When Covid Cancels Your Bachelorette Party...

August 18, 2020

...the next best thing is a Bachelorette Photo Shoot!

Bronwyn is my future bridal client who has, like many, faced some pretty tough circumstances this year. Although her wedding was to be entirely outside- both ceremony in a historic location and a gorgeous luxury tent, the venue decided due to recent circumstances the reception needed to be postponed. Although she was all set up for her bachlorette weekend with her best friends coming, the closing of clubs, bars and other establishments forced her to again change plans. I received a text only the week before their scheduled girl's weekend out, asking if there was anything I could do to still create some magical memories for her crew. Her idea was to some how incorporate her and her fiance's love of car collecting, her bridesmaids, and a party atmosphere.

The bride sent me the photos of the garage that we would be using, and immediately I knew that it was going to be MagMod and I to the rescue!

Amber Henry

The first thing I noticed is the garage was painted soft grey, perfect for bouncing gelled light. The second is the reflection on the floor which I know is ideal for reflecting colors. Also, if you've ever photographed vehicles you know that the high shine on the paint's surface is what creates the look and feel of luxury, and anything bright will be reflected back. For myself as a photographer, this is absolutely perfect!

What was going to be a simple shoot turned into 3 hours of complete fun! We played music, shot confetti hand canons, used the giant industrial fans, and had a blast.

I used a three - four light set up for each image consisting of two gelled back lights to color the ceiling and side walls, a main light for the clients, and a side or rim light depending on the image I was shooting. For their individual images I used a main light with the MagBox, and then staggered the remaining lights in various locations (side, front, back), hitting the car from different angles. I didn't mind if the lights with the MagSpheres were shown in the background on the final images because it gives a very magazine-esq vibe. I kept the MagGels on the staggered lights in Red/Amber in each of their individual images to match the interior of the vehicle. I then easily changed the white balance/sliders in Lightroom for the cool 80's neon effects with the purple and pink tones.

I use Godox ad200 lights which are incredibly easy and compatible with the Magmod equipment since they are the size of a regular speedlite. I can change the colors out in just seconds with any of the many MagGels ( I have them all of course, I love to pop in color on a whim!) I also used the MagSpheres for my back lights, and a MagGrid for more controlled direction for my rim light.

In the end it truly was the night out with the girls she had dreamed of. And of course, the best part is that the photos will last forever and always be a positive memory of a very difficult year.