Here Comes the Tide
April 30, 2009 by David Bergman
My friend Kari was looking for a unique way to commemorate her first wedding anniversary, so we decided to do a “trash the dress” shoot in Florida.
The thought process behind TTD is that it’s better to get your wedding dress dirty and make some great photos instead of hanging it up in a closet never to be seen again. In most cases, the dress can be cleaned to look like new afterwards.
We found a secluded spot in a park by the ocean in Dania Beach and spent a few hours making photos. Kari was a great subject and was willing to lie on some uncomfortable rocks.
(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, 1/6400 sec, F/4, 400 ISO)
She wore a mermaid-style wedding dress, so I thought it was appropriate to have her pose against the splashing water like a certain Disney princess.
(Nikon D3, 70-200 lens, 1/1200 sec, F/4, 200 ISO)
Then it was time to really get the dress dirty. I had her lie in the water so I could show the contrast of the white dress against the dark sand.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/1600 sec, F/5.6, 200 ISO)
After we finished with the dress, Kari changed into a bikini. She’s six feet tall with an athletic build like Gabrielle Reece, so I did a low-angle “hero” shot up on the rocks.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/1600 sec, F/5.6, 200 ISO)
To make the final photo, I added an SB-800 flash with a Pocket Wizard for wireless triggering at camera left. I put a warming gel on it and dialed in a tungsten white balance to make the sky turn deep blue.
(Nikon D700, 14-24 lens, 1/250 sec, F/8, 200 ISO, gelled SB-800 strobe at camera left)
The sun was completely gone about five minutes later — right when the beach security officer showed up and kicked us out of the park.
Wow, these are awesome. She’s gorgeous and so are the photos.
Wonderful Ideal!! I must remember this for my kids! Great pictures!
Nice work! And thanks for the detail on the settings. It’s fun to see the shot and then think about why you chose a certain exposure combination.
Great job on these.. I was wondering why you were asking about a secluded spot on the beach.. I especially love the sunset and splashing water shots.. WOW!!
Great concept David and the SB800 shot is inspiring. Curious if you modified the 800 in any other way besides the gel?
Tim
Thanks Tim. SB800 only had the stock diffuser.
Nice job David! Just bought Joe McNally’s “Hot Shoe Diaries” to explore his strobe on-location shoots. Work is coming along, but I’m not shooting hot blondes on the beach yet. Coming to NYC in June. Let you know so we can hook up.
I like the “Trash The Dress” concept.
Although I’ve never been able to convince a bride into doing so.
However, I do have a “Vomit on the Best Man’s Tux” photo.
It might be easier to shoot a session of: “Trash the Seafoam Green & Fuscia Bridesmaids Gowns.”
Here’s a cool TTD:
http://trashthedress.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/the-godfather-of-trashing-john-michael-cooper-alt-f/
——-
Nice photos. I love the bikini too!
Amazing photos David, love the idea and the concept. Kari what a special way for you both to celebrate your first anniversary. You will have these beautiful photos to treasure always.
Thats a great idea having her pose on the rocks with the spray.
Great shoot! She is gorgeous!
The pictures are awesome. She is gorgeous