Speedliter's Blog is stoked to feature photos by York, PA based photographer Scott Josuweit! Scott does a phenomenal job balancing flash and ambient light to create vivid and vibrant portraits for his clients.
THE GEAR
CAMERA: On wedding day, Scott favors two Sony A9 bodies with a Sony A7III as backup. Cameras in this mirrorless trio all feature 24 megapixel sensors, dual card slots, high range ISO, and 4k video capabilities. Notable advantages of the A9 include faster file buffering, continuous shooting at 20fps vs 10 fps, and a faster shutter at 1/32000 vs 1/8000.
LENSES: Scott keeps his options open carrying a variety of Sony lenses including the Sony 16-35mm f/4, Sony 35mm f/1.4, Sony 85mm f/1.4, Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro, Sony 70-200mm f/2.8, Sigma 135mm f/1.8. This kit includes the usual suspects in a wedding photographers bag covering wide angle zoom lens, longer focal length zoom lens, macro lens for rings and details, and primes for portraits or as backup lenses.
LIGHT: Scott is a fan of Godox/Flashpoint lights and uses a Godox/Flashpoint V860II and AD200 for most wedding photos. Godox lights offer reliability and wireless control at a reasonable price. For light control and modification, Scott carries a variety of Magmod modifiers. As you will see below, Scott frequently pairs their dome diffuser, MagSphere, and grid, MagGrid, for soft yet directional light.
SPEEDLITERSBLOG: What was on your mind as you planned and executed this session?
SCOTT: The couple was married in December in Gettysburg, PA, at a ski resort so it was a very cold day with a lot of logistics (mainly with the ski lift). This was my first wedding at this venue (which had recently been remodeled) so I wanted to try to include as much of the scenery as possible. However, I also had to keep the couple from freezing and didn’t want to pull them away from their reception for too long.
SPEEDLITERSBLOG: What tips would you give another photographer heading into a similar shoot?
SCOTT: You have to be confident and have the experience to pull off a wedding like this one. You have to be calculated but flexible and adapt quickly on the spot. We accomplished four different night portraits in a matter of about ten minutes because we were prepared, and it was just a matter of executing those plans.
THE SHOTS
SETTINGS: 1/200, F7.1, ISO 400
GEAR: Sony A7III, Sony 16-35mm f/4, Godox AD200 with 1/4 CTO + MagSphere (Held by assistant)
SCOTT: The venue had an outdoor fire pit just outside of the reception space and the flames were fairly large. I wanted the flames to take up the majority of the frame while pin lighting the couple in the corner. The couple was sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the fire pit from me. I had to get fairly close to the flames in order to get them to appear as I wanted and it took a lot of frames but eventually I had my keeper. I shot at f/7.1 to keep more of the flames in focus.
SETTINGS: 1/200, F4, ISO 1600
GEAR: Sony A7III, Sony 16-35mm f/4, Godox AD200 with 1/4 CTO + MagSphere + MagGrid (Held by assistant)
SCOTT: The couple’s sweetheart table was in front of the fireplace and they really wanted a photo that would show it off. This is actually a four-shot composite: the couple, stocking, other stocking, and the wreath. I could have just done this as a single photo but the stockings and wreath would have been too dark or had shadows that would distract the eye. Shooting this as a composite required a bit more post-production work but it produced a cleaner image in the end.
SETTINGS: 1/200, F5.6, ISO 3200
GEAR: Sony A7III, Sony 16-35mm f/4, Godox AD200 with 1/4 CTO + MagGrid + MagSphere @ 1/32 (Held on monopod stand by assistant outside of the guest line on the left side), Godox AD200 with 1/4 CTO + MagSphere @ 1/32 (5 feet behind the start of the line of the guests)
SCOTT: Sparkler sendoffs are extremely difficult to shoot due to their fast-paced nature,
unpredictability, darkness, and drunk guests with fire. My camera settings are always 1/200, f/5.6, and my ISO will range from 1600-3200 depending on how dark it is in the area where the sparkler sendoff takes place. My flash setup is always the same as well because it gives me the greatest chance of nailing the perfect moment during the sendoff. It’s a bit chaotic and stressful but it always results in a few great captures and that’s all I need.
SPEEDLITERSBLOG: What software and tools/processes did you use for post-production & retouching?
SCOTT: I use Lightroom and Photoshop but 95% of my work is done in Lightroom.
SPEEDLITERSBLOG: Any final thoughts on the session or client feedback?
SCOTT: This wedding was definitely one of my favorites and the couple was thrilled with their photos. We did a hot air balloon adventure for their engagement session so the entire experience from start to finish was pretty incredible and I feel like I truly produced some of my best images working with them.
Check out more of Scott's work at www.smjphotography.net or on Instgram @smjphoto.
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