First wedding as prime...first pics post in section.

[sageone]

had these in another thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=247303) regarding my first wedding experience but I wanted to show all. midway thru PP. lots to go. here are some early conversions. cc welcome.

http://static.flickr.com/122/315193145_db043c025a.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/111/315193180_0ba8c8b3c3.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/112/315193209_b16a3689ea.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/112/315193109_52ef5abaf3.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/101/315193125_2f4988cbb8.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/103/315193230_c3192dbca5.jpg

[strmrdr]

1st one im like huh.. blurry face pic?
second needs some fill flash PP her face is way too dark.

The rest I like :}

[strmrdr]

hopefully I wasnt too harsh for you.. sometimes I tend to come accross that way.
Im leaving it up because thats my honest opinion on it but hopefully you will understand im not trying to just be mean to you.

[Rachellebee27]

I like how the first turned out. Be careful not to take pics of a bride looking down like #2, it's not flattering to her chin and neck. I'm not sure I like your vignette PP, it kinda makes it feel stark and sad, but really we all have different styles. Great idea with the bridal purse and flowers I think it's nice.

[karensimmons]

#1 - what's supposed to be the subject? the tiny little bit of bouquet or the blurry, closed eyed bride?

#2 - again, what's the subject? My eyes first go to the house and the car and then the bride with the blown out side of her face.

#3 - yet another ambiguous subject. Flowers? Purse? What's the viewer supposed to be seeing here?

#4 and #5 are nice

#6 - again - subject? I'm assuming the rings, but they're totally overwhelmed by all the stuff around them.

Pay much closer attention to your surroundings and think about what you want the viewer to see in your photograph.

Karen

[islandphoto]

I like 3, 4, & 5 - 6 could use major cropping to emphasize the rings. 2 would be nicer without the shadows - try cropping and using the shadow/highlight tool. Maybe a black and white conversion?

[sageone]

thanks folks...good ideas. more posted here (scroll down):

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=247303&page=2

[sageone]

Finished up the slide show using ShowIt web: click here (http://www.demphotography.com/katiemike)

[shuttermom]

the slideshow- I appreciate the work of syncronzing the fades to the cords of the piano, but it's just way too fast. I couldn't watch the whole thing, it made me feel anxious. Why don't you try doing every other beat or something so the viewer can get some sort of sense of the day.

[sageone]

the slideshow- I appreciate the work of syncronzing the fades to the cords of the piano, but it's just way too fast. I couldn't watch the whole thing, it made me feel anxious. Why don't you try doing every other beat or something so the viewer can get some sort of sense of the day.

it's a template that came with the program. i feel the same way in terms of it moving fast, but the client loves it. it really is just supposed to the story of the day. you can always click the gallery button (bottom right) to see all the shots individually. the client also has a password protected proof's site for all her 1000+ shots. this was just an add on I knew she would like and something she could send to her friends and family. lastly, I think as photographers, we want to look at each shot, inspect it, look at the details, etc. clients primarily look at the first thing that catches their eye and move on to the next shot. we are are much, much more critical of our work.

[John Nicholas]

I think you did a GREAT JOB especially as being the prime shooter for your first time.

[sageone]

I think you did a GREAT JOB especially as being the prime shooter for your first time.

Thanks...I was pleased with the results and the client was very pleased. Can't go wrong.

[luannf1980]

Just browsing through all of the interesting post. Wanted to tell you....I think almost ALL of your pics came out great..From a newlywed <ME> I WISH my photographer was as creative. I got what I paid for :X I like the idea of the purse and roses and the rings.. it is a different shot. I got all *plain* shots and any creative shot was because I posed it or told him to :X. ALSO that was a great idea to take the pic of the pictures... My father passed on as well before I was married and I had an ENTIRE picture table s et up...my photographer did not take a photo of it at all..NOR did he take a photograph of my card table set up .... ugh see I am ranting thinking about my wedding photos <just got them back> ok sorry..again I think <comming from an UNTRAINED eye> that they look great.. besides the house ontheside ofthebride.. and the one pic of her on the phone..can you make the dress in the back ground stand out more? that would be a neat photo...

