Critique Recent wedding...
- Thread starter bucz
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OK, I'll bite - with the usual caveat that I was never big on posed shots. Also, I'm not looking at these from the POV of whether I like them, but rather what a potential customer looking at them might be thinking
#1 Why so murky? Also wondering why he isn't party to what's going on behind him.
#2 If you were there, the picture makes sense. If you weren't, it doesn't.
#3 Interesting viewpoint and it's worked up to a point, but you were inevitably going to be snookered by that Dangly Bit.
#4 Cool but I'm not convinced by the framing. It would have worked even better with the bottom of the dress in.
#5 Not my cup of tea, but I can see a lot of brides liking it.
And then I took a quick look at your blog post. Is that a solo coverage? You've got some cracking good snaps on there (many far better than this five) and it's an excellent job. Two questions for you though: are you certain that the customers you're trying to attract really prefer the murky black and white to a "cleaner" conversion? And is putting all that lot up in a blog post perhaps not counter-productive? It's one hell of a lot of pictures for anybody other than the couple and guests to wade through ...
#1 Why so murky? Also wondering why he isn't party to what's going on behind him.
#2 If you were there, the picture makes sense. If you weren't, it doesn't.
#3 Interesting viewpoint and it's worked up to a point, but you were inevitably going to be snookered by that Dangly Bit.
#4 Cool but I'm not convinced by the framing. It would have worked even better with the bottom of the dress in.
#5 Not my cup of tea, but I can see a lot of brides liking it.
And then I took a quick look at your blog post. Is that a solo coverage? You've got some cracking good snaps on there (many far better than this five) and it's an excellent job. Two questions for you though: are you certain that the customers you're trying to attract really prefer the murky black and white to a "cleaner" conversion? And is putting all that lot up in a blog post perhaps not counter-productive? It's one hell of a lot of pictures for anybody other than the couple and guests to wade through ...
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- Shem
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Thanks Dan for taking the time writing your comments.
#1 I like a little darker b&w conversions. Just a matter of my actual preference. It was suppose to be staged shot with him being serious and them laughing in the back. I did it on purpose because I was expecting that he is going to laugh with them at some point.
#2 You are right that this photo is probably not telling much about this particular situation. It does when showed with the rest.
#3
I can see how it might be distracting to some. I like it though.#4 I was standing on a tree to get that shot. Unfortunately there was a branch on the bottom of the frame that I had to crop out. I could move them a bit further away but then I would loose that higher vantage point I was after. Compromises
#5 True, they do like it.
Yes, it was solo coverage. They were both getting ready on the grounds of Dumfries House. I started with bride and bridesmaids, then popped to the room where groom and ushers were getting ready, after that went to the venue to photograph the tables and decor and then came back to bride to get photos of her putting the dress on and leaving the room. I was surprised I managed (had enough time) to do all that by myself
. Thanks for kind words. I'm still quite new to wedding photography, this was my 8th wedding so I know there is a lot to improve on. I'm not sure if the customers prefers the murky b&w. It's my preference at the moment which might change with time. I will take that into consideration though when editing my next wedding.
I know it's a lot of photos to go through. I had hard time selecting them as there are a lot of photos I like. I guess it's also because I'm not that experienced and trying to show as much as I can which as you point out might not be the best idea.
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In which case well done mister. You must have been working your socks off at that one.
For an 8th wedding, it's very good indeed. We were still trying to improve after 448!
Then that's something you need to find out. Never forget that with weddings, you're always working for three masters - the couple, the customers you want, and yourself
Don't worry, Shem, you're in good company. Everybody does it when they start out with weddings. We certainly did! Then some kind soul pointed out to us that "less is more" really can be true when it comes to picking the keepers from a wedding. Within reason, the more you weed out the weaker shots, the better that makes the rest of them look. The coverage has more impact as a whole.
As to numbers, FWIW my own view is that the couple obviously want to see a shedful of snaps of their own wedding, but your potential customers don't want to wade through that many. What they want to see instead is a greatest hits portfolio, plus the option to check out at least a couple of full coverages for the proof that you can deliver the goods. How you cater for both those requirements is up to you