Megan & Carlos {Raleigh, NC} Part II

posted December 9, 2011 in Engagements, Photographer Resources

On the eve of my bachelor party, I share this photograph created last week from Carlos & Megan’s engagement session near Raleigh, North Carolina:
Be bold, especially if that is what clients wants. I stand proud to say some day this print will hang in glory in The Carlos Man Shed, miles from holiday dish towels and wedding planning magazines (no offense, ladies). His guy friends WILL be jealous.

My Inspiration
The quintessential “guy” movie, Scarface, inspired this image. Carlos is a accomplished solider. His gun collection rivals some guys car collections. And that gun is real. Guy genetics focused me in on these nuances.

The Tech Breakdown.
Noon sun lit this entire image. Photographed on my Nikon D700 with my favorite 85mm f/1.4 lens set at f/5.6, 1/1000 second shutter, ISO 200, auto WB. That puppy is sharp, sharp, sharp at f/5.6. And for all you photographers out there, guns and Norwegian cheek bones photograph very well in hard light. Perhaps it’s because they don’t see the light of day much this time of year considering we are two weeks away from the shortest day of the year. Here is the set up in a shed in the harsh noon light, a perfect studio space if you ask me:

I asked Carlos to stand against the door frame with his right shoulder, holding his favorite gun. He loved his experience being photographed in HIS element. His fiance, Megan, relished in seeing him enjoy his engagement photography session, a quintessential phenomenon in the wedding planning process these days.

Guys DO Matter
Few images created on an engagement session remind of how important the ‘guy’ matters in a photograph. I see lots of girly engagement images on wedding blogs these days… so often in fact most guys dread the very fact that they have to dress up to get their photo taken. Most times, the style of the shoot is determined by the bride-to-be. Nothing wrong with that. However, myself in the wedding planning process, I stand next to many guys find themselves nodding in agreement while thinking “I really don’t care” and saying, “Honey, that sounds great…. let’s go with it.” I really do want guys to have their say, especially when it comes to wedding photography. Most guys don’t have much of a say about the style of the flower girl dress, flower colors, or the choice of the champagne or wedding coordinator.

And a few more favorites since Carlos loves B&W photography:
wpid-Megan_Carlos_Engagement_83_of_146-2011-12-8-23-30.jpg wpid-Megan_Carlos_Engagement_135_of_146-2011-12-8-23-30.jpg
A classic portrait of his bride-to-be:

To view the slideshow, click HERE (crank up the volume… this is their favorite song!).