Can I please have critique, pretty please? 6/9/07 wedding

[gurnie]

I posted a few days ago and recieved only one response about my photos. I shot these for a friend at her wedding. For details of the crazyness I went through last week, please check out this thread: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=333053


Comments are appreciated:

1: in Photoshop you can see the details of his jacket much clearer.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gurnie/image0157_edited2_1-1.jpg


2.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gurnie/image0238_edited_corrections_2_test.jpg


3.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/gurnie/image0230_edited_cropped2_BW.jpg

[*Mike*]

#1 - You needed a faster shutter speed. Also would have liked to see a 4/4 length on that shot.

#2 - Nice and sharp. Comp is OK. Im picking up a blue highlight on her cheek. Maybe a color cast from something or a vein?

#3 - the best of those posted. Sharp, good SS, and a little more personality is nice.

[paul33]

Okay, I'll have a go ........

#1 Looks over-optimized so I assume the original is a little better defined. Reasonable shot but ..... don't like the crop. If you are going to cut off the feet then crop in at thigh level or above. Preferably, don't lose the feet in the first place !

#2 Reasonable pose but skin tones look a little washed out for me. It also looks a little soft ...... but that could be my tired eyes (it's late here) !

#3 I don't have a big problem with selective colouring of this nature but for me it only works when you have a very colourful bouquet. This one looks too bland to work against black and white ...... I would never selectively colour white against a b&w backdrop.

[symes]

well I can be as blunt as Tim and if you want critique I'll give you my two cents...

Number one and two look like you used direct flash and the blurriness combined with the off centre background throw it off...since it is a little shaky, you might try making it black and white and blurring it a bit but I'm not sure this will help at all...I think I would just throw it out.

Number two is cropped strangely - her eyes are almost dead centre in the image which doesn't work here...it also looks like direct flash again - and only one catchlight in the eye is off putting.

Number three is the best of the bunch, the selective colouring will make your clients smile and it is done reasonbly well here but I would honestly follow Paul's recommendation and not bring the white back...just the red. Watch out your image here is also leaning.

some of it is harsh but it is how I learned too...

Cheers,

[liza]

The third is my favorite, although I'm not a fan of selective color as a rule. But if you follow Paul's recommendation, this will be a good, solid image that your clients will love.

[picturecrazy]

A nice start. thanks for posting.

1. For recessionals, it's nicer to get a wider shot that includes some of the guests. This is because the couple is almost always looking into the crowd in the recessional. So it's nice to include some of the subjects of their attention. Processionals are great for tight crops (and wides are nice too) but for recessionals I usually make them wider.

Also, recessionals generally move a lot faster so I'm curious as to why you chose 1/60 for your shutter speed. You could have gotten 1/125 @ f2.8 and potentially gotten a sharper shot if you have a good command of your focusing system.

2. As mentioned, the framing of the subject is a little too central, but you probably could have gotten a really nice shot without the direct flash look to it. I'm guessing you were using the 50 1.8 which could have worked quite well for an available light photo.

3. a good shot... but I'm also not a fan of selective colour (unless the bride requests it). The highlight behind them is quite strong so if you moved a little more to the left, and placed the couple more to the left of the frame with the highlight and cross on the right, it would have made more of a balancing effect. Right now they are competing with each other. Some may disagree but hey, photography is so subjective you gotta take all advice with a grain of salt.

If possible, maybe try to bounce flash instead of direct flashing. Do you have an external flash or are you using the pop-up flash?

[gurnie]

the church was sooo dark and I was behind the doors, capturing the photos

I had used the standard kit lens for the processional (got some nice shots) went into the back and switched to my 75-300mm.

I didn't have enough time between the kiss and the recessional to switch lenses, so i kept what I had on, turned back on my 430 speedlight and moved back as far as I could to pop photo 1 (very, very small church). i might have another shot where I have her feet in it, I have to check. I believe i picked this photo b/c it was the best composure of their heads, other shots might have just had the sides of their face.

but as for the shutter speed on the first one, it was the 75-300 lens, not an open enough aperature, and if i had a wee more time i would have switched lenses with the better aperature :(

i did 1/60 b/c they stood there for about 3 seconds to pause for photos (i had arranged for everyone to stop at a certain point in the asile so I can shoot the photos)

when doing formals, the church was still dark, dispite turning up the hosue lights. I tried bouncing the flash but it didn't illuminate her at all (and green ceilings would throw the color waaay off).


anyways, i'm not new to photo, but new to weddings and digital slr. i really wanted to help a friend out, and i have a bunch more shots that came out clearer, but i was worried about these

[getabetterpic]

I'm no great PSer, but here is what I did with #1 and #3. On 1, I increased the saturation a bit and did some work on the contrast. To me, its more pleasing. Then on #2, I just dropped the yellow channel and pulled down the saturation in the red a bit. Just my take on those two.

http://www.fp-photography.com/albums/userpics/10002/image0157_edited2_1-1%20dfsmith.jpg

http://www.fp-photography.com/albums/userpics/10002/image0230_edited_cropped2_BW%20dfsmith.jpg