wedding pictures with Canon 10D

[bladerunner2000]

Hi,

I'm starting a new wedding photography business and I would like to know what other people think about my work. I'm sure there is a lot to learn from your critique.

Thank you for your time.
Rob

http://homepage.mac.com/robertkoszta/PhotoAlbum43.html

[Toria]

I'm actually a beginner at photography so can't really give a lot of critique...but I think that you are off to a good start and have some nice shots in your portfolio. Good luck to you!

:) Toria

[Leighow]

I just take images outdoors while on walks with my dog.

PORTRAITS and LIGHTING:
I thought that your Portrait images were better than your wedding shots. I felt that the lighting was weak on a number of images. Maybe you need a portable flash with diffuser.

LENS:
There may be ways to make your subjects look more beautiful on film that in person. I suspect that lens choice and shooting angle might help to some subjects to look thick or thin -- depending on good tase.

VARIETY:
I cannot comment about composition and topic interest as I have not given that much thought. But I would have expected to see group shots of bridesmaids, and maybe some more artistic/fun shots of garters, etc.

HOWIE

[abbarr]

Rob,

There are a lot of really nice shots here. I think you are off to a good start. Please take my comments with the knowledge that I am not a profossional photograper, I just want to contribute to you and the forum at large.

The bird cage/candle composition is awesome. Great lighting too. I especially like the shot of the groom holding the brides slippers low and in front. I hope that was your idea. Keep that originality going as it will help set you apart from other wedding photographers.

I think the use of snow and other such post processing techniques is an art. You really have to practice them. The one instance in your portfolio covers too much of the bride's face in what i think was an attempt to balance out the photo. It also varies in thickness and intensity which i think ultimately detracts from the original. I think i would either use the technique on a different pic or be more selective in placement of the 'snow'.

There is a shot where the subject's hand, while being of primary intest in the particular shot, is blocking her face. She (the bride) will never like that :). You can't always be in the right spot at the right time, but it pays to plan ahead.

The lighting on several of the shots leaves some key features dark.

There a number of shots that cut off key pieces of the scene, e.g., brides train in a pose that definitely should include that key feature, half of groom's face in the car, top of the cake during cutting, etc.

I hope you find some of this helpful.

Best of luck in your Business.

Alan.

[Ellie]

You're off to a pretty good start... I think your lighting is a little weak on some of your shots. You may need a reflector when taking some shots. Like the one of the first couple; bride was near the camera and the groom was looking on from behind. You needed some sort of white reflecter for the brides face plus your camera height was a little low. Keep shooting and comparing to others work. You'll get it!

Ellie

[eland]

Along with the other comments, clearly there is insufficient light on many of the photographs.
This should be a major priority for you to attend to and correct. Consider flash and some one holding a large reflector off to one side.
Simply upping the flash power will likely wash out the wedding dress.

The other point, and an important one, is the heavy black frames.

Black frames are for mourning, not for a joyous occasion like a wedding.
Also when looking at your web page, the heavy black frames
totally dominate everything else. This of course should not be.
A suggestion. Have a tinted background color like silver or pink satin and have light colored or white frames.

eland

[bladerunner2000]

eland wrote:
Along with the other comments, clearly there is insufficient light on many of the photographs.
This should be a major priority for you to attend to and correct. Consider flash and some one holding a large reflector off to one side.
Simply upping the flash power will likely wash out the wedding dress.

The other point, and an important one, is the heavy black frames.

Black frames are for mourning, not for a joyous occasion like a wedding.
Also when looking at your web page, the heavy black frames
totally dominate everything else. This of course should not be.
A suggestion. Have a tinted background color like silver or pink satin and have light colored or white frames.

eland

I agree with all the people on this board, clearly one of the problems here is the lighting. That must be improved. Thank you for your time and observation.

Robert

[Tom W]

As a non-pro, I can still offer that exposure seems to be the weakness. There are a number of shots that are, to me, artistically good, but lack enough light on the subject of honor (the bride and groom) to really make them stand out. The white dress may be fooling the camera a bit, but fill flash and better use of natural lighting would help a lot more. Make them stand out. The background is important, but secondary.

I sent a couple of critiques on the web site at which these pictures reside. You have a good eye for what you want in a picture, IMHO. A little tweaking of technique (and possibly a little more equipment) will bring great results.