A Wedding Image and a "How-to" Story from the Artist

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by Skip Cohen

We may not be getting together at conventions, but that doesn't mean there aren't some great opportunities to still get inside another artist's head and understand how they captured an image, or what makes it special. 

Jordan Bunch is a LUMIX Ambassador and no stranger to "Mirrorless Monday" posts. He's also a wedding photographer and sent me the image above. Along with the photograph he wrote:

This one's different from ones I normally share with you but I got a compliment on it from one of the 3 WPPI Grand Masters so I figured it was worth sharing. Haha 

I shot it with the new Lumix 85mm f1.8 which is freaking amazing by the way. This is the first time I got a chance to use this lens and I fell in love with it so quickly. I ended up shooting 90% of the wedding day with it.

​The 85mm is the perfect balance of beautiful compression and usability on a wedding day - Not too long, not too wide. It allows for incredible depth and separation of foreground and background while still getting a sense of the environment of the space you’re in.

This moment was during a toast being given by the maid of honor. I had 2 lights on 12’ stands. One light across the room about 45 degrees to my right from subject and the other you can see pouring in, to the couples left. When I noticed the sun was still warming up the sky, after it set a bit, I made my way over towards this area.I slowed my shutter speed down to pick up the warmth in the sky.

Then I used a technique I've often called “zero tilt” when I get my camera on the same level as my subject's face so the lens is parallel to the ground. I wanted it to be at a strong enough angle from my light, with the sunset in the background and have a feel for the environment, so shooting through this table in front seemed like the perfect perspective. Then I just waited until the maid of honor made the couple laugh and snapped this little gem.

Note: The exposure triad for Jordan's image above was f1.8 @ 1/80 ISO 1600

After I posted this, and knowing how sensitive we all are, Jordan sent me an IM about why people were without masks...This was during the meal and people actually were doing a good job of being masked and distancing for the wedding. The bride and groom are both MDs so they made sure everyone was respectful of those guidelines...People only had their masks off because they were eating at this time.
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Click on the thumbnails below to learn more about two of Jordan's favorite creative tools. Visit his website to see more of his work, and then get to know the rest of the Ambassador team. They're a pretty amazing crew, and regularly sharing great content on their own blogs and websites.

LUMIX S1 Body, Digital Mirrorless Camera with 24.2MP MOS Full Frame, L-Mount Lens Compatible

LUMIX S Series 85mm F1.8 Mirrorless L Mount Lens