Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Crafting Compelling Visuals with composition
As we delve into the basics of composition, Jason emphasizes the importance of mastering techniques like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing. He enlightens us on how changing your shooting angle can add a fresh perspective and transform an ordinary scene into a captivating narrative. Listen in as Jason shares anecdotes from his vast experience, including insights from renowned photojournalist Bed Crispin. Get a sneak peek into Jason's go-to shots and discover why they always result in great photos, regardless of the location. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a newbie, this episode is the perfect blend of wisdom and inspiration that will surely enhance your photography skills. Explore and discover with us in this enlightening episode!
Hey there, welcome to OPG's Tips and Tricks. Here I'm going to share some quick tips and some tricks that I think you'll find very useful. Let's get right to it. Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Tips and Tricks with the Orion Photo Group, your go-to source for photography wisdom. My name is Jason Group and hopefully I have another good episode for you.
Speaker 1:We're recording this episode a little bit before Thanksgiving today, and lots to be thankful for this year. I hope the same is true for you as well. We can always find something to be thankful for right, thankful for right. All right, this episode is all about the art of shooting with different compositions in wedding photography. This one's a little more out there, a little more, a little different, a little bit more outside thinking than just physical. Hey do this, hey do that. So I hope you enjoy this one, and maybe you're driving to a wedding that you're photographing and maybe this will give you some inspiration for that.
Speaker 1:All right, so as wedding photographers at Orion Photo Group, our goal is to craft compelling visual stories that leave a lasting impression, or, as wedding photographers in general, we're gonna explore some techniques to elevate your photography game through diverse compositions. Okay so, number one understanding composition basics. So before I begin, let's just understand some basic rules that I'm sure most of you know, but maybe we'll reserve as a refresher for you. So before we dive in, let's revisit those fundamentals of composition. Rule of thirds, leading lines and framing are the foundation. If you don't understand rule of thirds, I suggest that you go buy a book on it or do some reading on it. It is everything that we do and one of the most important elements in photography. As far as composition is concerned, mastering rule of thirds is super duper important. Breaking your frame into a three by three grid and strategically placing elements that can add balance and interest to your photos that's the best way to describe that.
Speaker 1:So then we move on to symmetry and asymmetry, and symmetry and asymmetry play pivotal roles. Of course. Perfectly mirrored compositions bring harmony ideal for classic weddings while asymmetry injects dynamism. I wrote that word down, I didn't think I was gonna have to actually say it. Perfect for capturing candid moments and conveying a relaxed atmosphere. So just talking about that a little bit. So, symmetry versus asymmetry you'll find that for classic weddings and people who are looking for more traditional type stuff, you're gonna want just straight out, line things up, good symmetry and it works really well when breaking those rules of symmetry with asymmetry injects something different that more non-traditional weddings are gonna be looking for.
Speaker 1:Alright, so moving on, we're going to talk about playing with perspectives. So again and I've talked about this on some of the other podcasts as well changing your shooting angle to add a different, fresh perspective. Experiment with high and low angles to transform mundane scenes into a captivating visual narrative. A bird's eye view captures a expansive scene, while a ground level shot adds intimacy. So some examples of that from my own shooting days. Changing your perspective is always a good way to get some great shots.
Speaker 1:I'm a very good friend of mine his name is Bed Crispin, who's one of the best photo journalism wedding photographers out there. He would always say if I don't come home filthy from being on the ground all day, I didn't do a good job for my clients that day, and there's a lot of truth to that. So getting on the ground and shooting from a different perspective one of the things and this kind of combined the symmetry and asymmetry in my shots is one of the things that I always would do at every single wedding would be to put my camera during a ceremony, I'd back up let's say it's a church in between in the aisle, I would put my camera on the ground, I'd put my wallet underneath my lens and I'd line it up so that the bride and groom were in the center and I'd have the pews on either side of me, creating some nice lines and again, just a different perspective. That always made for a very cool shot. It didn't matter where I was, whether it be St Patrick's Cathedral in New York City or some basement wedding in a church or some small ceremony out in the woods, it didn't matter. That always made for a great shot. It was one of the canned shots that I would always do. It would always wind up as being their last shots in their wedding album or in the middle of the wedding album. It was always a great storytelling photo.
Speaker 1:And then to go the other way, from bird's eye view, end of the night, shooting dance floor pictures, I would always get up on a ladder. Traditionally, I would get up on a ladder and shoot during a whole row so I would be able to capture the bride and groom or the couple at the same angle that they were at being lifted up in chairs. Or I would just take my again a super-duper wide-angle lens and just put my hand up in the air, as high as I could go, and shoot down on the dancing shot. So changing your perspective will always always give you something different and there are so many things that you can do with that. So think about those things, okay, moving on to the next part, balancing light and shadow.
