My first solo wedding

minnnt

minnnt

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David
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What an experience! 15 hours in total, absolutely cream crackered by the end of it all! Was amazed how fast the time went and how little spare time i had to get some of the shots i had planned!

Thought I'd share a few shots to see what the masses think!

#1

'The Dress Shot' by David Raynham, on Flickr

#2

Shoes by David Raynham, on Flickr

#3

Because I'm Happy by David Raynham, on Flickr

#4

Waiting... by David Raynham, on Flickr

#5

Emotions by David Raynham, on Flickr

#6

The Bride by David Raynham, on Flickr

#7

Under the light by David Raynham, on Flickr

#8

Dancing the night away by David Raynham, on Flickr
 
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Love the rings. #1 #4 #5 #7 I really like. #6 I don't like as looks a bit messy and I'm drawn more towards the bright light on the right rather than the bride and she looks a bit slumped.

#2 I would prefer tidy laces, but I'm OCD lol.

But as with any wedding photography, you will never please the masses and as long as the bride and groom love them, that's all that really matters.
 
I was never one for doing ring shots (daft idea AFAIC), but I have to say that that one gets a prize for originality - and for technical merit, come to that :)
 
JJ! said:
Love the rings. #1 #4 #5 #7 I really like. #6 I don't like as looks a bit messy and I'm drawn more towards the bright light on the right rather than the bride and she looks a bit slumped.

#2 I would prefer tidy laces, but I'm OCD lol.

But as with any wedding photography, you will never please the masses and as long as the bride and groom love them, that's all that really matters.
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Thanks for the comments. They're coming tomorrow to have a look at them. They've seen a couple but as a whole set I'm hoping they're ok with them.

Serendipitous Sid said:
I was never one for doing ring shots (daft idea AFAIC), but I have to say that that one gets a prize for originality - and for technical merit, come to that :)
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Again, thanks very much! I googled the ring shot and came across one that had a single bokeh ball in the background and then 5 minutes later i was left with this. Simple OCF pointed at the rings hanging from a living room light on some ribbon with battery operated Christmas lights in the background worked quite well.

sunnyside_up said:
Nice job, batman. I knew you'd smash it out the park. :)
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Haha, cheers. Will see what the couple think tomorrow evening before i agree. 95% of the images are safe, pretty boring shots tbh which leave me feeling meh but i guess that's all part of it?! Was quite disappointed that the day just flew by and before you knew it it was time to go home! Darkness at 4pm is not the one!

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
David.
 
Great effort David, I bet the Bride and Groom are well pleased?
:
Les ;)
 
Hiya Dave. Well done. Brave man :) I'm sure they will be delighted !
Did you do the firworks thing or was that a different project and i'm getting threads mixed up.

Gaz
 
Lez325 said:
Great effort David, I bet the Bride and Groom are well pleased?
:
Les ;)
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Cheers Les. They're coming around tonight to look at them. Hope they like 'em or I'm screwed. :D

cargo said:
Hiya Dave. Well done. Brave man :) I'm sure they will be delighted !
Did you do the firworks thing or was that a different project and i'm getting threads mixed up.

Gaz
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Hi Gaz. I did indeed do a firework shot. Unfortunately due to to h&s rules everyone had to stand well back. I wanted to capture the bride and groom stood together watching them with a long exposure then a pop of flash to freeze them at the end. In the end i was stood in front of them. :LOL:

danny_bhoy said:
Lovely stuff mate - really well done!
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Cheers Danny. Hats off to you guys who do this all the time. I was frazzled!
 
I think you've done a really nice job. You've managed to retain a degree of creativity and originality rather than playing it totally straight, something I regret about the one wedding I shot.

minnnt said:
I was frazzled!
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Judging by my facebook feed I get the impression that most pros are (a) perpetually frazzled and (b) total insomniacs after a gig.
 
minnnt said:
Hi Gaz. I did indeed do a firework shot. Unfortunately due to to h&s rules everyone had to stand well back. I wanted to capture the bride and groom stood together watching them with a long exposure then a pop of flash to freeze them at the end. In the end i was stood in front of them. :LOL:
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Last time I tried that shot a 'helpful guest' moved my flash so it was pointed at a big empty field instead
 
So will we be seeing any more from this gig?

