No pressure. Right!

[Benandbobbi]

My son asked me to photograph his engagement and wedding. I just did the engagement pictures (attached). He said, don't worry, dad, no pressure. Whatever you come up with will be fine with us. Now, I am not a pro at this and I did my best, but this is their once-in-a-lifetime event and I didn't want to blow it. Please give me some Feedback so I can improve for the actual wedding this January.

[Benandbobbi]

Here is a couple more

[Benandbobbi]

Another for you to critique

[jra]

Very nice overall....I really like the 4th one. I'm not sure if you were going for the "soft" look in #3 but it seems too soft IMO.

[Pete]

All those look very nice to me. The couple certainly seem to be relaxed with you around, which must help a great deal.

I'd advise you to post these shots into the Weddings section to get more constructive feedback and advice about your upcoming shoot.

[Benandbobbi]

Last One

[Benandbobbi]

Very nice overall....I really like the 4th one. I'm not sure if you were going for the "soft" look in #3 but it seems too soft IMO.
I was going for the soft look and maybe I diffused it too much. The original is crisp.

[jra]

The last one is also very nice....I must have initially replied before you were done posting :)

[Art Rodriguez]

Well, the only thing I can say is that they came out very nice. You shouldn't have any trouble with the wedding. Agree with your son, no pressure:)

Art

[Benandbobbi]

Well, the only thing I can say is that they came out very nice. You shouldn't have any trouble with the wedding. Agree with your son, no pressure:)

Art

Thanks, Art. I can use all the confidence boosters that I can get!

[CookieMonster]

i like the 4th one w/ the tree and the lake in the background

[SpenserHeaps]

a nice set of images. in number one i would like to see it a bit lighter, maybe layer exposures so u can lighten up the couple and the room, and not make the view out the window go totally white. i think it also would look better with a slightly warmer whitebalance. i think number three is the weekest of them because it makes the couples look distant and at odds, IMO. number 4 is my favorite. nice work. you should be fine for the wedding.

[ashleymcnamara]

I like the second one...dramatic.

[Statement]

Looks like you're going to do a great job with the wedding. #4 is awesome. #1 might look really nice in black and white.

[Rumrunner]

This is one of those posts that forces me to comment one by one

1. Great, they look very focused on whats going on outside the window, especially since the window is where the exposure is set.

2. I wish I could see a little bit of detail in the silhouette -- a little foreground light would've made it better I think

3. Composure is off to me, I wish thier heads were closer together, and the water fountain almost looks pasted in there for some reason...

4. Great photo indeed!

5. Outstanding photo, comp is fantastic!

6. Very nice as well, composition is fantastic!

[ABrownPhoto]

You did a great job overall! #1 could have used a little(very little) more light on the subjects (IMHO), but other than that, #4 is my favorite overall, and the shots are nice!

Oh, and #3 is a bit too soft (as mentioned above)

[Curtis N]

Those shots are excellent.
But if you're not comfortable shooting their wedding, then perhaps hiring a pro to do the job would be a great wedding gift for them.

[SoccerRef]

Read the wedding forum! Read, Read, Read! And Practice if you can.

I would bet that if you ask around at some churches in your area, you will find a couple or two who can barely afford to get married and who definitely can not afford a photographer.

Offer to photograph their wedding free of charge with absolutely no strings attached. Offer to give them a disk or two with the photos you take and maybe a print or two in exchange to use their wedding as a practice session. Be totally honest and up front that you have never done this before but are wanting practice and that is why you are offering your services for free.

Unfortunately, I would still suggest coming up with some sort of "agreement" in writing. Just to be sure there are no questions or expectations.

Do this for two or three couples between now and your son's wedding and you will be a LOT more comfortable for his wedding. (Not to mention, you will make a few couples you don't even know very happy to have a whole bunch of photos of their wedding. That will also make you feel good, and it will only cost you a few afternoons of your time.)

[Benandbobbi]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'll use them all!! As for charging them for the photos, of course they will be free for my son and his fiance. But even for free I want them to be the best I can offer.

[D. Craig Flory]

I like the series ... a lot of variety. In addition to comments from others ... on #1, a reflector would have been good to add more light on him. There are ways to make your own instead of buying any. In that pose, since there was a lot of falloff of light, I would have used mirror material. On #2, it's a good silhouette. If they were a bit darker it would be perfect. You should have black with no detail. The others had good comments.

