If you only had 15 minutes on a wedding day to shoot the reception room for detail shots and a lot of pressure on your hands, make sure you get the necessary ‘safe’ shots first. Watch the video and see what’s on our 7 must have reception detail shot list and tips on how to get them.
Note: This is part of our Second Shooter Training for Lin and Jirsa Photography, Los Angeles. For more wedding education, be sure to see our Wedding Photography Training System in SLR Lounge Premium.
Watch the Video
Get some help clearing out the reception room if and when it’s ready. Enlist the help of the banquet captain or the coordinator to empty out the room as much as possible.
1. The Full Room Shot
You want to try to get this shot as soon as possible to avoid the trickle of guests that are eager to get into the room. Two perspectives we like to do are:
The Symmetrical Shot – Use the dance floor or the sweetheart table as your center point and get the widest room shot possible
Foreground focus – use a foreground element like the cake or a centerpiece and balance the composition out with the rest of the room. To do the full room shots, set the camera on a tripod for maximum sharpness. The ISO is set to the lowest setting, slow down the shutter speed to blur out any movement (people in the room). Use the aperture to compensate for the slow shutter. {Note: slowing down the shutter takes care of people moving in your room, but if people are standing still, they will, of course show up on your image. This is why you want to get people out of the room as much as possible.}
2. Place Cards
Get the table with the place cards before the guests do to avoid holes in the design. If you get there a little late, simply find an untouched section, zoom in to fill your frame and shoot it.
3. Give Aways and Menus
When working on the reception tables themselves, try the approach where you start small and work your way out into the bigger picture. Take a photo of the little giveaways or menus sitting on top of the plates.
4. Table Settings
Expand the view to incorporate the entire table setting. Don’t be afraid to remove elements that don’t contribute to the overall aesthetic of the shot, such as salt and pepper shakers and condiment cups.
5. The Full Table
Step back and photograph the entire table. Again, remove all distracting elements when necessary. Find angles that create depth in your composition, like leading lines using center pieces.
6. The Sweetheart Table
Take the same approach as all the other tables by starting small with elements on top of the plates, working your way outwards to the entire table. Make sure to photograph personalized items like a ‘Mr. & Mrs’ sign or etched glasses.
7. The Cake
Because the cake is typically set off to a corner of the room, it’s safest to keep this item for last on the list. If guests start milling into the room, you can still maneuver shooting the cake without bodies obstructing your shot.
For a creative twist on the cake, try to find objects in the room to shoot through to help frame the cake nicely.
Bonus (Advanced) Tip – Light Painting Panoramic Scenes
This technique builds upon the panoramic stitching technique discussed in the previous video.
Here are the steps and considerations for light painting panoramic scenes:
- Find the best room/venue angle
- Tripod (ideal)
- Handheld for speed (mind shutter speed)
- Shoot vertical/portrait (ideal)
- Expose for desired ambiance
- Find existing light direction
- Add controlled light via grid/zoom
- Constant = flash at 1/16-1/32
- Analyze histogram/highlight alert
- Pan, light and shoot scene (â…“ overlap)
Bonus Video for 2 Ways to Light Details for Wedding Reception Photography
Wedding reception ballrooms offer photographers a chance to capture beautiful, professionally designed decor, but they also present a challenge when it comes to lighting the details. Of course, with the right lighting gear and techniques, you can quickly and confidently knock out your detail shots without issue. In this article, we’ll show you two easy ways to light details for wedding reception ballrooms.
Technique 1: Bounce an Off-Camera Flash to Light Details for Wedding Reception Photos
While it may be tempting to shoot with natural ambient light, the key to capturing great detail shots is making specific details stand out. In other words, if you’re trying to focus on a centerpiece, it could get lost among the other decor on the table or even in the room if the ambient lighting does not highlight the centerpiece (see the before image above). When this happens, we recommend bouncing light from an off-camera flash to highlight the detail you’re photographing.
To start, set up the flash on the opposite side of the room from where you’re shooting. Place the flash on a stand and add a full CTO gel to match the color balance of the ballroom. Point the flash into the corner of the room to bounce the light and fill that corner of the room. This will result in a pleasant directional light coming from across the room and adding interest to the details. Once the flash is ready, you can walk back over to the details and take a couple shots to dial in your flash power settings.
This technique is best used in ballrooms that are generally bright to begin with as the flash will wash out the background, which is what allows the details to stand out. The overall look leans toward a natural light style, even though we’ve added flash to fill the room. If you don’t have a wall for bouncing light, you can use an umbrella or comparable surface to achieve a similar effect.
Note: If you only have on-camera flash, be sure to bounce it off the ceiling or a nearby wall. Bouncing light from an on-camera flash is not the ideal solution for lighting detail shots, but it will do in a pinch if it’s your only option.
Step 2: Use a Pin Light and Grid to Light Details for Wedding Reception Photos
For the ultimate lighting control, use a pin light and grid to light your detail photos. This is the ideal solution for making your details pop. Just like before, place your flash on a stand, but this time add a grid as well as a CTO gel, and point the flash directly at the details you’re trying to highlight. Try to choose an angle that compliments the direction that natural light is already falling onto the details. If the lighting is even, then go ahead and set the light up on either side.
Depending on the amount of ambient light in the room, you may be able to use a modeling light (if it’s available on your flash) as your primary light source for the scene. If the room is too bright, you likely won’t have this option. Dial in your power settings on the light until you get the results you’re after. You can see in the examples above that the modeling light didn’t quite produce the level of brightness we were after, so we adjusted our flash power and lowered our ISO to get a nice, moody look for our detail photos.
This technique produces a spotlit effect right on the details that complements more dramatically lit ballrooms.
