furniture, bring your subject closer to the window, no matter how small it is, direct your scene more than usual so that the rendering is satisfactory and constant. You are not sure of yourself? Don’t show it! Always be in contact with the bride and groom. Reassure them. Don’t you like it? Don’t show it to them and change the pose.
You’re missing some light… add some more! Personally I only use the flash in the evening. On the other hand I like to add a remote light source such as a LED set to 5000K (daylight) at the window location. I keep my natural light direction and I reinforce it for a natural effect.
Do you have to mount the ISOs? Yes, this is a reality. You will lose pigment. You will lose definition. But in another time, remember that very few brides and grooms want to make a poster out of their photo, so this loss will not be perceived in the print. Expose correctly from the start. Your dynamic range of lights will be more limited. No sun, no high light. An exposure adjusted from the start is a reliable rendering of your photo.
If your room is dark and narrow and the bride and groom are inviting too many people to come to the preparations, ask to compartmentalize. First half and then the others. Explain that you need to be able to turn around to show off the bride in the area. Then you complete by saying that the more people in front of the light sources, the less you can get a coherent result. Finally you reassure by adding that each aura is in turn, but that you have to find the right balance and normally it goes well.
If like me you have an unsightly shadow on the bride and groom’s face and it’s too late to move them because the show has already started, you adjust your exposure and prepare to retouch locally for long hours!
RELATIVITY
But above all, it took me a long time to accept it and admit it to myself, and this is not a guarantee of saying “I don’t care” but of relativity. You can only do with what you are given. Yes you can move some furniture and more with this or that, but the structure is what you have. It rains, you can’t be asked to make a big blue sky. The walls are yellow, you can’t paint them blue! However, you have to do your best with all the elements you have and what you can add and shape to make the result successful! And if possible laughing and smiling because don’t forget you are taking pictures of a wedding!
“Un Boda En Madrid”
And to be honest, this wedding at the gates of the Spanish capital is a wonderful memory ! First of all I found my bride and groom that I love and with whom I have a crazy feeling. I really consider them. I love to chat with them about anything and everything, discovering excellent fusion restaurants as during their couple’s session in the heart of Madrid ! L’entendre rire et rire parce que c’est de la joie pure qu’elle communique à travers ses émotions.
I also made some great new friends, spoke Spanish all weekend and that was not easy! Ah yes and I made roommate and especially I laughed again and again. I also cried too, too much, too much! But of happiness and joy! I loved this wedding, because it pushed me to my limits, because I had to take out everything I had in me, learned and integrated, forgotten and left in a corner of my brain, for these people I love, and the result is there. I am proud of them, their couple and their marriage in Madrid.
So a few days late with this post, but if you both read me, I wish you a nice cotton wedding. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for everything. See you soon in your new home! And if you want to share your wedding project with me like they do and leave me a message so that I can get back to you, come and write me a few words