[shoegirlie]

Great job! The slideshow is pretty fast, but I still like it. Beautiful pix.

[verty]

these are great fotos for your 1st wedding!
what lens did ya use?

[tim]

None of the images grab me.

these are great fotos for your 1st wedding!
what lens did ya use?

Why does the lens matter? It really doesn't. Go play in the gear section if you need help understanding or choosing equipment.

[Bakewell]

None of the images grab me?



Why does the lens matter? It really doesn't. Go play in the gear section if you need help understanding or choosing equipment.

The lens doesn't matter? Than what's all the hubbub over the 17-55?
Tim is BACK! Life is good again! Hardly wait to read the other threads!

[verty]

None of the images grab me?



Why does the lens matter? It really doesn't. Go play in the gear section if you need help understanding or choosing equipment.


i do go in the gear section all the time...

in regards to me asking what lens they used, for me personally it is an important question. When i see an image i like i like to know all technical info, ie/ lens, shutter speed, ect because it makes me understand futher technically how the shot was achieved. Lens is the easiest answer to get from anyone, other info is difficult if they dont supply EXIF, which no one really does when they are showing a group of wedding shots.

how can you say it really doesnt matter when its very clear that some lenses would not produce the effect of the flowers in focus and the nice bokeh in the background of the bride.. even tho alot of lenses can produce this effect i like to know exactly what lens did it..

everyone has their own way of understanding and achiveing the best knowledge possible. maybe for you its not important info.. to me it is..

[tim]

Verty: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are the basics of exposure, and while you have to get these right, knowing what basic settings people use to take their photo won't help you take similar photos. Knowing the lens really doesn't help, because if I can make a great photo I can generally take it with a 15mm lens, a 30mm lens, or a 100mm lens. How much space you have available together with the depth of field you want generally chooses your lens for you.

What you should be looking at is the composition and lighting, and posing. Depth of field (which is distinct from aperture) is important for some shots, and shutter speed is obviously important if the subject is moving, but for wedding stuff usually that's pretty easy to guess anyway.

[sageone]

these are great fotos for your 1st wedding!
what lens did ya use?

The only two lenses I used during the event were my 24-70 and 70-200. In hindsight, I probably should have used my 50 or 85 primes for some more portrait type stuff.

[liza]

Hey, Don! I already told you via PM what I thought of the images, but I'll also do it publicly. Virtually all of them grabbed me.

[islandphoto]

Of course the lens matters... Different lenses produce different results with lighting, depth of field, color etc... I think that's a perfectly good question. Which lens and camera did you use to achieve these results?

[tim]

Cool, someone go ask Yervant what camera and lens he used to take his signature photo (http://www.yervant.com/main.htm) of the bride against the red and yellow wall, i've always wanted to be able to get that photo.

Some of you guys might find this website (http://www.dpreview.com/forums/) interesting and useful.

[liza]

Actually, I prefer Digital Wedding Forum. :)

[Nzshrimper]

ok ..

pic one.. hmm.. no doesn't work face to blurred

pic two - face to dark and back ground too distracting.

pic 3 - ok stock wedding photo..

pic 4 - looks like either that was bad news (ie the groom has skipped town) on the phone or the exboyfriend phoned to stop the wedding.

pic 5 - nice idea with mirror.. door frame ruined the shot..

pic 6 - too busy needs a crop . nice idea thou. maybe get closer on the rings.

but on the other hand the clients loved the photos.

[verty]

Verty: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are the basics of exposure, and while you have to get these right, knowing what basic settings people use to take their photo won't help you take similar photos. Knowing the lens really doesn't help, because if I can make a great photo I can generally take it with a 15mm lens, a 30mm lens, or a 100mm lens. How much space you have available together with the depth of field you want generally chooses your lens for you.

What you should be looking at is the composition and lighting, and posing. Depth of field (which is distinct from aperture) is important for some shots, and shutter speed is obviously important if the subject is moving, but for wedding stuff usually that's pretty easy to guess anyway.

did i say i wanted the information so i could try and copy a shot?
no... all i said is i like to understand further how the shot was done.. and to better my knowledge.. i don’t go around looking at pictures on this forum and try to copy them.. and even if i did i can do what i like! i have a free will!

in my opinion no question is a silly question, but you have made me look like some fool by asking what lens this guy used. I totally understand what you are saying in your response but none of it was really necessary to my question in the 1st place...

