Wedding video from sound, music and photographs

I photographed this long-established couple a few weeks ago when they married in the Registry Office in Glasgow's Park Circus. The immediate wedding party images were taken in the building, which is a very attractive setting. Because the weather was cold and blustery the remaining group shots, and all the candids, took place at the reception in Bishopbriggs.
To make the video I made a selection from the hundreds of pics I took on the day. Those which worked best to tell the video story were blended together using cross-dissolve and the Ken Burns effect to pan across each image.
I recorded the sound of the entire ceremony using professional kit and extracted the vows to include in the video. Before the vows you hear music which hints at the tension of the build-up to the big moment. After that the music builds in tempo to represent the happy event and the jollity of the reception.
The couple now have lots of photographs, an HD video to watch on the telly and an mp3 of the ceremony to listen to.
I hope you like the video. If you've any questions about my photography of events, weddings, business or people please call me on 07812 576 430, email me at gordon@gordonsaundersphotography.co.uk or visit http://www.gordonsaundersphotography.co.uk

Four steps to looking good in photographs

Modern cameras are great. Just point one at a friend or colleague, press the button and the result is perfect. In theory. Here’s some help with the practice.

In your mind’s eye you’re photographing a relaxed person who’ll be delighted with the results. They’ll shower you in compliments or kisses (you choose) and you’ll gain a reputation as the go-to-guy who makes people look (and feel) good when a Facebook photo is needed.

Most times, though, you get a less fulsome reaction. The subject looks older, fatter and sweatier than in real life. If you’ve produced a shadowy silhouette or a bleached-out nuclear accident viewers can only guess how they look. The same viewer might, unfairly, draw a less than flattering conclusion about the person in the photo. 

So what can you do to take that warm, attractive person and translate these qualities into a two-dimensional photo?

1) Trash the flash

Have you ever looked at a gossip mag (yes, you have), at the shots of celebrities stumbling out of night clubs at 4am? Not pretty sights, are they? A night of alcoholic and chemical abuse takes its visual toll, but not as much as the harsh light of the tiny flash on the paparazzi’s camera. It’s like going out in the noon-day sun - few of us look good in that. The lady in the dark photo above (see 2 below for more) isn’t looking her best in it.

Have you ever noticed that the shadows disappear when you go out on an overcast day. That’s because the clouds are scattering the sun’s light, wrapping it softly round faces exposed to it. Taking photos on such a dull day, or by the light of a north-facing window, is kinder to faces. Try it and see the difference.

2) Have a grey day

Photograph a black cat in a coal cellar and the automatic camera result will be grey. Snap a polar bear in a snowstorm - grey again.

Cameras expect photos to be a mixture of colours and tones which, if mixed together, would be a medium grey. So putting your photographic subject in front of a white wall will fool the camera into darkening the image - making it that cheery, vibrant grey. That’s why the pic shown here shows a grey wall and a very dark person. The wall is actually pure white. Many offices have white walls so placing someone in front of one will give you that result almost every time. 

The answer is to find a background with  lots of mid-tones. Most buildings and open spaces are made up of browns, greys, greens and blues. Using them as a background will give you a fighting chance of capturing a well-exposed image.

Now that you’ve got the light right, how do you get the person to lighten up?

3) We’re all shy

People can chat all day at the watercooler, keeping things nice and light. Put a camera between them, though, and both feel, well, exposed. This is a normal response to a strangely intimate arrangement and the common response is to take a quick snap and flee. Fight that urge. It takes time for both parties to relax; it could five minutes or even twenty but the best shots won’t happen until both parties feel reasonably comfortable so it’s worth hanging in there, taking plenty of pics as you go.

So does that mean that the results will show an old, fat, sweaty - but laid back - person? There is a solution.

4) Chin out, shoulders back, get your hands out of your pockets

Your least-favourite teacher was partially right. Looking good in a photo means holding yourself in an unaccustomed way which feels weird but looks good in a photo (not at a party - it’d look odd there).

Let’s start with the shoulders. Standing square-on to the camera - like in the traditional police mugshot - makes anyone who isn’t a supermodel look chubby. It also looks a bit gormless. The person should turn their body sideways - halfway between a front and side view.

Next the subject should lean towards the camera a little, from the waist. Next, stretch their head towards the camera whilst keeping their chin level. If you think it sounds strange just wait until you try it. The photo above shows the before and after positions.

The last stage is to have the camera slightly above the subject’s face so that the shoulders create a nice diagonal line and the underside of the chin is hidden from view. The result should show a sharp-edged, tight-skinned chin. Now press the shutter. The final shot below shows the result of following these tips. 

Thanks to Maureen Scott for being a good sport and letting me take and use the unflattering examples.

There’s a lot more to making attractive portraits than these stages: lighting, make-up and retouching all come into the mix but they take a long time to master and most people would rather get on with the job they know and enjoy. 

