Streetlight photography and how you can do it too!


Streetlight photography, an experimentive and fun creative outlet shoot for us. In this blog, I will be going deeper into how we did this shoot, with camera setting reference, outfit planning, and our take on how to make a shoot super fun with the right couple.

 

This is our process:

I. Get a fun, outgoing and in-love couple

For this night couple shoot, we had to get a fun couple open to authentic and spontaneous moments. Luckily for us, this was easy as our friends Lee & Tayla are always incredibly keen and are very much in love which is just the cherry on top. If this shoot resonates with you, feel free to pop us a message to book your session.

 

2. Outfits

 

Outfits play a massive role in any shoot., therefore we have crafted a style guide that we send to all our clients to assist with choosing the right colours, styles and props that will emphasize the couple's personalities and not their clothes.

 

3.  Camera settings (for the photographers)

This is one of the most critical things to make a shoot like this work, and you'll be surprised when you find out our settings. We'll discuss the exact gear we shot on, and what works when doing a shoot like this with such minimal light.

1. Getting a fun and in love couple


As I mentioned above, we are very lucky to have beautiful friends who are always willing to model for us when creativity sparks, but it is so important to match the couple with a shoot style that will match their vibe and relationship.


So if you are considering doing a shoot like this, make sure that it will match your and your couple's vibe. As I mentioned before, it was a very cold South African winter night, so make sure that your couples are wearing the right clothes for the season you are planning to do this in. More on this to come...


Capturing the essence of couples in front of the camera requires a delicate balance of experience, direction, and genuine client interaction. When working with couples, it's essential to chat with them about their desired images and provide them with suitable prompts to help them feel at ease. In fact, most couples find that a touch of guidance and direction helps them relax and authentically express themselves in the photographs. We've found that by carefully crafting prompts and working together with the couple, we can unveil their natural beauty and create images that truly capture the essence of their love. It's a magical moment when we're able to freeze time and preserve the emotion of that special connection.


So, you might be thinking: "What kind of prompts do you use?", "Will it be awkward?", or "What if they're not comfortable?". Trust me, it can feel a bit intimidating at first, but it's all about practice and getting to know your couple. My secret? Think about the things that make YOU and your partner laugh and have fun. For me, that's spinning in circles until we're dizzy, playing rock-paper-scissors, or running around shouting "THE FLOOR IS LAVA!". When the couple laughs and lets loose, that's when you'll capture the real happiness and connection in your photos.


Poses are not for me, I like lots and lots of movement, and I have seen that poses that are very stagnant make a session awkward and even boring, movement keeps the brain busy and the excitement high, and at the end of the day, you want the session to feel like an experience, not just a boring photo session.


2. Outfits


Outfits play a crucial role in a photoshoot. They can either enhance or distract from the overall look and feel. We believe that the focus should always be on the couple and their love, with outfits that complement, not overshadow.


For our night shoot, we aimed for moody tones to create an intimate, under-the-streetlight vibe. We balanced Lee's dark tones with Tayla's neutral ones to brighten the photo and reflect light on Lee. If they both wore black or bright colours, it would disrupt the stillness and moodiness we wanted to achieve. Our goal was to capture two lovers, lost in each other under the streetlight.

When you first see the photo, you should immediately notice the couple laughing, running, and having fun—not be distracted by their outfits. The joy and connection between them should be the main focus.

3. Camera settings


We’d love to give you a peek behind the scenes, so here's a look at the gear and settings we used to make it happen. We shot with our trusty Canon R6 and our nifty 50mm lens, opting for no flash. Although flash photography is all the rage right now, we felt that a more natural streetlight look would best capture the vibe we were aiming for.


Our settings? They were as follows: F1.8, ISO 16000, and a shutter speed of 1/250. Yep, you read that right—ISO 16000! Crazy, right? A few years back, we wouldn't have dared to go over ISO 800. But hey, if you've got Lightroom, make the most of it! The denoising tool has become our best friend. To ensure our subjects weren't too dark, we positioned them directly under the streetlight. The 1/250 shutter speed was key to avoiding motion blur.


This shoot was a fantastic creative outlet for us, and we had a blast experimenting. We genuinely believe these settings are perfect for achieving that moody, eye-catching look. Give it a try, and let us know how it goes!