Photo of the Day


First Kiss

July 15, 2019

By Jacqueline Tobin

Photo © Luminus Photography

Newlyweds Hope and Bobby quickly became one of Tanya Carter‘s favorite couples to photograph from her past wedding season, and it’s easy to see why. “The beauty about this couple, aside from being madly in love, is how much—as photo enthusiasts themselves—they enjoyed being photographed,” Carter explains, “so they decided to grant us complete creative freedom on their wonderful October wedding.”

The setting for this image, says Carter, of Dayton, Ohio-based Luminus Photography, took place in the gazebo at Diamond Lake Event Barn in Scio, Ohio, where the couple had their first kiss during the ceremony. “Following their ceremony, we decided to take some portraits under the cover of the gazebo where they said their vows, to control the harsh early afternoon sun light. The original idea was to take a few intimate photos utilizing the bride’s long veil. Midway through, I noticed the texture and depth-of-field created by the veil, as well as the shapes of harsh shadow as a result of the sunlight behind the couple.”

Carter says she decided to take her strobe and bring it further back from the couple to deliver a kiss of light, “with only enough to show details in the shadows of my couple without destroying the shape of their shadows. Having a shallow depth-of-field, I extended her veil towards my 35mm lens so that I could see through to their faces. The result is a magical re-enactment of their intimate first kiss that took place 15 minutes prior. Only this time, I had the freedom to portray this moment as close as they were to each other. I do enjoy shooting with portrait telephoto lenses. However, being up close, I felt, would make it a stronger portrait of the kiss for the newlyweds.”

(Shot with a Sony a7 III, a Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 E-mount lens at f/2.8, 1/3200 sec. and ISO 125, a Godox AD200 strobe at 1/1 power and a 48-inch double-diffused Octabox.)

See the behind-the-scenes video here.

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