My First Wedding

[B.Miller]

And Man Was It F-U-N!!!!

Wasn't really sure what to expect when I did it. I read up and practiced a whole bunch, but like I've heard; nothing beats first hand experience!
Had my girlfriend shoot with me and help me pose for shots, and it was such a big help.
Have to work on learning to bounce my flash off walls/people/objects, because a lot of them came out OOF b/c the shutter speed was too low.

Please Give me some honest C&C. I have a couple more weddings lined up, so I want to know what I need to improve before that time comes.
8)



1.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_7864.jpg
2.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_7830.jpg
3.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_7799.jpg
4.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_7745.jpg
5.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_7690.jpg
6.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_8232.jpg
7.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/crazybryant1/IMG_8217.jpg

[Skrim17]

I like 5 and 6, the rest seem a tad out of focus.

[B.Miller]

I like 5 and 6, the rest seem a tad out of focus.
yeah :( i was having trouble with lighting.

[Skrim17]

I have one of these and really like it http://www.lumiquest.com/products/pocket-bouncer.htm

[B.Miller]

I have one of these and really like it http://www.lumiquest.com/products/pocket-bouncer.htm
thanks ill look into it!


was my composition good though?

[Skrim17]

Many of the shots seem to be taken from below the couple, it isn't always complimentary to a heavier person. You used the rule of thirds well.

[PeaceFire]

Yeah, I was going to say that your angles on the bride are not very flattering. Very busy backgrounds, too. I know that's hard when they want to do portraits in the church, but you don't always have to do them in the front of the church. The lighting and backgrounds looked better in the pew area so think outside the box next time you're doing portraits.

But I like number 4 and 5, good story-telling shots.

And completely not related to the photography- how tall was the bridesmaid on the left? Because either everyone else was extremely short or that girl is TTAAAALLL!!!

[B.Miller]

Yeah, I was going to say that your angles on the bride are not very flattering. Very busy backgrounds, too. I know that's hard when they want to do portraits in the church, but you don't always have to do them in the front of the church. The lighting and backgrounds looked better in the pew area so think outside the box next time you're doing portraits.

But I like number 4 and 5, good story-telling shots.

And completely not related to the photography- how tall was the bridesmaid on the left? Because either everyone else was extremely short or that girl is TTAAAALLL!!!
lol she was tall, and skinny like a toothpick!

yeah, the backgrounds were killing me, but they chose to have the wedding in BFE with nothing around to use as a better background.


what can i do for angles? i was trying to have something different, something that stood out from the rest.

[Skrim17]

Above is better than below, wide angle lenses can help. Look through the weddings here and make notes on the poses you like.

[B.Miller]

Above is better than below, wide angle lenses can help. Look through the weddings here and make notes on the poses you like.
yeah, i plan on getting a w/a with the money i make from my next wedding and the easter shoots ive been doing



thanks so much for all the help guys!

[Ziffle]

BAM,
Nice job.

Thoughts:
Don't crop to tight from the top.
Also ... go vertical #9/#10 or even more so in cropping.

On #4 - A thought: place the men in the middle of the pews - seated using 2 pews rows - but together. Then you stand-up on the far left front pew for a different perspective and try to use the pews as your background.

Look forward to seeing more weddings...

Don't know if you have a 85mm - but it is fast (indoor)/helps you create money shots
and it is not too expensive.

Later,
_Mark

[newbie builder]

Some nice shots in there. I'd suggest looking into off camera flashes also, in addition to just bouncing your flash off of things, because it can be a great way to light things like a reception for more interesting shots. As for the backgrounds, if you can invest in some f/1.4-f/2 primes and shoot them near wide open, that can help--blurring a background isn't a substitute for finding a good one, but it can certainly help keep attention on the subjects when the background is on the busy side. Also, as mentioned before, higher angles=more flattering for slightly heavier subjects. All that nitpicking aside, however, a nice set of images that they will probably enjoy, which is the end result that matters.

[B.Miller]

BAM,
Nice job.

