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King of Hearts (cont.)

© Cliff Mautner Loading...

© Cliff Mautner

Nikon D2Xs, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed 1/40 sec., f/2.5, Focal Length 50mm, ISO 500

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Consistency sets one photographer apart from another, he says. 

 

"It's not just those pretty pictures taken on some island. It's the consistent level of work, week in and week out, no matter what the circumstances. I think that's part of what I'm known for."

 

One of any photographer's biggest wedding day challenges is lighting. "I'm also known for being able to produce images in nearly any lighting condition we face, whether it's harsh sunlight or pitch black," he says. "Lighting is the key to what I call texture, dimension and mood in photography."

 

That's where equipment comes into play.

 

"There's a difference between the quantity of light one has and the quality of light one has. Now, even if there's just a very low level of quality light I can produce a beautiful image in a level of light that I could never think about before. The ISO performance, the focusing capabilities, image quality and simply the overall performance of these new cameras essentially change the rules to a point where the creative process can take over."

 

Mautner says he was the first wedding photographer to shoot with the D3. Now his go-to camera is the D3S. "I thought it was impossible to improve upon the ISO performance and the responsiveness of (the D3), but they did it."

 

He carries both of those cameras with him to every wedding, along with a D700, seven or so NIKKOR lenses, Nikon Speedlights and other accessories. "The D700 I like to call my D3 Lite, because it's a lighter-weight camera. It's kind of my secondary go-to camera. The D700 very rarely leaves my body."

 

Besides his wedding work, Mautner leads four or five hands-on workshops a year called Cliff Mautner's Lighting and Skill Set Boot Camp. "The mission statement of this boot camp is to empower photographers of all types with the skills necessary to go after and improve a style of their own," he says. "To really create something with a style it takes a foundation and the fundamentals. You can't think about composition if you're thinking about exposure."

 

As satisfying as the workshops can be, there's still something about a wedding.

 

 

To see more of Cliff's work visit his website.

 

Cliff Mautner has been an NPS member since 1987.