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Australian business, Matched Image Camera Hire, will be among the first to be able to offer Australia the ARRI ALEXA digital cinema camera. Built on the technical expertise of the ARRIFLEX D-21, ARRI has released the new ARRI camera the ALEXA part of a new generation of digital motion picture cameras. Like the D-21, ALEXA creates rich, organic images, with the look and feel of 35 mm film.

The ARRI ALEXA is planned to be used with 35 mm accessories and lenses, so will fit into established working practices and minimise production delays. Matched Image are the new digital cinema ARRI ALEXA camera with and without lenses, in lightweight and full production packages. Now taking bookings for this exciting and much anticipated digital camera, Matched Image have a complete suite of products on offer to support your ALEXA rental including audio equipment hire, lighting rental, grip equipment hire, edit suite rental, crew hire, production van hire and all camera accessories.

At the heart of the ARRI ALEXA camera system is ARRIs own 3.5K Super 35mm format ALEV-III CMOS Bayer sensor. Through extended research and experimentation with sensor and pixel technologies ARRI made some great discoveries and applied these to the production of the ALEXA. Optimum image quality is achieved through a fine balance between detail, colour reproduction and sensitivity. While some competitors strive to improve camera statistics on paper by cramming more and more pixels into a 35mm frame, ARRI employed a proof is in the pudding approach with the ALEXA digital camera maintaining that optimum image quality is achieved through slightly fewer, yet larger, pixels filling the available space on a 35mm sensor.

Of all the pictures taken at a wedding, the one most important is the portrait of the bride and groom. Some wedding couples depend on a relative or a friend to take a few good photos for their album and others reserve a professional photographer to do the honors. This article is for both the real and wanna-be photographers at the wedding.

A good time to photograph the bride and groom is after the ceremony and before the reception. Ideal is an open lawn away from any building. Other photogenic locations are at the edge of a treed area, under an arcade or
at home in the backyard. Important is to choose an evenly lit background: one that does not contain light and dark areas. Place the couple in the shade at least thirty feet away from any background objects with their faces toward the main source of light.

Turn the bride thirty degrees away from the camera and fluff the train behind her so that only half of the train is visible from the camera position. Never pull the train around to the front of the bride since this is most unnatural and would never occur in real life. Pose the groom slightly facing the bride and have him offer his arm for her to pass her through. Make sure her ring is visible. The groom’s outside hand can be in his pocket or touching the bride’s hand. The bride should shift most of her weight to the foot furthest from the camera and the groom should have his weight evenly distributed on slightly spread feet. Never let his hand drop straight down at his side. The bride may hold her bouquet in her outside hand at a level below her waist with some daylight or background showing between her elbow and her waist. An alternate place for the bouquet is on the ground next to the groom’s feet. Turn their faces toward the camera but not fully straight on, but at a slight angle toward each other. Their expressions should show their happiness, but not laughing.

Angles other than the view straight on without changing their positions often present another good composition for a portrait. Consider also a view from behind the couple, requesting them to turn their heads directly toward each other, giving the photographer a profile of their faces. A variety of shots are possible with this pose. A medium shot (at the knees) with their faces closer together and an even closer pose with the cheeks almost touching make wonderful portraits. Try having them look into each other’s eyes with his arms around her. Natural light from the side is the most beautiful source as long as the reflector of some sort balances the light. Watch your cropping in the viewfinder carefully and leave some space over their heads. Pay attention to the position of the feet (no soles showing) and be sure only the sides of the bride’s hands are presented to the camera. The groom’s coat collar should fit snug to the neck.

A beautiful portrait of the bride and groom can be their most treasured reminder of the most important day in their lives. You can make it happen.

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