Wedding+Storm!

Matthew Ebenezer · January 8th, 2009, 06:13 PM

On the day of the wedding, a menacing storm stalked us the entire day and when it came time for the photo session we needed to decide whether to stay safely indoors or press on to the chosen location (about 25 minutes drive).

It was a gamble either way. Do we stay or do we go? With a gorgeous couple waiting and a storm at our heels, we requested divine providence and went for it.

Check out the full post here on our blog:
Shadowplay Blog Heath and Samara - Wedding Teaser

Click here to watch the video in HD on Vimeo:
Heath and Samara - Wedding Teaser - HD on Vimeo

For this wedding we were only hired for photography, not video. But, I knew it was going to be something special so I decided to film as much of the wedding as I could in between assisting Katie (my wife|the photographer).

Once we reached the location (an old barn on a hill overlooking a panorama of cane fields) and I saw how amazing the light was plus the storm on the horizon, Katie was on her own! I grabbed my cameras and filmed as much as time would allow - which wasn't much given that the photography was #1 priority.

Literally two minutes after we all reached our cars it absolutely bucketed down: D90 - Rain on Vimeo

Any feedback and critique is always welcome.

Cheers,

Matthew.

Travis Cossel · January 8th, 2009, 07:14 PM

Absolutely love the colors in this. You're shooting on A1's, right? Are you using a preset or just making adjustments in post?

That rainstorm was crazy. Imagine the cool shots you could have gotten IN that. Of course, you'd need some heavy-duty raingear for sure!

Chris P. Jones · January 8th, 2009, 08:09 PM

Gorgeous! Enigmatic!

Kudos for turning an obstacle into an opportunity!

jones

Matthew Ebenezer · January 8th, 2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Travis Cossel

Absolutely love the colors in this. You're shooting on A1's, right? Are you using a preset or just making adjustments in post?

That rainstorm was crazy. Imagine the cool shots you could have gotten IN that. Of course, you'd need some heavy-duty raingear for sure!

Hey Travis,

Thanks for checking it out.

Yeah, I'm shooting with two A1s. One A1+Merlin combo and one A1+Brevis combo. All the Brevis shots were with a Nikon 85mm 1.4 lens.

When it comes to colour, I do it all in post. I never shoot with presets on the A1 'cause I want the image to be as flat as possible.

Because of the cloud cover and the storm, the light was possibly the most perfect light I've ever shot in. That's the #1 reason I could push the colours so hard in post. On every shoot, I do everything possible to shoot in the nicest light available, on this one the light was just gorgeous.

We were pretty lucky to not get caught in that downpour, that's for sure!

Cheers,

Matthew.

Matthew Ebenezer · January 8th, 2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris P. Jones

Gorgeous! Enigmatic!

Kudos for turning an obstacle into an opportunity!

jones

Thanks Chris! Appreciate you checking it out!

Cheers,

Matthew.

Ken Diewert · January 9th, 2009, 12:38 AM

Wow!. That is incredible light. I like your idea about shooting flat. Once you've picked and shot with a preset, it's pretty hard to undo if you don't like it after. I actually liked the handheld movement, it works with that piece. I assume you used the merlin on the glidepast?

Travis Cossel · January 9th, 2009, 12:55 AM

I shoot without presets as well. As much as I like what some of the presets can do, I prefer to have the image flat as well.

Ken Diewert · January 9th, 2009, 02:35 AM

Travis,

It's funny because we used to gripe about the flat colors out of the box over at the H1 forum, so I got kind of hooked on presets, and then had a couple of shots that I really didn't like afterward. Not to mention most of them cost you 1/2 stop or more of light. On the H1 it's fairly easy to bump from one preset to the next without realizing that you tapped the button. Most of the work I was doing last year was quick & dirty, so the the presets helped, but with a wedding, CC just comes with the territory.

Carl Wilky · January 9th, 2009, 01:45 PM

I've always been a big fan of yours Matt. I really enjoyed this last piece you created. When ever photo shoots are done in the country side they always come out very good, but the added storm created an unbelievable back drop.

Good job on the color grading too, didn't feel over the top and mixed well with the b&w scenes.

Thank you for sharing.

January 8th, 2009, 07:14 PM	#2
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Absolutely love the colors in this. You're shooting on A1's, right? Are you using a preset or just making adjustments in post? That rainstorm was crazy. Imagine the cool shots you could have gotten IN that. Of course, you'd need some heavy-duty raingear for sure! __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

January 8th, 2009, 08:09 PM	#3
Chris P. Jones Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: Waco, Texas Posts: 89	Gorgeous! Enigmatic! Kudos for turning an obstacle into an opportunity! jones __________________ Mason Jar Blog Education for the Event Filmmaker

January 9th, 2009, 12:38 AM	#6
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	Wow!. That is incredible light. I like your idea about shooting flat. Once you've picked and shot with a preset, it's pretty hard to undo if you don't like it after. I actually liked the handheld movement, it works with that piece. I assume you used the merlin on the glidepast? __________________ C100, 5DMk2, FCPX

January 9th, 2009, 12:55 AM	#7
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	I shoot without presets as well. As much as I like what some of the presets can do, I prefer to have the image flat as well. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

January 9th, 2009, 02:35 AM	#8
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	Travis, It's funny because we used to gripe about the flat colors out of the box over at the H1 forum, so I got kind of hooked on presets, and then had a couple of shots that I really didn't like afterward. Not to mention most of them cost you 1/2 stop or more of light. On the H1 it's fairly easy to bump from one preset to the next without realizing that you tapped the button. Most of the work I was doing last year was quick & dirty, so the the presets helped, but with a wedding, CC just comes with the territory. __________________ C100, 5DMk2, FCPX

January 8th, 2009, 06:13 PM	#1
Matthew Ebenezer Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toowoomba, Australia Posts: 370	Wedding+Storm! - Short Teaser to Share On the day of the wedding, a menacing storm stalked us the entire day and when it came time for the photo session we needed to decide whether to stay safely indoors or press on to the chosen location (about 25 minutes drive). It was a gamble either way. Do we stay or do we go? With a gorgeous couple waiting and a storm at our heels, we requested divine providence and went for it. Check out the full post here on our blog: Shadowplay Blog Heath and Samara - Wedding Teaser Click here to watch the video in HD on Vimeo: Heath and Samara - Wedding Teaser - HD on Vimeo For this wedding we were only hired for photography, not video. But, I knew it was going to be something special so I decided to film as much of the wedding as I could in between assisting Katie (my wife\|the photographer). Once we reached the location (an old barn on a hill overlooking a panorama of cane fields) and I saw how amazing the light was plus the storm on the horizon, Katie was on her own! I grabbed my cameras and filmed as much as time would allow - which wasn't much given that the photography was #1 priority. Literally two minutes after we all reached our cars it absolutely bucketed down: D90 - Rain on Vimeo Any feedback and critique is always welcome. Cheers, Matthew. __________________ --------------------------------------------------------- www.shadowplay.com.au --- www.shadowplay.com.au/blog

January 9th, 2009, 01:45 PM	#9
Carl Wilky Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Montéal, Canada Posts: 115	I've always been a big fan of yours Matt. I really enjoyed this last piece you created. When ever photo shoots are done in the country side they always come out very good, but the added storm created an unbelievable back drop. Good job on the color grading too, didn't feel over the top and mixed well with the b&w scenes. Thank you for sharing.