Sergey Ivanov Photographer

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

I dissect one frame every day — before → after, the light, the settings, the mistakes — in my Telegram channel for photographers. Plus gear news & editing lifehacks, filtered for wedding work. Free, in English 📸 Join via the link in the first reply 👇

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

I caught the exact second he leaned in. She never even opened her eyes.
Captions please! 👇

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

https://t.co/X9mG6lY64T

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

Couples want both now. TikTok clips mid party, timeless portraits for the wall. I get it, I shoot the fun stuff too. But this is the frame they will still look at in twenty years. A clip never does that.

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

https://t.co/ZTW6JxIhO6

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

This staircase did half the directing for me. A palace, a veil caught by the light, and two people who forgot the camera was there.
Do grand locations make your job easier, or do they trap you into postcard shots?
#WeddingPhotography

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@esrapozan @esrapozan Yes, trust you, that spiral shot is worth lying on stairs for. The dress just flows down the steps and the warm light makes it look like a painting. After more than a hundred weddings I still get that same itch with a good staircase, how many frames?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@josephradhik @josephradhik That golden light on the dragonflies is gorgeous, the mating wheel shape against the yellow is so graphic it looks staged. In Bruges I once had a bee crash a ceremony, but this beats that, did you spot them or just get lucky?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@bigseun_ @bigseun_ That black and white portrait on the flyer is a strong choice, the light on your face says a lot before a word is read. I taught this at a workshop once and the storytelling part is the bit people always remember, what will you open with on the 19th?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@borokinisola @borokinisola That shadow across the wall is the whole photo for me, it turns a simple portrait into something painterly. Fellow Leica shooter here, the warm brown tones suit her so well. Was the light from a window or did you shape it?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@Ignatius_anuff @Ignatius_anuff That deep red background is a brave call and it pays off, the white outfits just pop and the second frame feels so tender. Fellow destination shooter here, I love the hand kiss moment, was that their idea or yours?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@FOTO_CHEF @FOTO_CHEF Frame two is my pick, the staircase and that warm light do all the work and he just looks relaxed in it. I shoot weddings out of Brussels and men usually freeze up in front of a camera, how do you get them this loose?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@quistar_ @quistar_ That pink against the blue backdrop is so bold and it just works, the two of them glow in it. Fellow fine art guy here, the daughter mirroring her mum's pose is my favourite bit, was that directed or did it just happen?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@migrationkeep @migrationkeep That red on red is unreal, the coral beads glow against the dark background. The second frame got me, that hand pose is so calm and regal. After more than a hundred weddings I still steal ideas from portraits like this, studio light or natural?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

I pressed the shutter a second before the kiss, not during it.
The almost always feels more honest to me than the act itself.
Photographers, do you wait for the peak moment, or shoot the second before it?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

https://t.co/v6udQcyEyz

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

Photoshop just got Relight. AI that adds light to a photo after the shoot.
I still place my light on set, with flash, before I press the shutter. The light in this frame was a decision, not a slider.
Would you trust AI to relight your work?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

https://t.co/ZTW6JxIhO6

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

Midday sun, a busy old street, and a couple standing still while the whole city moves around them. I lit them with flash anyway. Daylight flash is not a rescue, it is the whole look.
Do you still reach for flash when the sun is already doing the job?

#weddingphotography

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@taki_photo0827 @ami_eins0911 @taki_photo0827 The second frame is the one for me, the light trail curling round her while she stays sharp and still in that black dress. After more than a hundred weddings I still love a bit of play in a portrait, how long was the exposure?

[Sergey Ivanov Photographer @SergeyIvan81163]

@timbitu2736 @timbitu2736 Those stripes of light across his face do all the work, one eye in shadow, one catching it, and the rest just falls away. I taught this at a workshop once, the quiet portrait where the eyes do all the talking. Was that window light through blinds?