[sageone]

Hey, Don! I already told you via PM what I thought of the images, but I'll also do it publicly. Virtually all of them grabbed me.

Hey thanks Liza...I'm humbled by all the POTN praise. Can't wait for my next gig, so far, scheduled in June 07.

[sageone]

ok ..

pic one.. hmm.. no doesn't work face to blurred

pic two - face to dark and back ground too distracting.

pic 3 - ok stock wedding photo..

pic 4 - looks like either that was bad news (ie the groom has skipped town) on the phone or the exboyfriend phoned to stop the wedding.

pic 5 - nice idea with mirror.. door frame ruined the shot..

pic 6 - too busy needs a crop . nice idea thou. maybe get closer on the rings.

but on the other hand the clients loved the photos.

exactly...we are way too critical of our work. clients don't get into the weeds, they stay at 10,000 feet.

[sageone]

Of course the lens matters... Different lenses produce different results with lighting, depth of field, color etc... I think that's a perfectly good question. Which lens and camera did you use to achieve these results?

Both the 24-70 and 70-200...I honestly can't remember without having to look at the exif info.

[TeeJay]

#1 - what's supposed to be the subject? the tiny little bit of bouquet or the blurry, closed eyed bride?

#2 - again, what's the subject? My eyes first go to the house and the car and then the bride with the blown out side of her face.

#3 - yet another ambiguous subject. Flowers? Purse? What's the viewer supposed to be seeing here?

#4 and #5 are nice

#6 - again - subject? I'm assuming the rings, but they're totally overwhelmed by all the stuff around them.


Have to agree with Karen on all except maybe #3, I quite like that one, other than, unlike the others that probably needed tighter cropping, I think this could do with just a tad more "room"

TJ

[TeeJay]

... Tim is BACK! Life is good again! Hardly wait to read the other threads!...

:lol:

[TeeJay]

... Tim is BACK! Life is good again! Hardly wait to read the other threads!...

:lol:

[Edit: Sorry, didn't mean to post this twice - guess the server is out to lunch]

[Nzshrimper]

but on the other hand the clients loved the photos.

exactly...we are way too critical of our work. clients don't get into the weeds, they stay at 10,000 feet.

it was not meant to be a complement. These just don't make the grade.

Having looked though the slide show i would say about 5 pics stand out as acceptable wedding portfolio shots.

A lot of your shots make the couple look like they got married on their own. Others were very unflattering shots.

Some posing of the bride, better use of lighting, and better composing of your shots are needed.. more research will help.

[karensimmons]

exactly...we are way too critical of our work. Given the quality of images that a lot of "pros" are showing on various boards, I'd say we all need to be MORE critical of our work.

I dunno. When I was being mentored "the client liked it" was never an acceptable excuse for presenting or being satisfied with less than the best. It saddens me that our industry is being dumbed down to that level. No one strives for quality any more and anyone who doesn't backpat even the worst images is accused of being rude or harsh.

What happened to wanting to take pride in your work, to learn and grow, and to constantly strive to make your next image better.

Karen

[Nzshrimper]

Given the quality of images that a lot of "pros" are showing on various boards, I'd say we all need to be MORE critical of our work.

I dunno. When I was being mentored "the client liked it" was never an acceptable excuse for presenting or being satisfied with less than the best. It saddens me that our industry is being dumbed down to that level. No one strives for quality any more and anyone who doesn't backpat even the worst images is accused of being rude or harsh.

What happened to wanting to take pride in your work, to learn and grow, and to constantly strive to make your next image better.

Karen

I agree whole heartly.

[tim]

#1 - what's the point of this photo? To show the flowers? It doesn't show them well. To show the bride? You can't see her. It doesn't work for me at all. I'd suggest gone for more depth of field, and show more of the flowers, probably by altering your angle.

#2 - the background's very distracting, and I don't like the direct sunlight on the left of her face. Or her pose.

