Available light is great when it works for you, however, what happens when you have bad available light, or the light isn’t so available? That’s the question Bend, Oregon-based photographer Benjamin Edwards is often tasked with answering when photographing a wedding.

“Whether it’s quality of light, or quantity, I’m always prepared to manufacture my own light in order to achieve the look I want,” he explains. “As professionals, shouldn’t we have the confidence to walk in to any room or space and know that we can control the light for our clients, or for our personal projects?”

[Read: 9 Tips for Sculpting Natural and Artificial Light at Weddings]

Such was the case, says the photographer, for this wedding of Kristopher and Eileen, which took place at one of Edwards’ favorite Central Oregon venues, Pronghorn Resort. “Pronghorn, by design, has a warmth to it, but it’s not filled with an overabundance of light. Due to incoming weather, the ceremony was moved from outdoor to indoor, into a very tight space which limited where I could move and rendered most of the scene, from my vantage point, to being nearly entirely backlit.”

[Read: How to Fix Bad Lighting While You’re Photographing a Wedding]

Knowing the space previously and having a couple of minutes to prepare, Edwards put some mono lights on stands and aimed them into the ceiling and wall, one on each side. “I did power down one of the lights on one side to ensure I had a brighter rim light from behind and just enough fill on the front. This gave me as close to cinematic ‘book lighting’ as I could get. This technique is often what potential clients mention when we’re interviewing each other. I often hear, ‘There’s something about the way you use light….’ Really I’m just bouncing light anywhere I can to achieve the softest light possible, while at the same time, trying to have a rim light to separate the subject from the background.” 

For the detail shots, Edwards employed the use of Lensbaby’s OMNI system. “I’ve been throwing all sorts of things in front of my lenses for years. This creative tool system from Lensbaby helps me keep everything organized and ready to play. By simply moving the filters around (which are magnetized to the screw on ring), I am able to isolate features of the details I wanted to stand out, and diminish the areas I want less noticeable. This approach, mixed with the use of a Profoto 3′ Octobox with two Godox speed lights gives me my desired look every time.”

“When photographing a wedding, my approach is to be everywhere without being seen,” Edwards sums up. “I always want my clients to say, ‘How did you get that shot? I didn’t even see you!’ And I always want to deliver cinematic images that the couple will value for a lifetime.”

Check out more Weddings of the Week, and email Jacqueline Tobin with submissions.