I hope these four tips help you improve your image in social media, brochures and business cards. If you want to see more examples of my portraiture, and shots of weddings, events, products and locations, please have a look at my website: http://www.saundersimaging.co.uk or call me on 07812 576 430.

Take better pics of your family this summer

What's the advice that most people get when taking photos? Kodak recommended that the sun should be behind you. This suited them because the results, like the one above, show bright colours with plenty of contrast; it doen't produce happy photos, though. Looking at the photo above you can see that the boy is squinting against the painful brightness. That's not a happy holiday memory but there are simple techniques which leave people with full use of their eyes and a relaxed smile on their faces.

Tip 1

Turn round 180 degrees. Stand on the shadow of the person you're photographing and switch on your camera's flash (even though it's sunny). Take the pic and you'll notice that your subject has eyes - and looks a lot happier. The flash lights the face, adds a rim of light to the hair, and puts a sparkle in the eyes. The result is a relaxed pose which probably reflects the way you all felt at the time.

Tip 3

If you don't have a flash, or if it won't work in sunshine, find a light-coloured wall which is lit by the sun. Take your subject a few feet from it and stand in his/her shadow again. The wall will reflect soft, flattering light onto your friend without any grimacing. Again, the sunlight on the hair and shoulders says it's a sunny day. Result: another happy snap!

I use lots of expensive and complex cameras and lights in my wedding and portrait photography but it isn't necessary for holiday souvenirs. These photos were taken using an ordinary smartphone. Give it a try and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Photography technique for luminous skin

I take a lot of portrait and wedding shots and hear the fears of sitters that their skin isn't as perfect as the models in magazines. People forget that these models are often employed because they have perfect skin. Some have spots, though, and people like me then photoshop away any blemishes. Where does that perfect result leave the non-modelling client?

Taking a pic to leave a smooth skin is in two stages: the first is to light the person softly either with studio softboxes or, as in the example above, use the soft light from an overcast sky. The shot should be over-exposed to lose detail in the light skin tones. The next stage is to photoshop away any marks or roughness by cloning or tonal changes.

The subject here is my nine-year-old son whose young skin doesn't need much help. The benefits to those of us who won't see our tenth birthday again are much greater!

Take better holiday photos on the beach

Bask in more-meaningful beach memories

I thought that, as a photographer and designer, I could use some of the visual rules I've learned over the years to help others get the shots which send them back to the holiday when viewed months later.

This is a shot I took on holiday a couple of years ago. It's in the Vendée in the west of France but it could be almost anywhere - beaches generally look like each other, don't they? At the point of taking shots like this we're saving a memory for the cold winter days to come when our snaps will conjure up the heat on our backs and the mixed scent of suncream and Gitanes (in France that's guaranteed). The problem with the pic above is that it won't trigger the particular memories of this holiday - it's too bland and generic. So what would be better?

My family hadn't taken any shade with us to the French beach so we looked for a sheltered spot to escape the direct sun. At the back of the strand there were beach huts in bright summer colours. Next to them was an awning which offered us the protection we needed. We set up camp there and gazed around at the happy holiday scene, including the huts with their very French appeal. A user left his bike propped against one and I thought "That looks like a postcard".  One snap later and I have a pic which says "French beach" in a way which means a lot to me. 

The trick is to single out one feature which has a personal meaning. It might be the mad cocktail you've just ordered, a yellow kite against a blue sky, or the golden sand on which your holiday novel lies. Think of the image as the perfect postcard you'd send home to sum up your holiday. So take a few minutes to look around, focus on something with a special meaning for you, and save a happy, sunlit memory.

Don't put your sister on the stage, Mrs Worthington

Photo call at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. They're hosting a new play called "27", which is about alzheimers, for the National Theatre of Scotland. The star is Maureen Beattie who I shot in her nun costume in a couple of scenes.

Making a video without a movie crew

Here's a short video I made, in a new Glasgow cafe, for a client who designs, sources and fits all the counter equipment for cafes, bars and restaurants. His main need was for still photos for web and trade press ads but he wanted to try out the movement and sound which makes video so captivating. The problem was that he didn't have the budget for live action video. I came up with a successful solution.

Still images need one person (the photographer) and a few flashes on lighting stands. That's not too disruptive in a busy, working cafe. It's also a lot less expensive than a film crew with glaring movie lighting.

How did I get movement in the video when it was largely shot with stills? I used a rostrum editing technique which glides over still shots to give the impression of movement and shows the product close-up. I did cheat a little as there are a few live-action glimpses I took at the time.

I then edited the elements together to create a video of around one minute length (that's long enough on the web).

Sound was needed next. I used ambient sound from the featured cafe at the beginning and end. In between is a loop of library music in a contemporary Italian style - matching the equipment's image.

What's the call to action for customers? The video ends with a caption containing contact details.

Thanks for reading. If you'd like to know more about my photography, design and photoshopping skills please call me on 07812 576 430 or have a look at http://www.saundersimaging.co.uk/