This wedding took place at Quail Ranch, out in Simi Valley, which is in that part of SoCal with enough elevation to give you great weather and views for outdoor events.
When I met with Yali, she expressed to me that she had taken some photography courses in college and had a fondness for black and white photos. My third camera for their wedding was my Nikon FE2 loaded with Ilford HP5. To me, the real surprise was using this film at night outdoors, which comes with all sorts of uncertainties. It loved my off-camera lighting setup and continued to produce pleasing micro contrast.
One thing I noticed about Quail Ranch was the way the sunlight fell toward the end of the day. The property told me it may have just been a coincidence that the buildings were laid out in a way to maximize on sunset. Whether you’re dealt good design or not, photojournalism’s duty is to take what you’re given, with lighting and otherwise, and making the best of it!
