Jaclyn & Eric - First Engagement Shoot Ever! *Whew*

[jenne]

I had my first ever engagement shoot yesterday with Jaclyn and Eric. Jaclyn's a girlfriend of mine from school and it seems I'm the only one who can take a picture of her with her eyes open! It was a wonderful shoot and Jac and Eric were so fun to capture on camera. I will always have a special place in my heart for these two!

It's funny how nervous I felt beforehand and while I was uploading the photos afterwards. I have confidence in my skills but the whole time I was thinking "I hope I didn't screw up these photos..." and "Do I have it in me to do this?". Then, as I was looking through them, Graham (my bf) sitting next to me, out of nowhere, said, "You took some really great photos" and I nearly started to cry... in fact, as I type this and recall what he said, I'm almost tearing up again.

It's taken quite awhile to get to a point where I had enough inspiration and confidence to shoot special moments like this and I want to give a heartfelt thank-you to everyone on this forum for helping me out along the way!

Thanks for taking a look! More photos can been seen on my blog HERE (http://blog.jyphotography.ca/?p=65). As always, any C&C is appreciated.

1.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_03.jpg

2.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_04.jpg

3.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_05.jpg

4.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_06.jpg

5.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_07.jpg

6.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_13.jpg

7.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_16.jpg

8.
http://blog.jyphotography.ca/wp-content/photos/20080405JaclynEricEngagement/20080405-IMG_08.jpg

[vdhieu84]

Very nice angle... I like most of them here. To be picky, Jaclyn should not have looked at the camera while Eric is being romantic (#6, #7).

[shutters12]

All great shots ,# 4 is that the engagement ring on the branch ? thats a nice touch but pity it didn't sparkle ,they should be well pleased with these Jenne, regards Paul.

[ninobrn99]

maybe you could try cropping the pic with the ring in it. The berries are a big distraction. The shots did come out great though.

[jenne]

Thanks for all the comments and for taking a look!

I thought I'd try something with the ring and the branches... may or may not have worked depending on how you see it. It's kind of a 50/50 split for me as well! :)

[ninobrn99]

no, it was a really great comp! please dont take it the wrong way. just maybe a tighter crop was all I was suggesting..something along the lines of this:

[auroraskye]

Great job! :)

[jenne]

no, it was a really great comp! please dont take it the wrong way. just maybe a tighter crop was all I was suggesting..something along the lines of this:

No worries Nino! I wasn't offended by your comment at all! It's always nice to read what other photographers' perspectives are... you are after all entitled to your opinions! ;)

As for the crop... it's not bad... hmm, I might have to rethink how I cropped that photo. Thanks!

[Jonathan Taylor]

#4 is a VERY cute concept, but I agree on either a tighter crop or just a few less berries to distract from the ring. Great creativity!

[Pomona2006]

I'm a fan of the ring in the branches - great idea! The tighter crop looks better but, to me, the ring looks out of focus.

[sidx001]

Fantastic shots! I really like the expressions that you were able to capture. Focus and DOF are wonderful on all of the pictures. I probably like #2 the best as it looks like a shot that the couple forgot you were there and you caught "them". Very well done.

[nvrl8]

Wow, those are amazing engagements. Amazing...I mean WOW. First time...you're a natural!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[juan001]

Love your work. Just right for my taste. Infact I'm kinda interested to know how you post process your shots.

=)

[jenne]

#4 is a VERY cute concept, but I agree on either a tighter crop or just a few less berries to distract from the ring. Great creativity!

Thanks for the input... something I'll have to remember for next time! When I had scoped out the area previous to the shoot, as soon as I saw the bush and the potential for the shot, I knew I had to try it out!

I'm a fan of the ring in the branches - great idea! The tighter crop looks better but, to me, the ring looks out of focus.

Nice catch, Sharon! The ring is slightly OOF... :oops: I'll just have to nail it next time! And there will be a next time! :D

Fantastic shots! I really like the expressions that you were able to capture. Focus and DOF are wonderful on all of the pictures. I probably like #2 the best as it looks like a shot that the couple forgot you were there and you caught "them". Very well done.

James, I LOVE that shot. That is probably one of my fav shots of the entire series. Thanks for your wonderful comments!

Wow, those are amazing engagements. Amazing...I mean WOW. First time...you're a natural!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! I really appreciate you having taken the time to check this post out!

[jenne]

Love your work. Just right for my taste. Infact I'm kinda interested to know how you post process your shots.

=)

No worries... I'd be happy to let you know what I do! It's how I learned and developed my style... in fact, it's still developing!

I take my shots in RAW & JPEG... then upload into Lightroom. From there it's really a matter of what catches my eye. I usually adjust white balance (for the clean whites), saturation (not too much), curves (bring the shadows and darks down a notch and increase the lights and highlights a notch)... then export to PS and run Smart Sharpen on everything... I also have a sharpen action that I developed for PS that I'll run sometimes.

I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my photos so my process may be a bit longer than some but I don't usually rest until I'm satisfied that they're up to snuff!

Hope that helps! :)

[ninobrn99]

i just skimmed your blog and have to say that you have a great 'eye'! If those captures are only the beginning, then you've got a lot ahead of you! IMO ;)

[jenne]

i just skimmed your blog and have to say that you have a great 'eye'! If those captures are only the beginning, then you've got a lot ahead of you! IMO ;)

Thanks for the kind words Nino! And thanks for taking the time to check out my blog!

[Kamra]

No worries... I'd be happy to let you know what I do! It's how I learned and developed my style... in fact, it's still developing!

I take my shots in RAW & JPEG... then upload into Lightroom. From there it's really a matter of what catches my eye. I usually adjust white balance (for the clean whites), saturation (not too much), curves (bring the shadows and darks down a notch and increase the lights and highlights a notch)... then export to PS and run Smart Sharpen on everything... I also have a sharpen action that I developed for PS that I'll run sometimes.

I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my photos so my process may be a bit longer than some but I don't usually rest until I'm satisfied that they're up to snuff!

Hope that helps! :)
Your first ever was a success! great work. Keep up the good work.

[cheritapictures]

the fifth is the best...

[juan001]

No worries... I'd be happy to let you know what I do! It's how I learned and developed my style... in fact, it's still developing!

I take my shots in RAW & JPEG... then upload into Lightroom. From there it's really a matter of what catches my eye. I usually adjust white balance (for the clean whites), saturation (not too much), curves (bring the shadows and darks down a notch and increase the lights and highlights a notch)... then export to PS and run Smart Sharpen on everything... I also have a sharpen action that I developed for PS that I'll run sometimes.

I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my photos so my process may be a bit longer than some but I don't usually rest until I'm satisfied that they're up to snuff!

Hope that helps! :)

Thanks for sharing! Hope to see more of your shots in the future...

=)

[jenne]

the fifth is the best...

I love the fifth shot as well... probably one of my favourite shots from the series!

Thanks for sharing! Hope to see more of your shots in the future...

=)

No worries... anytime!