#3 - Exposure's wrong. Colors are dull. I don't like the lines. Bouncing the flash off the ceiling might've helped for a better exposure. Don't think I can suggest anything along those lines in terms of good composition.

#4 - Not bad. If she wasn't on the phone it'd be a good shot, if she had a nice expression. A sillouete of her with the dress showing might've worked.

#5 - Nice, but 2/3 of the photo is wasted, try a portrait crop.

#6 - If the point of this photo's the rings they need to be larger, and in my opinion closer together or touching. A wide angle lens, say 10-15mm on a 20D, would get them large and still have the people in the background.

I would suggest reading the posing book I posted on this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=242640). Also find some great photographers and look at their work, find their best photos, and work out what makes them great. Is it lighting? Posing? Expressions? Making the customer comfortable to express themselves in front of you?



did i say i wanted the information so i could try and copy a shot?
no... all i said is i like to understand further how the shot was done.. and to better my knowledge.. i don’t go around looking at pictures on this forum and try to copy them.. and even if i did i can do what i like! i have a free will!

in my opinion no question is a silly question, but you have made me look like some fool by asking what lens this guy used. I totally understand what you are saying in your response but none of it was really necessary to my question in the 1st place...


I wasn't trying to offend, my apologies if I have. Weddings are a profession as well as an art, so I consider this subforum of POTN to be a professional forum. "What lens did you use" isn't a question I expect to see on a professional forum. This is why I also visit forums that cater only to working professional wedding photographers.

Given the quality of images that a lot of "pros" are showing on various boards, I'd say we all need to be MORE critical of our work.

I dunno. When I was being mentored "the client liked it" was never an acceptable excuse for presenting or being satisfied with less than the best. It saddens me that our industry is being dumbed down to that level. No one strives for quality any more and anyone who doesn't backpat even the worst images is accused of being rude or harsh.

What happened to wanting to take pride in your work, to learn and grow, and to constantly strive to make your next image better.

Karen

I agree wholeheartedly. My comments are often considered harsh, but that's because people saying "great shot" to somethings that's at best average doesn't help the photographer improve. That last sentence was a general comment, not a comment on the photos in this thread Don.

[sageone]

Hey Tim...don't sweat it. Folks on POTN can say anything they want. At the end of the day, the client was very happy so I'm happy.

[bpuppy]

We should never confuse blunt with rude ... rude comments are never a good thing ... but I'll go so far as to say there are many people ON THIS BOARD who need to be more critical of their work. There's a lot of mediocre work here, and a lot of people saying, "Nice" .., when what we really need is people to be blunt (not rude) and say, "That one is boring ... try ______ next time".

Yes we should care what the client thinks ... but only inasmuch as the bar for them is lower than it is for me. I want to the images to rock FOR ME ... and if they rock for me, they will most certainly rock the client. MY BAR is the one that matters.

As a side note ... Tim, I often like to know what lens someone used for a given shot ... it's a useful tid-bit to know as I'm always revising my gear wishlist in my head :) And it's quicker to make a quick note here than in the gear forum.

[tim]

As a side note ... Tim, I often like to know what lens someone used for a given shot ... it's a useful tid-bit to know as I'm always revising my gear wishlist in my head :) And it's quicker to make a quick note here than in the gear forum.

So easily influenced... i'd love a 400mm F2.8 IS so I can take really closely cropped candids from a distance no-one will suspect ;)

[cdifoto]

So easily influenced... i'd love a 400mm F2.8 IS so I can take really closely cropped candids from a distance no-one will suspect ;)

Ah you mean at those weddings where you aren't the photographer? Or are you getting into the paparazzi field these days tim? :)

[tim]

Ah you mean at those weddings where you aren't the photographer? Or are you getting into the paparazzi field these days tim? :)

That's right, paparazzi from the field next door ;)

[cdifoto]

That's right, paparazzi from the field next door ;)

When the bride says "gee I didn't even know you were there!" you can answer, "I wasn't." :lol:

[sageone]

To all your haters of the shot of the flowers with the bride blurry in the background...the bride is including that in her album. Mom ordered two. An oh, the shot of the clutch with the flowers and the shot of the rings on the altar? Also made the cut.

I'm serving humble pie. Tim and others step right up for your mouth full.