If you do photograph the wedding: Have a back-up DSLR camera. Have more than enough capture cards. Use an external flash for the formals. Create in RAW only.

[carriel_miller]

I think you did a very good job, and you are more then capable to do the wedding pictures, the only question is....Do you want to spend your sons wedding behind a camera the whole time? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy yourself and see the ceremony/etc NOT looking through a little viewfinder?

[Benandbobbi]

I think you did a very good job, and you are more then capable to do the wedding pictures, the only question is....Do you want to spend your sons wedding behind a camera the whole time? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy yourself and see the ceremony/etc NOT looking through a little viewfinder?

Thanks for the compliment. Of course I would rather watch the ceremony, but I can't say "no" considering they would have to pay $5,000 for a pro and get no negs. I also hope that because his dad took the picstures, they may have even more meaning to them if that's possibe.

[switchblade5984]

i like them all but the first one need either more or less light.... depending on which way you wanted to go...

[Titus213]

These images show that you obviously know how to use your equipment. What I really like is the creative posing you've done. They are a lovely couple and you should be able to handle the wedding. If it stays as low key, laid back as this shoot was. And you know that's not going to happen... Practice all you can between now and them. Learn how to really use a flash.

[GMACK24]

last one is the best IMHO

[CarsRFun]

great pics!!!
also GO HOGS!!!!

[jcw122]

they look great :D

[aLFaDaRK]

Here's what I would have done in post processing for #3:

All I did was match the lighting on the man's face with the woman, then warmed up the image, played with the levels a bit, and added a bit more lens blur to the background - then finished it off with some sharpening.

I like all of the photos though, and the composition of each is great. :)

[Benandbobbi]

These images show that you obviously know how to use your equipment. What I really like is the creative posing you've done. They are a lovely couple and you should be able to handle the wedding. If it stays as low key, layed back as this shoot was. And you know that's not going to happen... Practice all you can between now and them. Learn how to really use a flash.

Wow. Thanks for the compliment. I'm sure you are also 100% correct about the wedding NOT being so laid back. I hope it won't be too bad though. I know that if all goes as planned, this will be their one and only wedding. I just hope that during the "I Dos", I'm not heard screaming, "What the hell is an Error 99"? lol

[Benandbobbi]

Here's what I would have done in post processing for #3:

All I did was match the lighting on the man's face with the woman, then warmed up the image, played with the levels a bit, and added a bit more lens blur to the background - then finished it off with some sharpening.

I like all of the photos though, and the composition of each is great. :)

I like the idea of what you've done, but not crazy about the extent to which you've done it. I get the idea though. I'll continue to play with the original and move more toward your suggestion. THe great thing is that I have them all in RAW so over time, we'll get it just the way they want them. THanks again for the time you took with the pic.

[Titus213]

Wow. Thanks for the compliment. I'm sure you are also 100% correct about the wedding NOT being so laid back. I hope it won't be too bad though. I know that if all goes as planned, this will be their one and only wedding. I just hope that during the "I Dos", I'm not heard screaming, "What the hell is an Error 99"? lol

Yes sir, you probably don't even want to be muttering it under your breath.:lol:

[tania622]

Very nice, I like the 4th and last most, but they are all nice pictures. You'll do great for the wedding

[JimCapaldi]

I like both the 4th and the 5th, but all are quite good. If you can take pix like these, you'll have no problem at the wedding. Just remember to take lots of shots.

[PsychProf]

If they want you to photograph their wedding go for it!!! I had the opportunity to photograph my daughter's wedding and it gave me something to do during the event. Otherwise I would have just stood up and said, "Her mother and I." Seeing my only child get married was potentially stressful--but getting to do the phots helped my focus on more of what I was getting than what I was loosing. Good luck.

[Benandbobbi]

If they want you to photograph their wedding go for it!!! I had the opportunity to photograph my daughter's wedding and it gave me something to do during the event. Otherwise I would have just stood up and said, "Her mother and I." Seeing my only child get married was potentially stressful--but getting to do the phots helped my focus on more of what I was getting than what I was loosing. Good luck.
well said, Pat.