Wedding photographer Scott Johnson reveals the process behind his signature fine-art portraiture
An award-winning wedding photographer specifically known for his luxurious portraiture, Scott Johnson wouldn’t have made it as far as he has without genuine passion.
“It’s what I thoroughly enjoy doing,” he enthuses. “Taking – and I mean this in the nicest way – average people with normal jobs, and making them look like supermodels in Vanity Fair. That’s what gives me a kick.
“Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, and having couples go, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I could look that good.’ I’m taking normal people and making them like rock stars, and I absolutely love it.
“If it takes me five minutes to set up something that makes it look incredible, I’ll spend those five minutes, because it’s gonna go up on their wall and last forever.”
Planning for wedding portraiture
Even the most rigorously organised weddings can deviate from the plan – and certain factors are simply outside anyone’s control. For Scott’s portraiture work, a mixture of preparation and improvisation is needed.
“It’s fortunate that I work at the same venues quite frequently, so I know the best spots,” he explains. “But let’s say I go to a brand-new venue – I did a wedding in Somerset this time last year at a venue I hadn’t seen before. So, I got there an hour early, identified the positions where I was going to make portraits, then said to the couple: ‘We’re going to spend ten minutes in here. Is that okay?’
“It’s so important to make the couple aware that, if you want this level of fine-art portraiture, you need to give me the time. But couples book me because that’s what they want, so they’ll afford me the time to do it.
“Weddings have a start and a finish, but it’s how I get to that finish. We could go in a straight line, or we could go up and down and round the corners. You have to roll with the punches.
“Yes, I love to have a plan because going in without one is a dangerous thing, especially in a new venue. But you need to be reactive – to the weather situation, someone falling ill or getting lost on the way to the venue. And the time you think you had, you now don’t. You have to think, ‘Right, we’re going to cut this and get this out of the way – and still deliver some great pictures.’”
Lighting for wedding portraiture
When natural light is available, Scott prefers to take advantage of it. “I’m driven by light,” he notes. “Today is a grey day, but it’s quite bright – so we can photograph anywhere. You need the confidence to say to the couple: ‘Yes, we can work here, but not yet because the light’s not right.’
“Just because the couple want it now doesn’t mean you have to do it now – just come back when the light is better. I say: ‘Just trust me. I know in two hours that the light in this location is going to be better than it is now – so we’ll come back then.’”
Working largely in the UK, Scott does need a contingency for when the available light is lacking. “I always thought off-camera flash was the devil’s work,” he laughs. “I was like, ‘What do you want flash for? You’ve got the sun up there!’ But I knew it was a weak part of my skillset. I’ve got some good friends who are exceptional at using flash at weddings, so I wanted to start doing more of that.
“I invested time and money into flash equipment during the lockdowns. I learnt to photograph with a flash on location, and I’m enjoying it more and more. About 90% of the work I do will be with available light, but then there is the odd time where I’ll put some flash in and use modifiers – I’ll set up a bit of a studio and make something look cool just by adding a little fill. That was me identifying the weakest part of my game. At that point, it was flash work – and it still is, but I’m getting better at it.
“Honestly, the thought of setting it up on the wedding day used to terrify me. But the more you do it, the more proficient you get. What used to take ten minutes, I can now set up in two. You start to know what ISO, shutter speed and flash power to use in certain situations – and get to that end result a lot quicker.”
Setting up for wedding portraiture
When it comes to setting up his portraiture location, Scott keeps things fairly simple. “Generally, I have a heavy-duty light stand and I’ll bring sandbags because you’ve got to make sure you’re weighing stuff down. I’ve got a couple of modifiers and a flash head – and that’s generally it,” he explains.
“But at some venues, I know where I’ll make photos. Rather than waste time on the day, I’ll take all my kit into that room and set up before it starts. You can be much more efficient – you’ve tested your ambient light, know exactly what you’re going to need and get the end result a lot quicker.”
When it comes to glass, FUJINON GF Lenses give Scott the performance he’s looking for. “These days, anything that isn’t candid or detail photos, I’ll be using GFX System,” he remarks. “I probably use my FUJIFILM GFX100S for 80% of the wedding. I’m using solely prime lenses as well. I’ve got the FUJINON GF23mmF4 R LM WR, GF45mmF2.8 R WR, GF63mmF2.8 R WR and GF110mmF2 R LM WR. That’s my go-to set-up for most of the wedding.
“I work in Aperture Priority mode. I used to make photos in manual, but I realised quite quickly that the camera is a lot cleverer and quicker at changing stuff than I am. I will manually override what it gives me with the Exposure Compensation dial though. So, although it’s given me the start point, I’ll tweak it to suit what I want to achieve.
“I know I can save six-and-a-half stops of light, so I’ll underexpose a little to cover the highlights, but I know I can pull them out in the edit later on. Mirrorless cameras have been a godsend because I can have the histogram in my viewfinder – it speeds up my process. I can see in the histogram that the information is there, so I know it will be in the edit later on.
“I generally photograph everything wide open. I love the drop-off the GFX System gives me; the large sensor combined with the lens and working at F2 or F2.8 is just beautiful.”
Wedding portrait top tips
Scott stresses the value of people skills when working in the wedding industry. Natural portraits are only possible when his subjects are feeling comfortable being photographed. “By the wedding, the couple have met me three or four times. I’ll have got to know them on a more personal level,” he explains.
One piece of advice had to be learnt the hard way: “I never show the back of the camera. Ever. That is a disaster waiting to happen,” Scott exclaims. “If you show the back of the camera at the start of the day and they hate something, you’re in trouble. I never do it – it might cause more harm than good.”
Spending almost the entire day with the couple, Scott also points out that the work of a wedding photographer is rarely limited strictly to photography.
“I’m the supplier that’s there the longest. I’m there longer than the makeup artist, the chef, the magician. I’m there ten hours – so photographers are often seen as a ringmaster for the whole day, where we’ve got to try and keep people to time.
“We’ve got to organise this, we become counsellors, we become seamstresses – I’ve done backs of dresses up before because the bridesmaid doesn’t know how to do it. It’s about giving reassurance that they’re booking me to have one less thing to worry about on the wedding day. And no matter what happens, no matter what curveball comes, because of the experience I’ve got with wedding days, we’ll knock it out of the park still. Constant reassurance is key.”
With his subjects completely on side, Scott is empowered to create the kind of images he thinks these special occasions deserve.
“I’m looking to create a timeless piece of art that could sit up in the Tate Modern,” he enthuses. “I know couples say they want relaxed, informal portraits on their wedding day. But when they see a portrait of themselves – whether by themselves or as a couple – they realise they have never looked better.
“They’ve never looked better, or felt more confident, because they’ve spent their money on the dress, hair and makeup. Let’s photograph that! Even if you’re not overly enamoured now, in ten years’ time you’ll love it because you’ve aged ten years. It’s so important to make that portrait because we all grow up and get old. It’s good to remember how you were on your wedding day.”
