Framing Your Shot

Now that your camera has the right settings applied and is being held in the correct position, your options for setting up your shot are dizzyingly large. How do you think about ways to set up the image prettily? Your image composition is a combination of a lot of decisions: the angle, the shot, the subject, the frame, and the movement (for videographers), and how the light interacts with all of those factors. Let’s look more closely.

Angles

If you watch a professional shooter covering an event, you will see that it can be a strenuous activity. Aside from the running around to follow the action and the lugging of all the gear, there is the movement required to get the interesting and fun angles that will make the images more compelling to look at. Mixing your camera angles is especially important when you consider compiling your work in post production. In video sequences, you will want a variety of angles so that your montage of images can flow nicely into each other. Changing angles avoids both jarring jump cuts of shots that are too similarly framed and the monotony of seeing everything from one perspective. Using a variety of angles in photography offers the same benefit; an album of images that are all taken from the same angle would be very dull.

As well as keeping things visually entertaining, knowing your angles will help you also keep things flattering—a crucial aspect of wedding photography and videography. No bride will thank you for an unflattering shot. Following is a list of common angles, examples of which are shown in Figure 3.2.

Eye level. This generally neutral shot appears to the viewer as a real-world angle. It is what we are accustomed to seeing with our eyes.

High angle. This shot shows the subject from above, with the camera pointed down. This is often a flattering angle for brides because it tends to reduce rather than enlarge features. Stylistically, a high angle can lend a pensive, reflective, or demure air to the subject.

Figure 3.2 The eye level, high angle, low angle, and Dutch tilt lend a very different look to otherwise very similar shots.

Low angle. This shot shows the subject from below, with the camera pointed up. This tends to be less flattering for brides as it tends to enlarge or distort features. A low angle may work better for grooms, as it can have the tendency to make the subject appear powerful—larger and dominant. It also can work well for large group shots from afar or to create an interesting look for an establishing shot.

Bird’s eye. This angle shows the scene from directly above. If space and equipment permits, this can be an excellent shot to use at the ceremony, the receiving line, or during the dancing. Some professionals carry a small step ladder to help facilitate this angle, but it is often easy to just use your surroundings. A chair, a boulder, a second-floor window, or a hill might offer a different vantage point that lets you look down on a scene.

Dutch tilt. This is achieved by tilting the camera to one side so that the horizon is on an angle. This can be fun and dramatic, and plays well with close-up shots of the wedding details such as jewelry and flowers. It can also enliven dance images.

Angles can be combined for especially cinematic effects. For example, a low-angled Dutch tilt is an excellent way to catch the wedding aisle with rose petals strewn on it in the foreground and the altar or wedding arch in the background. Figure 3.3 shows an example of a low-angled Dutch tilt.

Figure 3.3 This dramatically low-angle shot of the tea ceremony required some creative thinking and awkward positioning, but the results were certainly worth the effort! (Image courtesy of Rick Collins; www.rickcollinsphotography.com.)

Shots

As with angles, using a variety of shots will provide you more options in editing for video and a livelier photo album. Especially within one section of a wedding, make sure to get a variety of shots. Moving from medium shot to medium shot is dull, but moving from medium to close-up to wide to extreme close-up will enliven any sequence of video or series of photos. (See Figure 3.4.)

Figure 3.4 A variety of shots, such as the wide, medium, medium close-up, close-up, and extreme close-up shown here will keep your images interesting, as well as allow you to show off everything from the bride’s entire outfit to her tiny diamond earrings.

Two-shot. This shot has two people as its subject and is usually (but not necessarily) from the torso up. This shot is common during posed shots with the bride and her attendants and the groom with his groomsmen.

Point of view (POV). A POV shows the view from the subject’s perspective. This can be very fun to use in bridal preparations as well as with the bouquet and garter toss.