Just playing around folks...thanks for all the comments and CC. It'll only make me a better photog.

[cdifoto]

To all your haters of the shot of the flowers with the bride blurry in the background...the bride is including that in her album. Mom ordered two. An oh, the shot of the clutch with the flowers and the shot of the rings on the altar? Also made the cut.

I'm serving humble pie. Tim and others step right up for your mouth full.
You forgot to add the words of Lightning McQueen to the end of that for the clincher:

KA-CHOW!

:lol:

[sageone]

True that...my kid watches that movie all the time. Or like that other dude says...

KA-CHIGGA, KA-CHIGGA

[cdifoto]

True that...my kid watches that movie all the time. Or like that other dude says...

KA-CHIGGA, KA-CHIGGA

:lol::lol::lol::cool::cool::lol::lol::lol:

[Rachellebee27]

KA-CHOW!




ROFLMBO! :lol: SG1 (sci-fi fan also?) You already know what I think as I commented on your other thread with these same images. Glad for the sales there for you. :)

[karensimmons]

To all your haters of the shot of the flowers with the bride blurry in the background...the bride is including that in her album. Mom ordered two. An oh, the shot of the clutch with the flowers and the shot of the rings on the altar? Also made the cut.
I'm serving humble pie. Tim and others step right up for your mouth full.Wow. I don't care if you are "just playing around". This is just ... honestly I'm speechless. And people wonder why the full time pros don't want to give feedback any more.

Karen

[Rachellebee27]

Karen he was joking.

[sageone]

Wow. I don't care if you are "just playing around". This is just ... honestly I'm speechless. And people wonder why the full time pros don't want to give feedback any more.

Karen

Yes, I was joking. But honestly, I have every right to post what I posted. This entire thread - just about - was riddled with comments about what was wrong with these photos. What people didn't like. What people would have done differently, etc. I agree for the most part and respect all the comments made. I realize that I could always do better. My point to the comment you didn't like was this...at the end of the day, we can be as hard as we want on eachother and hard on ourselves. However, the shot you hate or the shot people say needs cropping, needs fill flash, needs white balance correction, etc. could be the one the bride loves.

So after all that negative feedback and in light of the fact that the bride loves and ordered some of the photos posted, you don't think some humble pie is in order...even if I was horsing around? You don't see how this whole thing is ironic? That it's not somewhat comical?

[karensimmons]

My point to the comment you didn't like was this...at the end of the day, we can be as hard as we want on eachother and hard on ourselves. However, the shot you hate or the shot people say needs cropping, needs fill flash, needs white balance correction, etc. could be the one the bride loves.

So after all that negative feedback and in light of the fact that the bride loves and ordered some of the photos posted, you don't think some humble pie is in orderNo I don't. I think that "well the bride liked it and bought it" is a lousy excuse for accepting poor photography. I'm sorry if you find that blunt or harsh, but it's true. Saying that work is acceptable because the client doesn't know the difference or loves a photo simply because it's of her or her family is the ultimate professional cop out. Clients will love bad images of their family many times. That doesn't validate the image and make it good. It just means the client is willing to overlook a bad image in favor of emotional content. People love images all the time that are of their families, their pets, their friends - images that are out of focus, have heads chopped off, have fingers in the frame. But they love those images becuase they are of someone *they* care about or has meaning to them. How much more would they love an image of that person or that thing that was a truly GOOD image? How much happier would they be? And if they hire a professional, don't they have the right to expect images that are better than what your average guy with a camera can take? If a client is paying you to do a job for them, doesn't that client deserves the BEST POSSIBLE effort you can give them rather than, oh well, it doesn't matter becuase they liked it?

This kind of attitude is what is driving down the perception of professional photograpy as a whole. "It's ok if what I shoot is crap and not technically proficient - becuase in the end the client likes it." It's an excuse to never get any better. It's an excuse to be sloppy.

Would it be acceptable if a surgeon did a sloppy job sewing up an incision after your surgery. Sure the sutures that are there are fine and do the job, but another surgeon comes along and says "wow, that suturing is really average - if it had been done better you'd have less scaring". Wouldn't you want to know why the surgeon who did the sutures didn't care enough to take his time and make it better? Or would you just say "eh, it's ok. the patient thinks it looks good and that's what counts."

