A Bridal Fine Art Portrait: Editing with Dutch Golden Era Lighting

[ad_1]

Composites can be used to create the fantastic, or to make an image even more authentic. For Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Star of 2024, Juliana Noelle Jumper, editing is about getting to essential qualities and producing heirloom images that represent the wedding couple at a particular time in their history. When asked to share the image she is most excited about right now, Jumper shared with us an exquisitely edited bridal fine art portrait and shared how other photographers can achieve a similar shot.

Seeing the dramatic lighting through this window inspired Juliana Noelle Jumper to ask for just a few more shots with her bride before moving to the next location. © Juliana Noelle Jumper

Dramatic Shadows and Light

For this image, captured in June of 2024, Jumper suddenly saw a stark shadow of a window frame thrown across the floor. While she knew her bride was quite tired and ready to move on to her next location, Jumper asked her politely for one more set of photos in front of the beautiful window. The bride understood her vision and the images were accomplished quickly.

Next, Jumper formed this shot in post-production. Removing the ceiling and several other objects, she created a more spacious and sparse environment. Then she added her signature moody and desaturated tones – her palette inspired by the Dutch Masters from the Golden Era.

Here are the before and after shots of our featured image. © Juliana Noelle Jumper

A Painter’s Eye and Willingness to Experiment

Jumper’s photographic style is influenced by her degree in fine art painting and her poetic aesthetic. The key to the images she captures are due to her powers of observation and willingness to try new things. She shares the tips below for other photographers who wish to create in this vein.

Juliana Noelle Jumper’s Tips for Fine Art Wedding Portraits

Look where light, shadow, and architecture come together.
Experiment, experiment, experiment. For every successful shot I take, there are at least five more unsuccessful ones.
Sometimes the shot itself is only part of the image, and the entire idea of the image doesn’t come together until you begin editing.
Utilize all the tools you have available to you — from your camera to your computer.

Jumper encourages photographers to be alert to the opportunities in the architecture, lighting, and mood of a venue, while not limiting the artistic process to what arises directly in camera. For her, assessing the potential of each image allows one to elevate a photograph in editing so that it can transform into art that feels effortless, poetic, and painterly.

Juliana Jumper is highly influenced by the dramatic use of shadows and light by Dutch Golden Era painters. © Juliana Noelle Jumper

Fine Art Legacy

For Jumper, wedding photography is all about “honoring legacy, history, and framing memory.” She says, “After the day is done and the party’s over, documentation is all that remains.” Her wish is to create images that feel like paintings – “ethereal, [with a] dramatic contrast of space and light, and a sense of mystery.” She also works to infuse her images with narrative, so that each image stands on its own and the viewer “immediately [steps] into the moment.”

The bridal fine art portrait she chose to inspire us with today does just that. With its timeless use of natural, moody light reminiscent of the Dutch Masters, the viewer steps into a world rich with the meaning and weight of legacy and lineage. It is a powerful and tender moment captured in time forever.

Follow Juliana Noelle Jumper on Instagram and Facebook. View the full 30 Rising Stars Winners Gallery for 2024.

As a thank you to our readers, we’re pleased to offer you a Rangefinder exclusive discount code to get 25% off The Portrait Masters course below. Use the code RF25 at checkout to redeem. This code cannot be used in combination with other sales.