Are you hoping to do more weddings?
 
minnnt said:
Sure, what would you like to see?
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Entirely up to you, mister. The only reason I'm asking is because if I was to critique what you've shown so far from the POV of their potential to get you more wedding work, I wouldn't have much to go at ...
 
minnnt said:
Cheers Les. They're coming around tonight to look at them. Hope they like 'em or I'm screwed. :D



Hi Gaz. I did indeed do a firework shot. Unfortunately due to to h&s rules everyone had to stand well back. I wanted to capture the bride and groom stood together watching them with a long exposure then a pop of flash to freeze them at the end. In the end i was stood in front of them. :LOL:
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Shame that I were looking forwards to seeing that as It sounds like a great shot to get and I wouldnt know how to go about it.

Gaz
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Entirely up to you, mister. The only reason I'm asking is because if I was to critique what you've shown so far from the POV of their potential to get you more wedding work, I wouldn't have much to go at ...
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TBH having never done this kind of thing before (other than being a bumbling 2nd) i wouldn't know what to show. I don't have a website or a blog so it's not like i can link to that but i don't mind showing you stuff.

To answer your earlier question, i don't have any plans to do this again unless asked to. I don't market myself but i do do a few family shoots for friends and family. Nothing too serious though. I'm by no means a pro or consider myself to be. I do try to put as much effort in to my photography as i can though but I'm still learning so any advice is very much welcomed.

Gaz, i too am a little gutted i didn't get time to shoot the intended firework shot. Could have been a showstopper i think. I didn't really get anytime to shoot what i wanted to. Quite surprising really when you consider it was a 15 hour day.
 
No worries the idea's there banked away into the memory :) So i'm sure you will spring into action one time and capture such a photo.

Gaz
 
minnnt said:
To answer your earlier question, i don't have any plans to do this again unless asked to. I don't market myself but i do do a few family shoots for friends and family. Nothing too serious though. I'm by no means a pro or consider myself to be. I do try to put as much effort in to my photography as i can though but I'm still learning so any advice is very much welcomed.
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Cheers David. I hadn't offered any critique on the shots you've posted because I didn't know if this was a one-off or not. In all honesty I only feel competent to offer critique from a professional wedding snapper's POV, along the lines of "how can this be improved to get you more work?" or "How's a typical bride likely to react to these?", and that doesn't really seem to be relevant at present.

As to advice because you're still learning, so was I after 10 years of weddings, but one thing I will say is this. Always be totally sure that the couple and yourself really are on the same page about what kind of pictures you're going to be taking for them. If you're convinced that they're totally happy with the idea of you turning out with a headful of shots you want to do plus some candids in between, fair enough. But just beware of them deciding on the day that they're not into a lot of posing after all ...
 
So, about you shooting my wedding for free next year.......

I did give you some cracking rally tips.

Seriously though, I think you've shown well here David. I hope the B&G are happy with the results.
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Cheers David. I hadn't offered any critique on the shots you've posted because I didn't know if this was a one-off or not. In all honesty I only feel competent to offer critique from a professional wedding snapper's POV, along the lines of "how can this be improved to get you more work?" or "How's a typical bride likely to react to these?", and that doesn't really seem to be relevant at present.

As to advice because you're still learning, so was I after 10 years of weddings, but one thing I will say is this. Always be totally sure that the couple and yourself really are on the same page about what kind of pictures you're going to be taking for them. If you're convinced that they're totally happy with the idea of you turning out with a headful of shots you want to do plus some candids in between, fair enough. But just beware of them deciding on the day that they're not into a lot of posing after all ...
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Thanks Dan. I have realised that i over looked a few shots on the day. Certain family members that i have missed etc. I do have a group shot and they never gave me a list of the shots they definately wanted me to get. The MOC made a few cock ups though which didn't help my cause.

