"Engagement Shoot"

[QB@LL]

Hi all!

I've come here for some C&C on some photos that I took of my sister and her fiance today! This "session" was the first that I've ever taken of people aside from some posed pics that I have taken of my wife... they're supposed to use them to send out to family and friends.

Anyway, I've found out that I still don't know how to use my Sigma Flash or flash in general all that well as a lot of the pics came out way overexposed... needs work. I've also found that posing people, if you've never done it, is more difficult than it seems. Regardless, it was fun to try this out and see what came out.

So, like I said, I'm here for some feedback. Please be gentle :o

Thanks for any and all advice!

SEE THE PICS HERE!!! (http://jquitos.fotopic.net/c829789.html)

[R Hardman]

"The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings. "

Link does not work.

[QB@LL]

Sorry... I think the link is down for the moment... they must be doing some work to the site :cry: Wish I could host my own pics... then again, I'm trying to put the pics up for free...hehe... Hopefully it will be up soon, I'll post again when it is. Thanks for looking anyway!

QB

[QB@LL]

Ok... I think that it's up and running again... I hope :cool:

[overclock]

I like 7. However the light on the side of his face is a little off.
The ones with the boat in the background have the boat totally blown. It is hard to expose for a dark foreground subject matter and a lit up background. So what I'm trying to say is that the blown out boat is too distracting.

Try shooting at a different time of day or look up how to shoot during the middle of the day. It is tricky.

Also, try to get some candid shots. After shooting long enough with a couple you can get them to relax and get a little giddy and they will let their guard down and start tickling each other and that's when the fun shots begin. My brother-in-law got an awesome shot of me and my wife that way. It is one of my favorite photos till this day, 7 years ago.

[VividRyan]

One thing I noticed right away was none of them have them looking at each other or kissing each other and It almost all looks posed. When I do my engagment sessions I try to capture them having fun together playing around and showing affection along with some posed shots but thats just me. :)

[QB@LL]

Thanks for all the comments thus far. Like I said, I've never really done something like this before. Mainly all candids and posed pics of my wife...hehe. But all advice given is helpful. I've read and reread a lot of posts on here as well as books trying to get technique down, application is a different matter :)

In anycase, it was hard taking pics that time of day as you said oveclock (bout 4:00). I was waiting for the sun to go down a little more but my future brother-in-law is not the photogenic type and doesn't always like to get "dressed up". Lighting was definitely hard to manage as a lot of the pics that I took looked very blown out. Like I said, more homework :)

VividRyan, I'll take your suggestions and incorporate them next time we take pics with them. They seemed satisfied with them, however we are never satisfied with our own stuff.

Thanks again for your help! Anybody else?

QB

[SuzyView]

I actually liked the last one on the first row. I've taken a lot of these "engagement" announcement pictures and the trick is to take a zillion of them. Have them relax a little and don't be afraid to get in a tight shot or two. Smiling pictures when one is uncomfortable or doesn't have a sincere smile is hard. The pictures you choose should express a closeness between them. They are getting married and "Posing" can sometimes just be that. You want to express either playfulness, closeness or something more meaningful than just a pose. But you did great. Keep trying. It is clear that you have the right stuff and good equipment. Killer combination. :)

SuzyView

[QB@LL]

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitelty take tons more next time... which hopefully will be soon!

[queenbee288]

It looks like you got a couple of keepers there. I never shoot in the bright sunlight like this. I did a family portrait shoot on a sunny day in a park recently and I found a shady spot and used fill flash.

[JMHPhotography]

They are nice compositionally, but I think most of them could have been helped with a little light management. Squinting subjects spoil the romance a little, no? And the shots where you have them in shade, you should fill in with flash so they are exposed the same as the bright background. I do see a some keepers in there though.

[Actionphotog]

I think #'s 13 and 45 are the best all the others have very hard light on their faces

[Ronald S. Jr.]

I don't recall the number, but there's one with a cityscape off behind THEIR right side. You should have metered for the sky/city, because it's blown out, and use a fill flash. Otherwise, good job.

[QB@LL]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I'll definitely try to better use my flash next time and try to pic a better time of day to do these photos as well. Thanks again for all the help!

QB