posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 in Photographers DQ Studios
I got another killer shot from Dave & Quin Cheung of DQ studios to show you. I really love how they approach making beautiful portraits during a wedding. I am a firm believer that they are one of the best studios in the entire continent of North America... They raise the bar by challenging the ordinary portrait... a spoonful of flava :) Or shovels full, when DQ is in charge...

How it was taken. Here’s a shot of us taking this shot (courtesy of a cool pro race-car-driver groomsman. Thanks Choi!).
A 580EX II was placed on the ground behind the dress and Dave was holding a Quantum T5d extended from high above on a light stand. The T5d was set to give roughly the same light output as the 580EX II and the frosted diffuser was removed to create a harder, more directional light. White Balance was set to shade to add a touch of warmth under the daylight balanced flashes while the exposure was set to overpower ambient by about 2 stops to add drama and darken the blue skies that are peaking through the broken walls of the ruins.
I love how this pose accentuates Jess’s figure. All we needed was to capture Rob coming in for the kiss, and the natural smile of Jess’s face makes the image all the more powerful.
Here’s the geek-speak:
Camera: Canon 30D
Lens: 16-35mm at 16mm
White Balance: Shade
Mode: Manual
ISO: 800
Shutter: 1/250
Aperture: f13
* Light 1 (from behind the dress): 580EX II at 1/16th power
* Light 2 (from above): Quantum T5d at 1/8th power (with frosted diffuser removed)
* Both lights triggered via Pocketwizards.
Double lighting takes more work and time to setup, but we love the results we achieve when we put the extra effort in. Don’t forget to have fun with your clients and make the experience a great one for all involved :)
Quin Cheung
DQ Studios
www.dqquikeys.com
Quin describes her shot: Jess and Rob wanted to take some portraits at a historic burnt out church, just outside of beautiful Banff, Alberta. Well, we couldn’t find the church, but the ruins of a small building would do. It was cold and windy this fall day, so we had to work fast to prevent everyone from freezing. One of the difficulties of using multiple lights during the portrait time is engaging the couple in the experience, and capturing true emotion. This shot is one of my favorites from our time together because of Jessica’s easy smile and the capture of that magic moment-before-the-kiss.

A 580EX II was placed on the ground behind the dress and Dave was holding a Quantum T5d extended from high above on a light stand. The T5d was set to give roughly the same light output as the 580EX II and the frosted diffuser was removed to create a harder, more directional light. White Balance was set to shade to add a touch of warmth under the daylight balanced flashes while the exposure was set to overpower ambient by about 2 stops to add drama and darken the blue skies that are peaking through the broken walls of the ruins.
I love how this pose accentuates Jess’s figure. All we needed was to capture Rob coming in for the kiss, and the natural smile of Jess’s face makes the image all the more powerful.
Here’s the geek-speak:
Camera: Canon 30D
Lens: 16-35mm at 16mm
White Balance: Shade
Mode: Manual
ISO: 800
Shutter: 1/250
Aperture: f13
* Light 1 (from behind the dress): 580EX II at 1/16th power
* Light 2 (from above): Quantum T5d at 1/8th power (with frosted diffuser removed)
* Both lights triggered via Pocketwizards.
Double lighting takes more work and time to setup, but we love the results we achieve when we put the extra effort in. Don’t forget to have fun with your clients and make the experience a great one for all involved :)
Quin Cheung
DQ Studios
www.dqquikeys.com
I'm totally inspired by this!!!!!! If you are a photographer looking for a source of creative juices, make sure you spend the next hour or so digging though the DQ Studios Website. Dave & Quin are one seriously dynamic duo. They submitted a few other killer shots to FF in the past... Check out This FF image that Quin shot with some definite added flava. Dave was flying HIGH with this killer idea. Anybody have any comments for DQ? Are you as inspired by them as I am? Please, let them know! Cheers! matt
This book taught me how to use the camera and how to think about composition.

Go check out one of these shows! If Cirque comes to your town (all the shows I mentioned are touring shows), I would consider it a SIN to miss the production! I have a BFA in Theatre. I've seen TONS of shows and other performances, NOTHING compares... One of these days, I'll be hitting the Vegas productions... I hear they the jam pony!
Anybody have any thoughts? Been inspired by these people too? Please share your thoughts.
Cheers!
matt
1/32 slave bounce camera left | ISO 1000, 2.8 1/25th
Also, try to add a snooted flash..I have found that my SB-28's at 1/64th power are too often very bright, at about 4-6 feet distance to subject. I will often take a piece of paper to damper the light's power. This works :) We shoot slow dances like this almost every wedding....ALL the following were shot with a snoot and 1/64th power on the slave...
Check these out:
ISO 1000 2.8 1/40th
and this one:
ISO 1000 2.8 1/15th.... how sexy is that light in the background????
With this one, I wanted to emphasize the background, but it was still semi daylight out side...
ISO 1000 5.6 1/10th... I had to get a little movement in the background. A small camera movement helped me out here big time!
Low light is also discussed in this