Wedding Photography Help

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My critique on each photo is below. I have been very picky, just so you have some thoughts to ponder. I have been watching the "Masters of Wedding Photography" DVDs recently, so I have seen some simply amazing work. Feel free to disagree with my critique if you like. I won't mind :) These are only my thoughts, not statements of fact. I doubt very much I would have done any better. In fact I know I wouldn't have. It is much easier to be an armchair critic than to shoot well when under pressure. All in all, if these are representative, you've done a great job. Most importantly I think your bride will be thrilled. That is what is really important. Congrats.

#1 is a nice idea, with the natural frame, but her face could do with a little lift to the lighting. It would have been tough to squeeze a flash in there without blowing the flowers, unless you got a bit fancy with a snoot, so I think you shot it well. Just tweak her face in post or leave it as it is. She looks really happy, and beautiful too. It's a great capture.

#2 I don't like the processing. The idea is fine but the vignette is way too strong and something odd seems to have happened to her skin tone. Simplify your edit and it should be a great shot.

#3 Another really nice capture - lovely smile, a nice moment, sharp and well exposed. It would be nice if the bridesmaid in the background was not looking at the camera but still a great shot.

#4 Gorgeous! A picky person (photographer) might comment on the hot spot on her cheek, and the flash shadow beside her in the background, but you have to be looking hard to find fault. I bet the bride - and everyone - will be thrilled with this one. If you had a flash bracket you could have rotated the flash and kept it above the camera rather than off to the side. The hotspot might move to her forehead but the shadow would vanish.

#5 A good shot to get, and beautifully sharp, with exposure bang on once again. I think it is a shame you've chopped her fingers off. Maybe pulling back a little, or coming lower and shooting up, or asking her to curl her fingers over her shoulder would have worked better. The flower sneaking in on the left edge is also a bit distracting. Maybe you can try a different crop to tidy things up.

Again, my critique is as a photographer. Apart from the heavy vignetting on number two I think any regular person viewing these shots would simply be thrilled.
 
Hey George, :clap:

Overall I think out of the small sample that you have shown, you have done a great job, maybe a little ott with the photoshopping in 2 - so bring he vignette back a bit if you want to give it the dreamlike look.

Did you shoot in RAW? What tips did you find the best during the day? Did you have any troubles at all, no matter how small? Which lens combination did you find yourself using most? What did you shoot in during the day M, AV or S? Did you have any trouble organising anybody? How long was your day? Your honest feedback for the day could help people here or give them the courage to say yes to a wedding.

I'm really glad it went well and if the rest of the photos are anything like those you have submitted here then I think you have excelled yourself for a first wedding shoot.

Well done

Paul (y)
 
Snowball said:
Hey George, :clap:

Overall I think out of the small sample that you have shown, you have done a great job, maybe a little ott with the photoshopping in 2 - so bring he vignette back a bit if you want to give it the dreamlike look.

Did you shoot in RAW? What tips did you find the best during the day? Did you have any troubles at all, no matter how small? Which lens combination did you find yourself using most? What did you shoot in during the day M, AV or S? Did you have any trouble organising anybody? How long was your day? Your honest feedback for the day could help people here or give them the courage to say yes to a wedding.

I'm really glad it went well and if the rest of the photos are anything like those you have submitted here then I think you have excelled yourself for a first wedding shoot.

Well done

Paul (y)
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First of all, thanks to everyone, especially tdodd, for you feedback and comments.

I gave the b&g number 2 without the vignette and a little play around to make the face more natural.

I shot jpeg in the end as I decided that I wanted to use the Canon as it had a 2.8 lens and flash gun which came in use. I took 500 shots at the registry office and just ran out at the end, which was alright as I had just got the right number of shots.

I only used the 18-50 F2.8 lens for the canon and the 18-55 F3.5-5.6 lens on the Nikon. On the Canon I shot on Av mode and on Nikon I shot on A mode and M mode.

I didn't have any problems sorting people into the photos as there were unofficial photographers (people with rubish little cameras ;)) who also wanted the same photos as me, although they were having big problems with the lighting as their flashes weren't powerful enough.

I got to the registry office at 11:00 and left their house at 4:00, so 5 hours. But after that I was editing and sorting the pictures up to 1:00 in the morning!

Feedback: I enjoyed the day and hope to do another in the future. It helped that the Bride was smiling the whole time! Everyone there was very friendly and listened which helped, but I did need to shout "Come on everyone, look at the camera" quite often!

One thing that I would say to anyone doing their first wedding they should just keep it simple. So many tips like, "bring a step ladder", which I did just overcomplicate things. K.I.S. - Keep It Simple!

I hope this helps everyone, it is by no means the correct way of doing anything, but it seemed to work!

George
 
I'm glad you found my comments useful. I was a bit worried that you might be a little affronted, but nobody is going to learn anything if all they hear is "great shots", so I tried to be as honest and realistic as I could. I do think you did really well. The fact that you shot jpeg makes your results all the more impressive. The exposure for that dress is absolutely spot on. Terrific :D
 
A few more photos from it:

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George
 
tdodd said:
I'm glad you found my comments useful. I was a bit worried that you might be a little affronted, but nobody is going to learn anything if all they hear is "great shots", so I tried to be as honest and realistic as I could. I do think you did really well. The fact that you shot jpeg makes your results all the more impressive. The exposure for that dress is absolutely spot on. Terrific :D
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:)

The exposure for the dress was sooo hard to get right if I had all of it in shot as it just turned grey (as it should), but what I found was the way to get the right exposure is to point the camera at the grass, look at the given exposure, then stick it on M mode and shoot away. Worked every time!