Karen

[jamiewexler]

To all your haters of the shot of the flowers with the bride blurry in the background...the bride is including that in her album. Mom ordered two. An oh, the shot of the clutch with the flowers and the shot of the rings on the altar? Also made the cut.

I'm serving humble pie. Tim and others step right up for your mouth full.

Just playing around folks...thanks for all the comments and CC. It'll only make me a better photog.

Yes, I was joking. But honestly, I have every right to post what I posted. This entire thread - just about - was riddled with comments about what was wrong with these photos. What people didn't like. What people would have done differently, etc. I agree for the most part and respect all the comments made. I realize that I could always do better. My point to the comment you didn't like was this...at the end of the day, we can be as hard as we want on eachother and hard on ourselves. However, the shot you hate or the shot people say needs cropping, needs fill flash, needs white balance correction, etc. could be the one the bride loves.

So after all that negative feedback and in light of the fact that the bride loves and ordered some of the photos posted, you don't think some humble pie is in order...even if I was horsing around? You don't see how this whole thing is ironic? That it's not somewhat comical?


WOW! OK, so overall you did a very good job for your FIRST wedding, and a lot of folks piped up with a lot of suggestions for how to improve next time (i.e. how to become a better, more successful wedding photographer). And you respond - even jokingly - by telling the helpful, REAL professional photographers to go eat humble pie? You just shot your FIRST wedding, and that's your response to folks who have photographed hundreds?

WOW. That kind of attitude is not going to make you many friends in this industry, and "Good enough" will only get you so far. The best thing that's happened to my business this year was not the better gear, or the additional experience, or my higher prices, or even the increase in the consistency of my work - all of these things are great - but the network of other photographers that I have developed is what has made it all possible. I guard my relationships with other professionals carefully, and always respectfully listen to suggestions from other professionals.

I know you're not much of one for taking advice, but mine is that you have a slice of that pie for yourself, and be thankful that anyone took the time out of their busy day to look at your pictures. In the meantime, don't quit your day job just yet!

[Wedding Shooter]

Don,

You have to take the comments on board and learn a lttle mate. I presume these were some of your favourite images from the wedding - they are not terrible. But there was nothing invalid in what Tim or others said.

Just because the client is happy doesn't mean these are fantastic photos - Karen had a lot of good points.

What did you want from everyone - great shot? They are not great shots in the oppinion of some of the pros here (including myself) - others like them. Photography is subjective.

Your comment about eating humble pie was so out of line.

Congratulations on your first wedding as a main photog.

[Nzshrimper]

........ cc welcome.

Yes, I was joking. But honestly, I have every right to post what I posted. This entire thread - just about - was riddled with comments about what was wrong with these photos. What people didn't like. What people would have done differently, etc. I agree for the most part and respect all the comments made. I realize that I could always do better. My point to the comment you didn't like was this...at the end of the day, we can be as hard as we want on each other and hard on ourselves. However, the shot you hate or the shot people say needs cropping, needs fill flash, needs white balance correction, etc. could be the one the bride loves.

So after all that negative feedback and in light of the fact that the bride loves and ordered some of the photos posted, you don't think some humble pie is in order...even if I was horsing around? You don't see how this whole thing is ironic? That it's not somewhat comical?

let me start by stating that you asked for cc... and you got lots of cc... the issues is now you don't like the cc you received. The bride may have liked them, so you got away with it this time. Next time you may not , then what?

there are two ways to look at this.. 1: all of the people on here have no idea what they are talking about, and we all should take every possible tip from you on how to take wedding photos from you.. or 2: (which by the way is the right answer) Listen to what is being said, they are invaluable nuggets of information that are being handed out by people whom have far superior skills than you, that at the end of the day are only trying to help you. (for free)

Acting like a spoiled child is a good way of getting no help and making no friends. If you don't want the help then don't ask... keep taking the below average shots, that any one with a point and shoot can do.

one other point ' GROW UP '

as for humble pie, hmm i dont think i will be eating any today, or any other day thanks. :evil:

[sageone]

Did I not say I appreciated the comments every gave and will take them into consideration for future shoots? While this is my first wedding, I've shot a ton of sports and portraits and have made some great money doing so. Wedding opportunities have just started coming in - or should I say, I've just started accepting them.

