You might be wondering how I produce beautiful wedding photographs like this…
Or this…
First and foremost, each one of my brides and grooms have been and are GORGEOUS! Secondly, I do everything I can for you on your wedding day, so you can see the beauty I help you create for years to come.
I’d like to share my secrets and tips on how I can, and will, give you the best wedding photographs you could ever imagine. I will give you some understanding as to what I do to make your day one you won’t have to try to remember, but one you WILL remember by looking at all of the memorable moments I capture for you in your photographs.
I start each wedding day months before by getting to know you, my bride and groom, the best I can. If that means we meet multiple times to go over specific ideas you might have, then that is what we do. If it is one or two meetings at the location and having the opportunity to use my eye and creativity to share with you what I think we can do, that is what we do. If it is meeting, visiting, talking on the phone, going to the venue, brainstorming, and sending emails, then that is what we will do. I want you to be confident and comfortable in what ideas we have shared and agreed upon. I don’t want you to worry about what I will be doing during all of the stages of YOUR special day. I want to take that worry off of you, because you deserve to get the best out of your wedding photographer as I capture the best of you.
Besides giving you all of my attention for the day, I come equipped with some of the top equipment in the photography world, so I am prepared for pretty much anything. It might be overwhelming if you catch a glimpse of my vehicle when I pull up due to the precisely placed ceiling high tower of equipment, but don’t be. That should give you even more confidence in what I have to give to you. I might not need to or want to use it all for your special day, but I have it all just in case I need it or see a spectacular shot that would be even better with some help from a speedlight, a wide-angle lens, or sheet to put under you and your dress. Its better to be fully prepared than under-prepared.
I come to each wedding armed with two amazing Canon cameras. These cameras are THE top rated portrait cameras out there, and I can work some magic with them. My newest one was even the most highly-anticipated camera for years. Both of my Canon cameras have incredible shooting speed, so I can capture those brief yet beautiful moments without any problems.
Besides my fabulous cameras, I have a couple great pieces of equipment that are TIME SAVERS. I have this great double camera strap, that I attach to my torso so I can have my two cameras on me at all times. It cuts down on fumbling around for the right camera and keeps the photographs coming. I also have an over-the shoulder bag that I carry multiple items in such as; 3 extra lens’, battery packs, memory cards, extra flashes, and much more. The bonus about me as your photographer and having this bag on me (or my assistant) at all times is that I won’t have an issue with missing something and having to run to my vehicle to hunt down what I need, in-turn missing that perfect shot. I will be able to capture them all with the assistance of the equipment that I have. And what if a piece of technology fails, like technology some times does? I’ve got it covered by bringing a back-up of almost every most important piece in my arsenal.
Another reason why I have become a successful Spokane wedding photographer is because I can shoot in low-light situations…which many weddings take place in! Not all cameras produce quality images in low light. Mine do. I never use flash during a ceremony as it is seen as a “faux pas” and distraction in the wedding photography industry. My Canon cameras handle these situations with grace and elegance. If I need to bring in even more natural and available light, I pop on my Canon 50mm 1.2 lens which handles darkness like you wouldn’t believe! Any hesitation in shooting in a dark church is no longer present. Many receptions are taking place outside lit only by candles and white stringed lights. How do you produce a well-lit photograph in that? By having speedlights and strobes on hand. If I have the capacity and ability to do so, I will assemble up to 4 traveling studio lights and use their powerful flashes when needed. Or I simply use a speedlight on top of my camera, or have my assistant hold it off-camera if I’m looking for a different lighting angle
When your wedding day is over I take it all to my studio and begin my editing process. Bringing tears to my eyes, laughter to the room and memories for each wedding, I sit and spend hours making sure I select the best of the best for you to view and remember your special day. In editing I use all of my tools I have including my iMac, Macbook, iPad, iPhone, and the different programs available to make the pictures shine. Editing can be quite the process. Unfortunately its not as easy as picking out 300-600 images and presenting them to you. First I pick out my favorites. I then analyze each individual photo for sharpness, exposure, composition, color and more. If they make the cut, they get moved on to the assembly line of custom editing. Each photo is custom edited to attain the highest quality. They may be full color, black and white, or if I’m feeling spunky, they’ll receive an alternative processing.
When all is said and done, you too can and will have photographs as beautiful as these and those found in my portfolio and blog.
I look forward to working with you and giving you the photographs of your dreams with my creative eye and assistance from some amazing tools.
I want you to remember your wedding day just as it was, beautiful.
Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201
I open both photos into Photoshop as layers, create a mask to remove Erin, and remove any unwanted eyesores (sticks on the bride’s dress) and combine the two.
I then open the photo into Nik Software’s Color Effects to bring out the texture and increase saturation.
For the last step, I layer the Color Effects photo on top of the previous photo, create a mask to tone down the skin tones, and make any other adjustments that need to be made (vignettes, burning/dodging etc).
From beginning to end, the editing process on this one photo takes approximately 10 minutes as long as there aren’t too many eyesores to remove and clone. A super simple process that creates an amazing result, but there is no way this would be possible without getting it right in the camera or without those amazing clouds!
Crystal
Crystal
Crystal
It was a task that I could not have done without my husband. I had never had all of my gear on a jet plane and was not even remotely close to being prepared for the rough ride. Since my husband is in the military, he was aware of the heavy-duty cases made by Pelican. We did tons of research and finally decided on the Pelican 1510 for my carry-on which holds my:
To every wedding, I bring my Paul C. Buff Einstein strobes to power out the sun or light the evening reception. There’s no way of carrying these on so we had to find a sturdy and snug case. We went with the Pelican 1650. It comes with the “Pull & Pluck” foam so we can customize the slots for our exact needs. In this case I have my:
The most difficult case to figure out was the one for the awkward pieces of equipment like lightstands and umbrellas. Pelican makes a case for these as well, but we had to pass that one up this time around. We decided to use my husband’s golf bag carrying case which worked out perfectly. In this case I have my:
…And have a drink on the beach to lick my wounds.