I did do a full wedding coverage though. Bride prep, over to the grooms location, partial groom prep, groomsmen in the car, back to the brides location, dress shots, bride coming out of the house, seeing parents, in the car, arriving at the venue, coming into the CC room, guests, isle shot, waiting groom, crying bride, ring shot, first kiss, register shot, exiting the CC room, in the brides wedding car, group shots, b&g with parents/family shots, welcoming line shots, speech shots, cake cutting shots, first dance shots, guests dancing and a shot of the outside of the venue. I didn't just rock up with my camera to a family wedding.

Nikon_Nick said:
Nicely done David.
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Thanks Nick. :)

Fatheadedlizard said:
Well done buddy and the photos look very well thought out and you have captured the moments. Ive just had my first wedding booking (Aug next year) so will be following you closely.

:plus1::plus1:
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Don't follow me too closely, you won't be seeing any other weddings anytime soon.
dancook said:
Well done, looks good :)
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Thanks Dan. It was an eye opener.

MattyW said:
So, about you shooting my wedding for free next year.......

I did give you some cracking rally tips.

Seriously though, I think you've shown well here David. I hope the B&G are happy with the results.
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You have my number... ;) cheers mate. Just say the words and I'll be there.
 
minnnt said:
... I have realised that i over looked a few shots on the day. Certain family members that i have missed etc.
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So what? Don't worry about it. You (generic) will never get everybody like some brides think you can.

minnnt said:
... they never gave me a list of the shots they definately wanted me to get.
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Be thankful. If they didn't give you a list, they can't moan about you having missed some of what they meant to have on it. Having said that, though, we only shot a very few weddings where they provided a shot list before deciding bugger that for a lark and thereafter refusing to have anything to do with them.

minnnt said:
The MOC made a few cock ups though which didn't help my cause.
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Par for the course. Most of them are a waste of space.

minnnt said:
I did do a full wedding coverage though. Bride prep, over to the grooms location, partial groom prep, groomsmen in the car, back to the brides location, dress shots, bride coming out of the house, seeing parents, in the car, arriving at the venue, coming into the CC room, guests, isle shot, waiting groom, crying bride, ring shot, first kiss, register shot, exiting the CC room, in the brides wedding car, group shots, b&g with parents/family shots, welcoming line shots, speech shots, cake cutting shots, first dance shots, guests dancing and a shot of the outside of the venue.
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Cool. That's what I was wondering about ;)
 
Sorry mate, thought I'd posted a reply - mental week!

Anyway, look great on the face of it. Think, like me, you'll over critique yourself and talk yourself out of another because there were aspects you won't have been happy with. Just accept that weddings are flat out affairs and you just can't nail everything, first time. Did exactly the same, first time. That's the hardest bit, early on, being too critical. You'll do another, of course you will ;)

Think we get spoilt looking at some truly excellent work here! Everyone started somewhere...
 
Looking good buddy.

Where's the rest?

Edit.. There they are.

Have you shown the couple yet?
 
#26

Wedding by David Raynham, on Flickr

#27

Wedding by David Raynham, on Flickr

#28

Wedding by David Raynham, on Flickr

#29

Wedding by David Raynham, on Flickr

Livin The Dream said:
You'll do another, of course you will ;)
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Maybe, maybe not. Like i say, if i get asked then i will, but i doubt very much that i will be advertising myself as a wedding tog. Or any kind of tog tbh.
Thanks for stopping by!

AdamTudor said:
Looking good buddy.

Where's the rest?

Edit.. There they are.

Have you shown the couple yet?
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Thanks Adam. Yes, they have seen them. They came around Tuesday night. They were very happy with my set but they have since asked about certain shots of family members which i don't have as i eluded to above. Not really sure what I can do about that, but as stated above, no list was given so it's just something that i overlooked on the day. :(
 
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