Mastering the Wedding Sparkler Exit
After the cheers have settled, the last note of ‘jump’ has faded into the background, and the last piece of confetti has floated down to find its home on the sticky dance floor, comes the big bride and groom exit. With inevitable last-minute changes, unpredictable lighting, and drunken partygoers, this can be a daunting part of the evening for Wedding Videographers.
One of the most popular trends in bride and groom exits today is the sparkler exit. When these photos turn out, the result can be stunning. Taken poorly, and the exit photos (quite literally) can go up in flames.
HOW TO VIDEO A SPARKLER EXIT
The most important piece of advice we can offer is to be prepared. There are many ways to capture the sparkler exit. Take into consideration your gear, level of experience, and timeline, and decide on your plan of attack before showing up to the wedding. It goes without saying that using a camera with low-light capabilities is recommended for sparkler exits. If you don’t have one, make sure you’re equipped with the necessary lighting to get your shot. If you’ve never done a sparkler exit before, practice with cheap sparklers from the dollar store ahead of time.
Being prepared will mean you need to slip away from the reception early to scope out the path of exit and get your gear calibrated for the available light, or get external lighting set up. Ideally, see if you can steal the couple away before their big exit to get a few test shots and get some creative shots with just them and a few sparklers.
How to Prepare the Bride and Groom for Their Sparkler Exit
If the couple tells you before the big day that they will have a sparkler exit, take the opportunity to suggest that they purchase the longest sparklers possible. Longer sparklers have a more extended burn rate and cast more ambient light on the group. Short sparklers can cast a harsher light, burn quickly, and be more of a fire hazard because the flame is in the crowd rather than high above it.
Communicate with the wedding planner and ask them to give you a heads-up before the couple comes out. Don’t let yourself be caught off guard, one step behind and hot on their heels. Also, communicate with your couple and tell them how to exit to best get the shot you want.
For the best chance of nailing the shot ask your couple to:
Plan the sparkler exit away from harsh lighting such as the entryway lights or streetlights.
Pause a few times through the procession. Have them pause at the top of the path and strike a pose so you can take a quick test shot before rapid-fire as they exit down the rest of the path. Suggest a dramatic kiss, or that they wave to their friends and family.
suggest having the couple stop about ¾ of the way through the sparkler line, that way they’re well lit from all directions.
Walk slowly and enjoy the last moments of the reception. Tell them to resist the urge to run.
Redo the exit. If you failed to get the shot, yell “Encore!” and wave them back to the start, encouraging them to enjoy themselves and do it again. Many couples love to bask in the attention for a few extra moments before taking off.
What Kind OF Sparkler Should I USe?
To create a lasting impression on guests and to get the all-important photos, couples have made an art of the wedding exit. Now, the farewell line often includes smokeless sparklers, held up by guests to light the couple’s way along their new journey together.After
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How to Choose The Right Sparklers for Your Exit
Let’s look at the size ranges available. Choose from lengths of 10, 20 or 36 inches, depending on the amount of time you need for the exit. Short sparklers can work for small weddings with under 20 guests.
Once you start adding more guests, you need time to pass out all the sparklers, light them and get everyone in place. In this case, large sparklers (20 inches) or extra-large sparklers (36 inches) are highly recommended for logistical purposes.
Today’s average wedding has 250 or more guests. For larger weddings, extra-large sparklers give everyone time to light the sparklers, get in place and create a superior celebration for the bride and groom. If you think that’s too splashy for your celebration, select the next size down.
For 150 or fewer guests, 20-inch sparklers are ideal for smaller weddings. With fewer people to organize, guests can light the sparklers, get in line and salute the couple. The burn rate for this size is two minutes.
For intimate weddings with just a few close friends, select the quick burning 10-inch sparklers for your wedding exit.
There are several differences between wedding sparklers and regular sparklers that make it worth your while (and the expense!) to go with the designated wedding ones for your special day. Differences between the two that make wedding sparklers your go-to for including:
Size
Traditional sparklers are just about 8- to 10-inches long, while wedding sparklers are often 20- or 36-inches long. The longer length allows for a longer burn time, with a regular sparkler fizzling out in about 20 seconds and a wedding sparkler last a good two to four minutes.
Color
Wedding sparklers are easy to find in the coveted gold color popular for the elegant celebrations of love. Gold sparkler stems are a safe choice to compliment the golden bright hues that emanate from the glittering sticks. Regular sparklers are found in red, green, and blue, but these colors can throw off the ambiance that traditionally belongs to a wedding and skew the color schemes of your photos.
