It was great hooking up with Small Moments Studios to help shoot Allison and Dave’s wedding. Great couple. Great crowd. The Westin Governor Morris was a fantastic reception venue. They had their new Photo Booth up and it was a huge hit. Check them out if you are looking for one! As usual, I had an absolute blast shooting with the gang!
Congrats Allison and Dave!
I’ve been using studio strobes at weddings receptions for a few years now. I’m slowing trying to work them into formals and group photos, particularly for shooting outdoors when I need to overpower the sun. Part of the issue is that I shoot alone and without an assistant so it’s important that the system I come up with is conducive to the fast paced day!
I recently had an opportunity to shoot with NYC as my backdrop, thanks to a wedding I shot in Queens, NY. You can find the blog post here.
I used the following combination for “running-and-gunning” outdoors:
It’s not super portable but I managed to carry this over my shoulder and integrate it pretty well. As long as I don’t have to walk with it for more than 5-10 minutes I should be fine!
I’m still trying to figure out a better system so that I can operate more smoothly. For example, I need to get a shorter cable so that it’s cleaner and tangle-free. I also want to figure out whether I can use my Kacey Beauty Dish and still keep it reasonably portable. Wedding days are usually pretty hectic and time is always of the essence so keeping things simple is very important.
Anyways, here are a few shots taken with this setup. Setting used: 1/200 f11 ISO100. Strobe at almost full power.
I’ve been reading in various photography forums regarding an issue with the 5D Mark III when used with a Speedlight and its AF Assist beam. Specifically, some folks were claiming that focusing became very sluggish to a point where they were missing shots. While I haven’t noticed a glaring problem to a point of it becoming a show-stopper, I always felt that the focusing was indeed deliberate. That said, I don’t recall ever missing an important shot because of it. But any improvement of course is welcome!
So when I heard a new firmware was coming out that addresses this very issue, I jumped on it and upgraded to version 1.2.1. Fortunately, I happened to have a Wedding booked the very next weekend so it was a perfect opportunity to test the new firmware out.
Let me just say that I immediately noticed a difference at the Wedding reception. Focusing with the AF assist beam on the 600EX-RT was extremely responsive. Definitely much better than before. This despite the fact that I was not one of those who felt unhappy about the previous performance. So that’s saying something!
I highly recommend this firmware update!
Here are a few photos from the Wedding Reception.
When I met Ingrid, Juan, and their adorable daughter Madison at a local Diner for the consult over some good old fashioned Breakfast, I felt like we just clicked. We were all from Queens, NY and they were a very down to earth couple. I was really looking forward to their wedding day. You know what’s awesome? Having the wedding on their daughter’s Birthday. Talk about memorable! The ceremony was at a familiar place. St. Leo’s Church. Shooting the guys on cool motorcycles around the church before the ceremony? That’s a different story! Cool guys. Really cool!After the ceremony we made our way to the interesting 5 Pointz and the Pier at the Gantry Plaza State Park for some great scenic photos. We capped off the day with a lively reception at the awesome roof-top restaurant, Penthouse 808, at the Ravel Hotel. Oh yeah…people were dancing the night away and having a blast. Gorgeous view of the Queensboro bridge too!!! It was great keeping it in Queens. Wish I had more weddings like this!
Congrats guys!
Dawn and Wycliff got married on a cold and crisp Saturday in early February! Temperatures were in the 20′s but that didn’t stop us from capturing some great moments! Dawn, Wycliffe and the rest of the bridal party were troopers! Bring it on baby! Oh, and the venue, The Landmark Loew’s Theater in Jersey City, NJ…I mean, WOW. What a stunning place! I had Keith Jurow helping me out for this one and I sure was glad I had him around. I’ve shot with Keith many times and as usual, we had a blast!
Dawn and Wycliffe, Congrats!!!
