First Engagement Shoot - Chino Hills, CA

[ZGMF-X20A]

Please let me know what you, what you don't and what can be improved. C&C is very welcome.

http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_5984.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_5997.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6040.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6061.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6115.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6180.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6232.jpg
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6250.jpg

[ZGMF-X20A]

Are the pictures that bad???

[Karizmatik]

I'll have a shot at some critique;

The con's: Over-all you seem to have inconsistent, and I'm guessing by the looks of it, incorrect WB. If you shot RAW, should be easy to fix - Otherwise, if you have Lightroom, could again be close to easily fixed(I'd also give that Sepia effect a miss too).

You have some odd exposures. Again, if you shot RAW, maybe have a play in CS3? A few seem to be OOF, soft, or a result from motion blur. Also, I'd try running an Unsharp Mask over the bulk (Not too much though, just enough to bring them back a little) - To see if it'll improve this.

The last looks a little hot - Too much flash? Perhaps bounce off a ceiling, wall or reflector in the future. Or alternately diffuse. And lastly, over-all they look a touch "flat", some simple adjustments in CS3 > Curves would definitely make these images "pop" a lot more!

The pro's: I think the framing, compositions and how the couple were interacting with you and the camera was great! - So half the battle is won! Some PP & TLC and you could definitely salvage the bulk of the shots with the minor errors and turn them into something great!

Not bad at all for a first time! Keep at it!

[USER876]

Here are my comments:

1. Watch your framing....you cut off his head on top, fingers on bottom. Also, his shirt looks blown out (highlights).

2. Again, watch framing. Also, their faces are as dark as the background.....no separation.

3. Cut hands off. Other than that, not bad at all. Suggestion improvement would of been for him to be looking at her instead of you.

4. Cut feet and the dog off. Other than that, I like this one.

5. White balance is off, but good composition

6. Very nice, again white balance is off

7. Railing is a bit distracting, but prob one of the best of the bunch.

8. Very nice, suggested improvement would be to see more of his face too (different angle).

Not bad at all for your first shoot, I think with some PP and creative crops these can be a very nice set.

[ZGMF-X20A]

Thanks Karizmatik & USER876. The WB being off, would they be more of the cross-processing style off (too cold)? If it's not, maybe I need to see on different monitor.

Here's the original shot I have from #5. Does the WB is still off?
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6115-3.jpg


I'll have a shot at some critique;

The con's: Over-all you seem to have inconsistent, and I'm guessing by the looks of it, incorrect WB. If you shot RAW, should be easy to fix - Otherwise, if you have Lightroom, could again be close to easily fixed(I'd also give that Sepia effect a miss too).

You have some odd exposures. Again, if you shot RAW, maybe have a play in CS3? A few seem to be OOF, soft, or a result from motion blur. Also, I'd try running an Unsharp Mask over the bulk (Not too much though, just enough to bring them back a little) - To see if it'll improve this.

The last looks a little hot - Too much flash? Perhaps bounce off a ceiling, wall or reflector in the future. Or alternately diffuse. And lastly, over-all they look a touch "flat", some simple adjustments in CS3 > Curves would definitely make these images "pop" a lot more!


I'll play around with curves on PS and hopefully it'll pop out more.

Here are my comments:

1. Watch your framing....you cut off his head on top, fingers on bottom. Also, his shirt looks blown out (highlights).

2. Again, watch framing. Also, their faces are as dark as the background.....no separation.

3. Cut hands off. Other than that, not bad at all. Suggestion improvement would of been for him to be looking at her instead of you.

4. Cut feet and the dog off. Other than that, I like this one.

5. White balance is off, but good composition

6. Very nice, again white balance is off

7. Railing is a bit distracting, but prob one of the best of the bunch.

8. Very nice, suggested improvement would be to see more of his face too (different angle).

Not bad at all for your first shoot, I think with some PP and creative crops these can be a very nice set.

For #4, I have a different frame, but the expression looks better on the original photo. Which one would you prefer?
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6094.jpg

For #3, I also have a different frame with different effect. Would you think the second attempt is better?
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6038.jpg

[ZGMF-X20A]

I also tried to fix the last one. Does this help?
http://77thave.com/imghost/IMG_6250-2.jp

The couple also asked me to take their wedding picture. It will also be my very first wedding.