Shape
Heart-shaped wedding sparklers differ from the traditional straight-stalked sparklers and can add a splash of romance and fun to your ceremony or reception centerpieces. They burn for approximately two minutes and are the perfect way to symbolize you’re tying the knot while spreading some love to your guests. If you’re looking for a heartfelt (i.e., heart-shaped) addition to your wedding day, this is one way to go to make that sentimental, unique, affection-filled gesture.
Packaging
The packaging of your wedding sparklers may or may not be an issue, but it’s a good indicator of the type of sparklers you’re buying. Additionally, if you plan on keeping your sparklers inside the packaging until it’s time to pass them out to your guests, you don’t want the visual aesthetic to contrast with your wedding décor.
Smoke Emissions
Wedding sparklers should emit little to no smoke if you’re thinking about your guests’ comfort and hoping to catch the perfect (clear) photographic moment. Wedding sparklers and regular sparklers have different chemical compositions. Additionally, avoid buying wood sparklers and instead opt for the steel wire sparklers for minimal smoke.
Tips for Lighting the Wedding Sparklers
Getting 150 or more sparklers lit at the same time is no mean feat. The clock is ticking from the time the first sparkler touches flame. You need a plan to get all the smokeless sparklers lit in less than 30 seconds before they start to fizzle out.
Matches and handheld lighters are not a good idea. First of all, it’s hard to coordinate, and it’s not the safest idea in the world to ask hundreds of guests to brandish their
Lighting Methods For Shooting A Sparkler Exit at a Wedding
Shooting A Sparkler Exit with Only Sparkler Lights
This is a popular method for capturing the natural glow of the sparklers. To use the sparkler light alone, adjust your ISO to the light from the sparklers, adjusting for the ambient glow while maintaining the fastest shutter speed possible in those conditions. Adjust your camera to the ambient light of the sparklers as they’re being lit and the guests are lining up outside. Taking these test shots ahead of time gives you a chance to calibrate your gear, and capture the genuine emotion of the guests as they anticipate the bride and groom exit.
Try shooting using a 50mm lens at ISO 3200 f/1.6, 1/200 sec.
Shooting a Sparkler Exiting Using Only Ambient Light and Sparkler Lights
If the venue is in a tent, or if the couple has soft lighting in their path of exit, using it can be a great way to get good sparkler exit images. Here’s an example of one image using only the light from the sparklers, and the soft lighting from string lights on the roof of the venue with the sigma art 35mm lens at ISO 4000, f/1.4 and 1/100 sec. Manually adjusted the white balance using Kelvin 2500.
Some exits happen when it is still partially light outside. While total darkness yields a more dramatic image, you can get a beautiful effect before the sun has fully set.
Shooting a Sparkler Exit with On-Camera Light/Flash
This is usually the safest route for capturing a shot that works. It’s less technically challenging and leaves less room for error. If you use an on-camera flash /Light, adjust to a lower ISO with a moderate shutter speed to get a sharp photo/Video. Fine-tune your shutter speed to your camera’s light meter and shoot. I recommend a Video Light I use all the time from LumeCube to help out with this. You can Control Color TEMPERATURE AND BRIGHTNESS, PLUS ITS COMPACT SIZE MAKES IT EWASY TO FIT ANYWHERE YOU NEED IT.
If you have a second shooter, take advantage of that! Shoot your images without a flash, and have them shoot with a flash. This will give you two sets of photos with two different looks, and give you room to be more creative knowing that you have a backup.
Sparkler Exit Troubleshooting
If you are struggling with your Sparkler exit, it might be an easy fix. Here are our tips for overcoming common sparkler exit issues.
Blurry: If the couple is moving too much or your camera is out of focus, ask the couple to hold a pose that they can maintain for a few seconds without struggling to stay still. If this doesn’t solve the problem, try reducing the ambient light.
Backlit: If the couple is backlit, try changing their position slightly so that they’re lit from the front, or give them a pair of sparklers and have them hold the sparklers off to the side so the light is reflected off their faces.
Unfocused: If the camera is having trouble distinguishing the foreground from the background, help the camera focus by having the couple hold a bright phone screen or light next to their faces, focus your camera on that light, put it into manual focus mode, and keep it there.