Photo of the Day


Eye-Catching Portraits and Photos of the Week

August 8, 2022

By Jacqueline Tobin

This week, we take a look at five eye-catching portraits and photos that captured our attention with their cool photo techniques and compelling lighting. Read the backstories on the following images—including a panoramic (made up of 6 images) and a double exposure—by Stacy Garfield, Mili Ghosh, Zabrina Deng and JAGstudio’s Jacklyn Greenberg.

Stacy Garfield, an elopement photographer from Outshined Photography in Washington state, says she and this couple went on a 12-mile hike during one of the hottest days of the year in Washington. “It was worth it just to be treated to this beautiful alpenglow on Dragontail Peak,” she explains. “The couple had the entire area to themselves to exchange their personal vows with each other. “

cool photo techniques including this panoramic using 6 images.
© Stacy Garfield

Garfield continues: “I enjoy making panoramics for couples when their location is so magnificent and it takes multiple images—6 in this case—to truly capture the full beauty. There is also such a beautiful reflection because of such calm conditions on the lake.”

[Read: Double Exposure Gives Layers to Photographer’s Narrative Concept]

In this next image by Garfield, using cool photo techniques including a double exposure, it features the couple in black and white at their ceremony location on the Northwestern most point of the U.S. (Cape Flattery, WA), and then a color image of them celebrating later on Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park, WA.  

double exposure
© Stacy Garfield

“I put these two images together because it captures their love right after exchanging their vows and then their celebration later in the evening at sunset,” say Garfield.

[Read: 15 Must-Capture Photo Ops at Indian Weddings]

“One of the things I enjoy doing is using mood and music to transport my couples into a different space,” says photographer Mili Ghosh. “This was shot just before bride Rekha walked down the aisle, her feelings of anticipation conveyed as I played timeless classics in the background.”

an Indian bride against wallpapered room
© Mili Ghosh

Ghosh says the stunning French inspired chateau built in the 1920’s on Long Island was the venue that Rekha and Akshay had chosen for their intimate wedding. “What helped me create a unique mood was the backdrop of old chinoiserie wallpaper that I knew would later be color matched with the hues of the bride’s outfit,” says Ghosh. “Natural light was challenging in this part of the castle and I set up my Profoto B10 as a continuous light and adjusted the color temperature of the continuous light.”

In post, Ghosh worked on white balancing as well as on the color grading to shift tones of the shadow for separation. “I also matched the hues in the way that would emulate a film frame from old Indian cinema,” she says. “Since my eyes are more tuned to watching films and seeing the results of constant light, it comes a bit more natural for me to work in situations when I know I can push the boundaries of my mirrorless with just one light source.”

Zabrina Deng says San Francisco’s Chinatown is magical at night. “It’s quiet and romantic, especially right after sunset with all the lanterns light up,” she describes. “It feels like being in Asia without the hassle of going through a long haul flight and crazy airport securities!”

Deng adds that clients Grace and Micah are getting married in October but this image was taken back in March during their engagement shoot in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “The couple had a lot of travel memories in Asia during the course of them dating, and while bride Grace has huge family ties to Taiwan, groom Micah is from Oakland, so I thought photographing them in San Francisco’s Chinatown would greatly reflect their romantic dating memories as they were well-traveled in Asia pre-pandemic.”

cool photo techniques used for engagement couple in SF Chinatown
© Zabrina Deng

Ultimately, Deng wanted to convey the love between couple Micah and Grace with the gorgeous lanterns behind them adding an ethereal, romantic glow. (And in case you don’t see it in the image, Deng had one massive light source placed behind the couple—a Toyota. Talk about some cool photo techniques!)

The photographer continues: “Photographing on the street at nighttime is not an easy task but I loved the challenge. I used small flashes as additional lighting to make this photograph more interesting. One small flash with a 45-degree angle was held by my lighting assistant 6 to 8 feet away, then another light was placed behind the couple in a much lower position so they would get a rim light surrounding their hair.”

[Read: Zabrina Deng’s Women of Chinatown]

In terms of wardrobe, Zeng says she did an in-person fashion consultation to figure out what the couple should wear for the photo session, to create the looks that would make sense of what she, and they, wanted to convey—the perfect blend of east and west.

For example, adds Deng, groom Micah often wears leather biker jackets, and his braids are a tribute to his roots; the T-shirt is also a reflection of his personality. Zeng says the khaki pants add a good interruption to the dark color tones and the nighttime sky. 

“Bride-to-be Grace is wearing the purple Cheongsam dress to represent her asian heritage,” says Deng. “I added a piece of tulle for the hair stylist to add in texture and color to make her braids more hip and trendy. And the added tulle tie in the back of her dress, along with the belt, gave her body a beautiful shape and added to the chicness of the outfit overall.”

Jacklyn Greenberg of JAGstudios says she loves everything about this image, and we do too! And with a pure and focused image like this, there’s no need for fancy photo techniques; just an adorable baby!

portrait of a baby
© JAGStudios

“I love the innocence, the joy, the brightness in his eyes, and the drool,” she exclaims. “This is actually my nephew, Oliver, so I’m really biased of this photograph of him!  It was really quite difficult to capture this, especially with a shallow depth of field and a 4-month-old. If you could see the behind the scenes, it was hysterical!”

[Read: 10 Random Questions for Jacklyn Greenberg]

Greenberg says she had baby Oliver on a table with her brother-in-law holding him up at the waist because he couldn’t sit up on his own yet, and her sister was next to her with, “a stuffed animal over my head trying to get his attention. I shot hundreds of frames just to get this one. He was so squirmy, but he completely went along with us. There were so many different faces, and he was looking in all directions, sticking his tongue out, crying, drooling, laughing.  We knew the moment it happened that everything finally came together… the tear in his eye, the drool, his wiggliness, the hat, the lights, and the look of pure joy in his eyes.”

[Read: 10 Random Questions for Jacklyn Greenberg]

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more eye-catching portraits and photos with unique and cool photo techniques. Submit your wedding portraits, editorial, documentary and commercial image submissions here:  jacqueline.tobin@emeraldx.com