Speaker 1:Okay, I talked about this a lot in one of my previous episodes about different lighting techniques. Understanding the play between light and shadow is crucial with all of your photography, right. Experimenting with backlighting for a dreamy atmosphere and embrace silhouettes for a goal during the golden hour, for a touch of mystery and adding a little drama Lots of different things that you could do. Doing shadows during portrait sessions with brides and grooms or couples always makes for really great shots, whether it's just shooting the shadow itself or doing like I said before about doing a silhouette during a sunset. And there are lots of things that you could do and create different shots during those same backlighting. Lots of things you could do Silhouette, you could create, rim light and lots of things that you could do with that. So, playing around with light and shadow, that's what we do as photographers, right, okay, next, candid moments. Obviously, I talked about this a lot in one of my last episodes too. Candid moments captured through a photojournalistic approach Convey those raw emotions and unscripted things that are happening during the wedding, and being a photojournalist and wedding photographer requires a lot of effort.
Speaker 1:It's not something that comes natural to many of us. If you're an older photographer, like I am, and been around a while, you were trained in a very classic style portraiture. You get the shots that you're supposed to do. Those are the most important shots first, and then you can play from there if you want to, but may not necessarily do that.
Speaker 1:As a photojournalist, a photographer, you throw in all those rules away, meaning you're willing to take a risk on a shot and missing a shot so that you could get that great photojournalist shot. And you need to find the balance of that, because you don't want to miss too many shots and it depends on what you're there to be hired for and it's really important that you understand what your clients are looking for. So if you can say to your clients hey, listen, I'm going to be looking for the most creative shots that you can ever imagine but that I might miss you kissing at the end of the ceremony, or I might miss something during the wedding ceremony and I don't have another photographer with me. Are you okay with that? That would be one way to handle that, if not, and they say, oh well, well, you know, the kiss shots are really important to us. That's what you're there to do. You're there to work for that client. But I do find that if you work really, really hard, even if that client says no, no, I don't want you missing any shots what I found as a newer learning person into photojournalism shooting everything, looking for everything all the time and never stopping. And when I say that, it is easier said than done, because when you're working over an eight hour day, you need breaks and you can get very tired moving. It's exhausting emotionally for us as wedding photographers to make sure that we're there doing the jobs that we can do. But it's that really, really cool shot that you get of one of the kids playing on the dance floor or one of the groomsmen just dancing his brains out at a wedding 30 minutes before the wedding is over and you all you want to do is pack your camera up. But they are just doing this amazing air guitar solo on the dance floor. You don't want to miss that. Or the shots the guys are doing in the back of the room Great time to get some really cool candid shots with the shot blasting all over a guy's face, or sweaty groomsmen. There's nothing better than a great groomsman shot when he's all sweaty and gross, enjoying himself and really really being there in the moment. So that's another way too.
Speaker 1:And then, finally, environmental portraits. I talked about this a lot in one of my past episodes as well. Putting your subjects within surroundings and adding context and their personalities, whether it's a landscape shot, an architecture shot or interactions with wedding guests. This technique tells a broader story. Again, that's what I just described with changing my perspective with the back of the room Church shot. That's an environmental shot. A landscape shot would be putting them next to a big tree on a hill and capturing them from very, very far away. My good friend Cliff Mountain, I used to call them where's Waldo shots Because they would be like where's the Bridegroom in this shot or the couple in this shot? But a lot of times that would create just a really, really beautiful artistic shot and placing them in an environment and interactions with wedding guests too, doing a bridal portrait with the wedding guests around them. What a great shot to do something like that, and you could do those bridal parties as well.
Speaker 1:So this is kind of a quick episode, but again, mastering the art of shooting in different compositions is a journey of exploration, as is everything else, combining a solid understanding of compositional principles. I do really suggest that you study compositional principles. There's lots of books about them. Go out and read them. It'll change your thought processes when you start looking at the tried and true principles that you'll see in a PPA test, professional Photographers of America test or any of your local chapter photography groups that really get into the nitty gritty of those things. It's never been something that I'd done a lot of time studying, but dig out one of those books old school, old school compositional principle books and it'll blow your mind a little bit if you've never done it before. I really really suggest that a lot. And then taking that education and then pushing those creative boundaries, learning to push out of those things, those things will really elevate your wedding photography. So as you embark on your next assignment, remember that each moment is an opportunity to craft a visually stunning and emotionally resonant story.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining us on this episode of Tips and Tricks with the Orion Photo Group. Until next time, keep capturing those great moments and we'll see you out there. And I'm not sure when this episode will come out, but I'm feeling Thanksgiving this week. Happy Thanksgiving, lots to be thankful for. I hope you are well out there. Take care everyone. Hey, do you have a tip or trick you want to share with us? Please email me. Jgroup at orionphotogroupcom. I would love to hear your tips or tricks and we'll even send you a nice little award for doing so. Until then, thank you.