Extreme wide shot (EWS). Often, this shot is so wide it might not have an obvious subject. It is extremely helpful for establishing context; indeed, it is often referred to as an establishing shot. Wedding videographers use it to give an overview of the setting—that is, to indicate to the viewer where the video takes place, such as a vineyard, a hotel, or a church.

Wide shot (WS). A wide shot shows a person from head to toe. Make sure to get lots of wide shots of your bride in her dress. You will also need wide shots to get formal pictures with lots of family members.

Medium shot (MS). A medium shot of a person will generally be from the waist up. It is handy to mix in medium shots to give visual variety.

Medium close-up (MCU). A medium close-up will be tighter than a medium shot, generally showing a person from the shoulders up.

Close-up (CU). In a close-up, the subject fills the entire frame. You will want to get lots of CU shots of the pretty particulars that go into the wedding: place cards, jewelry, bouquets and boutonnieres, shoes, and dress detailing.

Extreme close-up (ECU). An extreme close-up will be even tighter than a CU, showing perhaps only a portion of the subject’s face. Like a CU, they are good shots for details and are also effective for depicting bridal preparations such as the bride applying makeup and putting on jewelry.

Master shot (MS). In video, the master shot is also called a safety shot, and is usually a wide, static shot. Although it may appear dull, it is extremely handy for establishing a scene or for when a more dynamic, planned shot doesn’t work. Often, in a two-camera shoot of a wedding ceremony, one camera will be set up for a master shot the entire time while the other camera tries for more interesting coverage. Master shots can be extremely useful for photography, too; like an EWS, they can be used to establish context and lend better understanding to the CU, ECU, and POV shots that may be part of the same series.

Establishing shots are used to provide context to the viewer—where or what is going on. It is extremely useful to have a few establishing shots to provide a logical and gentle opening to your video sequence or your photo series. As noted, master shots or extreme wide shots are handy for establishing context; a photo of a church or a beach will tell the viewer exactly where they are. Establishing shots don’t need to be wide shots, though, as shown in Figure 3.5.

Figure 3.5 While many establishing shots for weddings are wide shots that show off the venue, a close-up of a program, a sign, or an invitation can also provide context for the viewer. (Image courtesy of Brant Bender; www.brantbender.com.)

Moves

Novice videographers spend a lot of time trying to get accidental moves out of their shots; the shake of a handheld camera can go from “authentic” and “stylistic” to “nausea-inducing” pretty quickly. More experienced shooters, however, tend to put the move back in their camera work—though ideally, it is movement of the controlled and intentional flavor. Camera moves will lend a sophistication and visual variety to your video footage that can make editing and watching your piece more fun.

Almost all camera moves are aided—dramatically—by a fluid-head tripod. That doesn’t mean you can’t successfully use these moves on a lesser tripod or while shooting handheld, but it does mean you should do so with careful execution, precision, and lots of practice. The last thing you want to do is incorporate a lot of handheld camera moves into your shooting on the wedding day before you’ve determined where they fall on the “authentic and stylistic” versus “nausea-inducing” scale.

Here are some basic camera moves to try out:

Follow. In this move, the camera follows the subject at a roughly constant distance.

Pan. This refers to horizontal camera movement, either left or right.

Pedestal. This refers to moving the whole camera vertically, with respect to the subject, while maintaining a constant angle.

Tilt. In this move, the camera’s angle changes vertically while the camera itself maintains a constant vertical position.

Zoom. Technically, this is not a camera move; rather, it is a change in focal length that makes the subject appear closer (zoom in) or farther away (zoom out).

Following are some more advanced camera moves:

Dolly. Here, the camera is mounted on a cart for smooth movement. In the wedding setting, this can be simulated by placing a tripod on a cart or even in a car for establishing shots.

Dolly zoom. In this case, the camera moves closer to or farther from the subject with the lens zooming out or in, respectively, to keep the subject the same size within the frame.

Track. Similar to a dolly, a track is any shot that moves while maintaining constant distance from the subject. It may also be called a truck.