The Wedding of Johnny and Liisi Perkka

[JDArt]

Wow. You sure set the bar high for the rest of us. The "kiss at the altar" image is classic. I would like to know which software/technique you used for creating the montages. Also, I'm sure this took tons of time. Could you tell us how much time you put into an effort (post processing) like this?

[littlegal]

SUPERB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mkrochta]

Very nice photos. Now tell us about how you did these. Did you shoot raw or jpeg? Did you use flash in any of them?

[Normie1]

PERRRRFECT....................Thanks for sharing

[garrentee]

Thanks Garren! I keep telling Jay and Michelle I am heading their way, so when I get up there, I fully expect us all to have a meet up!

Sounds Great Kelly!! I will be all over that!!

[KellyL]

Originally Posted by mikedugganphotography

An awesome photo shoot. Through the entire series you captured the moment and it felt as if I was there at the wedding. Truly magnificent photo album that I am sure Johnny and Liisi will cherish.

You really don't know how much that means. Our goal is to try and capture the story as it unfolds. Posed photography is always required, but we love the PJ stuff...so we really do a little of both. Thanks so much for your kind words!

Originally Posted by JDArt

Wow. You sure set the bar high for the rest of us. The "kiss at the altar" image is classic. I would like to know which software/technique you used for creating the montages. Also, I'm sure this took tons of time. Could you tell us how much time you put into an effort (post processing) like this?

Wow! JD...thanks so much! It is your website that brought this all about. My hat is tipped to you.

98% of the photos were processed by Johnny. He would have to tell you his techniques. I know I frustrated him a bit because Johnny prefers to do as little processing as possible...and well...I lean on it a little more heavily than he does.

We use YSI (You Select It) to lay out the albums. YSI provides many templates and allows you to customize them as you go. Great program. I would say several of the layouts got a tweak before we were happy the design...then placing the pictures is pretty easy.

I also belong to the I.C.E. society by Jerry Ghionis. He does a monthly special on album critiques. Last month he kept the camera rolling while HE designed the album. I was privy to his thoughts as he designed. I certainly didn't mimic all of his techniques, but used many of them. One of the things he says is "Don't mix black and white and color in the same spread...." so I was careful not to do that....and "The feature picture should be on the right side of the page..." and I adhere to that most of the time.

My first tutorial on album design was from Gary Fong. Like him or not...he has made a few enemy's on the forums...the guy used his albums to get where he is today. One of the very first things I heard about shooting weddings and designing albums was from him....YOUR JOB IS TO CAPTURE THE STORY OF THE DAY...I have since heard others say that, but he is the one that told me that each spread should tell the next page in the story, and left and right they pages need to complement each other.

Part of that is marketing....but I'll stop at that.

Johnny edited 500 of the 3,000 images we left with him. WB was perhaps the biggest challenge. Although I keep a Whibal Card strapped to my neck, I get so excited I forget to use it. I just need to slow down.

Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such kind words. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by littlegal

SUPERB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cindy! THANKS SO MUCH! You know I think about you at every wedding I do...especailly last weekend when I was bouncing the flash behind me....I really appreciate you stopping by. Thanks!

Originally Posted by mkrochta

Very nice photos. Now tell us about how you did these. Did you shoot raw or jpeg? Did you use flash in any of them?

My first wedding I shot JPEG. After that experienced, I spent time learning how to shoot RAW. It was the JPEG wedding with some blown highlights that needed fixing that revealed the PHOTOCAMEL to me. In my web search I found this online community and they offered as much help as possible, and the question kept coming...are you shooting RAW?

I was so afraid of shooting RAW at first...but after the first time in ACR you realize that RAW is better...you have help when you think you messed stuff up.

Inside the church we were challenged. We tried to use flash, but the walls were very far away and bouncing the flash was difficult. We NEVER use straight on flash. Such would be a travesty. So we then attempted to expose for the highlights as much as possible. If you expose for the highlights and push the data as far right as you can without blowing the highlights, this allows you to bring more detail out in the shadows without so much of the dreaded noise.

The sun was streaming right down the center of the cathedral on Liisi''s dress. You can only imagine how frustrating that was. The dynamic range of the digital camera is limited to five to seven stops...depending on who you ask...and it makes it difficult to keep from clipping one end of the continuum or the other.

So we exposed for the white dress almost every time we shot. I am sure there were some major mistakes in exposure.

The light from the sun was coming in, then a cloud, then coming in, then a cloud...so the conditions inside changed rapidly. Since the conditions were changing so rapidly I put the camera in Av mode and used the exposure compensation wheel to monitor the dress.

In hindsight, I wish I would have stayed in manual mode.

Since we went from the USA to Finland to shoot this wedding, we only took one camera each...we had a lot of gear to take with us...and cameras were staying with us as carry ons. We then used Johnny and Liisi's cameras when we got there. I put my 24 70 L f.2.8 on my 5D and put my 70 - 200 f/2.8 L on Johnny's. But Johnny's camera was set up so that the auto focus button was on the camera body instead of the shutter button...and that really screwed me up. I didn't realize this until the wedding had started...I made the assumption that the buttons were all set up like mine...and as a result...I was in a panic and very few shots got taken with the 70 - 200...MY MISTAKE...I should have checked first.

At the reception, we bounced light. I normally use a Gary Fong diffuser...it does a nice job but the light is not directional. Once again, I veered from what I KNOW works for me and tried to bounce instead of using the Fong. Our results were not so good. I should not have done that. I should have put my Fong on regardless and shot the way I normally do. Because I did not use the Fong..I was shooting at a slower shutter speed than normal and we did not stop all the motion.

Was it a high pressure wedding? Hmmmm....does a Finn like the sauna?

Thanks for stopping by. I will always remember this outstanding opportunity.

Originally Posted by Normie1

PERRRRFECT....................Thanks for sharing

Very kind of you Normie! I appreciate you stopping by!

Originally Posted by garrentee

Sounds Great Kelly!! I will be all over that!!

Your on Garren! I am going to see if I can swing something on my spring break...it all depends on how many weddings I get booked this summer. I sort of reached the limit of my....cough...credit.

[Colby]

Gee Kelly, I remember when, and now you are an international wedding photographer! You and Sarah did a wonderful job. Your growth as a photographer has been a pleasure to watch.
Cheers,
Colby

[KellyL]

Thanks Colby! Yes, you are right. I grew up here, right on the Camel!

[BovrilArg]

So all I know of you and the groom is what I have seen here. From explanations of the sauna phenomenon to the excitement build up before the trip. Now to see the final product is like finishing a great book that you have been following. The pictures allowed me to share a little in the great event and for that I am truly grateful.

Needless to say the pictures are fantastic in what looked to be a challenging shoot both from a lighting perspective and from the self imposed pressure. You caught some wonderful moments.

Thank you for sharing.

[KellyL]

Originally Posted by BovrilArg

So all I know of you and the groom is what I have seen here. From explanations of the sauna phenomenon to the excitement build up before the trip. Now to see the final product is like finishing a great book that you have been following. The pictures allowed me to share a little in the great event and for that I am truly grateful.

Needless to say the pictures are fantastic in what looked to be a challenging shoot both from a lighting perspective and from the self imposed pressure. You caught some wonderful moments.

Thank you for sharing.

Wow! I never looked at it like that. It does make a good story...the whole thing...from start to finish.

I am glad you were able to experience the climax and resolution of the plot!

Thanks SO much for commenting. To think that I had no realization that you were following the story and needed to see the final chapter...amazing.

Thanks again. Appreciate it so much.