George
 
GFWilliams said:
:)

The exposure for the dress was sooo hard to get right if I had all of it in shot as it just turned grey (as it should), but what I found was the way to get the right exposure is to point the camera at the grass, look at the given exposure, then stick it on M mode and shoot away. Worked every time!

George
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I think you just re-invented the wheel there with your grass trick. Unless you've know that already, your method takes too long.

The alternative is to over expose it on purpose by 1 stop and use spot metering on the dress.

What I do instead is to meter the scene (say indoor), stick it in M mode and over expose it by 1 stop and keep that mode until I leave the room. I don't meter for every shot.
 
You got some OK pics there, the guy on the last pic is looking away but you always get them. Lets see some of the bride and groom, full length and also brides maids and all that stuff.
 
GFWilliams said:
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[S4]↑ That is genuinely great![/S4]

Dude... I love it, I've been having a bit of a rant about **** poor mono shots, but you've restored my faith. :love:
 
George ....

All I can say is well done mate.

Just looking over your shots and you have done yourself proud. I am sure the B & G will love the images.

Just shows that your age and inexperience meant nothing compared to your hard work and deciation. Nice to see you believing in yourself and proving you can do it!

A fantastic set, well done. Looking forward to seeing more.

Cheers

Anth.
 
TheKrikkitWars said:
[S4]↑ That is genuinely great![/S4]

Dude... I love it, I've been having a bit of a rant about **** poor mono shots, but you've restored my faith. :love:
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That's photoshopped......looks ok at first glance but clearly been cut out and if you look carefully its very crude and its just so wrong.
 
That raised up group shot is great, its pictures like that that in years to come people will look at and say "oh theres whathisface and his wife, I remember them" or "I forgot so and so came to that wedding"

It really puts a different perspective on the typical group shot thats for sure.
 
Raymond Lin said:
That's photoshopped......looks ok at first glance but clearly been cut out and if you look carefully its very crude and its just so wrong.
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[Squinting at screen] Yes it has been, which is a shame as I have to retract my previous comment :(

But He still gets the concept of the darkest colour being pure black and the brightest pure white, which is to his credit.
 
Thanks for the kind comments, the pre photoshopped picture was horrific as it had plastic chairs and the side of a markee in it, so that was the reason for doing it, however I can see why it wouldn't be for some.

PL: I will try to sort some more photos of the B&G full length and some bridesmaids. - You can't expect me to be a pro just yet ;) :LOL:


SimonTALM said:
I'm glad to see you didn't trip over you balls, now I hope your head doesn't swell with the results.
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Now I have to say that that is the first time I have ever heard this comment! But thanks I think...


George
 
I must say i'm pleasantly surprised with what you've produced. The pics that i have seen are very good, especially since you havn't done a wedding before.
 
From what I've seen I think you've done very well indeed. You obviously have a flair for it - and the talent. Not many people with your level of experience could pull this off. Well done!
 
I wanna see more :D
 
a little bit dark on my monitor - subtle fill flash would have helped. BTW was the groom Scottish?
I'm sure you could brighten this is PP though.
 
For the Bride and Groom shot you should not have cropped off the arms, the shot is far to tite. Also a big hot spot on the brides face and light spill onto the grooms jacket (clone it out). Flowers should be tilted down so we can see them. The background is also a bit off putting, with the big bright bit above the brides shoulder. The pose is nice, but the shot is spoiled due to the tight crop.

PS the groom looks like you.
 
It was GFWilliams wedding really, and the tight get shot his own wedding.
 
Looking forward to some more of your shots George... If you don't mind I, I might have a little play with a few and put them up.
 
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Any chance that you could post this shot as taken. I think it could be really nice if a bit of time was taken over the masking..
 
From someone that said "photoshop isnt that hard"
That pic is a mess !
Without wishing to restart yesterdays thread
Its a clear example of the difference between a Pro's work and an amateurs.
 
As a pro you should have a better understanding of how to critique other's work than "That pic is a mess" Starman.

How about suggesting to George how he may improve it?
 
AliB said:
As a pro you should have a better understanding of how to critique other's work than "That pic is a mess" Starman.

How about suggesting to George how he may improve it?
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Indeed. How have you become a 'professional' with such a rude demeanour? This is the last time I'm going to say this. If you can't be courteous in your replies....go and find another forum to play on.
 
sorry if I dont subscribe to the cooing over sub standard work brigade
I used it to highlight the vast difference between work
if thats an offence so be it I'll take the ban but I will stand by my comment
 
starman said:
From someone that said "photoshop isnt that hard"
That pic is a mess !
Without wishing to restart yesterdays thread
Its a clear example of the difference between a Pro's work and an amateurs.
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What a useless statement there bears no relevance to the topic of this thread. :thumbsdown:

IMO a real 'pro' wouldn't make a statement like that.


I don't think you have paid attention to the topic or discussions within this thread. GF Williams is not a pro, has not made any implications that he is and has simply asked for friendly advice and constructive criticism.

I undertsand the general feeling that yourself and Paplazarou convey but in this instance does not relate.

Also, with all due respect, how do you expect that anyone wil take your comments and 'advice' seriously when examples of your work are completely absent?


T.
 
starman said:
sorry if I dont subscribe to the cooing over sub standard work brigade
I used it to highlight the vast difference between work
if thats an offence so be it I'll take the ban but I will stand by my comment
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Boo hoo, I bet you enjoy being the proverbial villian
 
i recon everyone has got to start somewhere.... who knows, a few years from now george could be the best wedding tog we ever seen.....

george.. good work buddy !!!
 
Hi GFWilliams,
I can't offer any "pro" advice not being one myself but I can say that having been in the same boat (friend with no cash wanted a wedding tog), and being on the customer end (had a friend shoot my engagement party).....

I would be happy with those shots. Weather it be turning them out of my own camera or having them as a visual record of my day.

Well done mate
 
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