Rebecca Denton is a wedding photographer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Instagram @rdentonphotography or her personal site.
What was the concept of the shoot?
The concept of the shoot was to create a romantic outdoor bridal portrait with soft, golden backlight using one studio strobe to mimic a golden-hour sun.
What setup and lighting did you use to get the shot?
I used one Alien B800 with the 7” standard reflector and a one-quarter CTO warming gel (to add the golden color), along with a Vagabond Mini Lithium for power. The Alien B800 was set up camera right, behind and to the right of the bride at about a 45-degree angle. The light was set up behind a rock wall, but the stand was raised up high with the strobe peeking over the wall as if it were the sun streaming in. I also had an assistant holding a white reflector to the left of the camera to bounce some light back onto the bride’s face.
How did shooting tethered help you achieve the shot you wanted?
Shooting tethered in this situation allowed me to see the image more clearly and to make sure I wasn’t getting any unnatural shadows or extreme flares from the strobe.
What was your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was that we were shooting at 1 p.m. on a bright, sunny, cloudless day with harsh sunlight and shadows everywhere. We weren’t able to shoot later in the day, so we had to find a place with open shade that allowed us to create soft, golden light in a believable way. I found a patch of shade behind a rock wall, which worked perfectly and also matched the mood of the bridal shoot.
What type of post-processing was involved?
The images only needed basic editing, with some minimal color correction/brightening and light facial retouching.