My whole friggin point to this thing was that it amazes me how critical we are of our own work and of each others work and that the client really doesn't see what we see - good and bad. So are we really shooting for our clients or to get approval by other photogs?

And my comment about eating humble pie was a friggin joke...don't like it. Oh well. I guess I need to be serious to be taken seriously. People that really know me would never make comments like the last three above. I welcome cc. I love constructive criticism. I use it all the time in my profession. You can't be in the marketing business for 13 years without eating some humble pie yourself.

Thanks to everyone that posted comments to help improve my shots and photography skills. I have taken them into consideration believe it or not. Much appreciated.

Yours truly,
Mr. Humble Pie.

[sageone]

adding to how ironic this all is...one shot that I wasn't fond of - not posted here - was ordered by a friend of the family's. I almost didn't include it in the proofs. Too funny...

[Chet S]

solid coverage

[karensimmons]

Don,

I think the problem is that no matter how much you say "yes I appreciated the advice" when you follow it up with "but the bride liked them anyway" it seems like you're just negating the first statement. It's possible that you really do appreciate and accept the critique you've gotten, but your posts are coming across differently. Which is what makes it hard to see the "joke" in the repeated comments that we should eat humble pie.

The thing is ... there will always be people who like the images just because they are photos of *their* wedding. They would have loved crappy snapshots from aunt Margaret's throwaway camera, too. As you get better, you're going to find yourself looking at things that the average non-photog consumer gushes over and be saying to yourself "um. no, that's utter crap". And you'll wonder what people are smoking that they can think that such absolutely awful images are something to gush over. I guarantee if you are serious about photography that day will come - and sooner than you think. And I think if you're serious about photography and continue to grow, in 6 months you'll come back to this thread and not only say "wow ... what was I thinking!" - you'll suddenly see what the rest of us were saying.

Trust me. I look at my work from when I was first starting out and I think "I can't believe anyone paid me for that s**t." Heck I look at work from last season and think "What was I thinking?" sometimes.

Take it for what it's worth, ok?

Karen

[sageone]

Don,

I think the problem is that no matter how much you say "yes I appreciated the advice" when you follow it up with "but the bride liked them anyway" it seems like you're just negating the first statement. It's possible that you really do appreciate and accept the critique you've gotten, but your posts are coming across differently. Which is what makes it hard to see the "joke" in the repeated comments that we should eat humble pie.

The thing is ... there will always be people who like the images just because they are photos of *their* wedding. They would have loved crappy snapshots from aunt Margaret's throwaway camera, too. As you get better, you're going to find yourself looking at things that the average non-photog consumer gushes over and be saying to yourself "um. no, that's utter crap". And you'll wonder what people are smoking that they can think that such absolutely awful images are something to gush over. I guarantee if you are serious about photography that day will come - and sooner than you think. And I think if you're serious about photography and continue to grow, in 6 months you'll come back to this thread and not only say "wow ... what was I thinking!" - you'll suddenly see what the rest of us were saying.

Trust me. I look at my work from when I was first starting out and I think "I can't believe anyone paid me for that s**t." Heck I look at work from last season and think "What was I thinking?" sometimes.

Take it for what it's worth, ok?

Karen

I am constantly crapping on my own work...comes from my days as a journalist. I'm never happy with my final results. I know I can always do better. Otherwise, why continue to do it? Improving is part of the fun.

The real issue here is that in the written word you can't hear the sarcasm. You can't hear how things are supposed to sound funny. You read them in the tone your mind tells you it's in. I'm a literal, no frills, happy go lucky guy. But I'm very serious about what I do because people are paying me to do a job and do it to the best of my abilities.

I make fun of situations and myself all the time. That's what I was doing. All the points were well taken and I'm chucking as I write this because I can't believe that this has carried on for three pages. And you're right. I will shoot another wedding, look back at this - not for my humble pie comment - but to see how I improved from the last shoot.

Thanks for the cc, comments, suggestions.