Thoughts:
Don't crop to tight from the top.
Also ... go vertical #9/#10 or even more so in cropping.

On #4 - A thought: place the men in the middle of the pews - seated using 2 pews rows - but together. Then you stand-up on the far left front pew for a different perspective and try to use the pews as your background.

Look forward to seeing more weddings...

Don't know if you have a 85mm - but it is fast (indoor)/helps you create money shots
and it is not too expensive.

Later,
_Mark
i dont now, but im looking into one of those as well as a 10-20. #4 wasn't planned, saw them sitting down waiting for the wedding to start, so i snapped and it happened to turn out real good. and noted for 9 and 10. thanks!
Some nice shots in there. I'd suggest looking into off camera flashes also, in addition to just bouncing your flash off of things, because it can be a great way to light things like a reception for more interesting shots. As for the backgrounds, if you can invest in some f/1.4-f/2 primes and shoot them near wide open, that can help--blurring a background isn't a substitute for finding a good one, but it can certainly help keep attention on the subjects when the background is on the busy side. Also, as mentioned before, higher angles=more flattering for slightly heavier subjects. All that nitpicking aside, however, a nice set of images that they will probably enjoy, which is the end result that matters.
definitely noted. thanks so much for the words of wisdom and encouragement!

they're very happy with the shots. she thinks im a pro now, i just smiled and said thanks and that i was glad she liked the end result.

[Nicole Faith]

The first thing I notice is the strong yellow cast to many of them. The white balance seems off on many as well. And they seem flat in tonal changes.

#3 crop closer to try and save this one. Remove the girls on the right.

#4 would be nice from a lower reference point. Too much ceiling and cut off feet.

#5 would be nice, but seems your flash was incorrectly positioned and you highlighted the wrong spot on her face.

#6 nice photo of them, but the blown out hands - right where their rings are - looses it for me. Also, yellow cast again.

#7 nice image, but again - the yellow is horrible for me. Looks like dead skin. Despite some of the wedding colors being yellow, the tint doesn't need to be. Try it in b/w and it will be nice, something they can hang up.

#11 - not good. Too much negative space on the left and horrible angle. If you could have, I would have tried to shoot this at their right. I can tell it's a staircase, but I would have tried to get eye level with them somehow.

Hope that helps some! And good luck with the other upcoming weddings.

[B.Miller]

The first thing I notice is the strong yellow cast to many of them. The white balance seems off on many as well. And they seem flat in tonal changes.

#3 crop closer to try and save this one. Remove the girls on the right.

#4 would be nice from a lower reference point. Too much ceiling and cut off feet.

#5 would be nice, but seems your flash was incorrectly positioned and you highlighted the wrong spot on her face.

#6 nice photo of them, but the blown out hands - right where their rings are - looses it for me. Also, yellow cast again.

#7 nice image, but again - the yellow is horrible for me. Looks like dead skin. Despite some of the wedding colors being yellow, the tint doesn't need to be. Try it in b/w and it will be nice, something they can hang up.

#11 - not good. Too much negative space on the left and horrible angle. If you could have, I would have tried to shoot this at their right. I can tell it's a staircase, but I would have tried to get eye level with them somehow.

Hope that helps some! And good luck with the other upcoming weddings.
the "yellow cast" that you talk about was the "antique light" setting on lightroom. i will not use it anymore. and yeah, the blown out hand really bothered me. the sun was setting and i was trying to get the best i could for where i was. i should have just walked around to the other side of the church. doh!
and i will crop the left part out of the staircase shot. and wouldn't being eye level cut out the part of them where you can see the people blowing bubbles?

[mackb]

These are not very good at all.
*edit* this sounds mean, and I'm sorry for that, but you have a lot of work to do. There are a ton of ppl here that will help you with why these are bad, but I just wanted to let you know my reaction. GOOD LUCK and keep you head up to BAD reactions to your work. Sorry that I did not provide details.

[newbie builder]

One more tip for lightroom--look at the difference between camera correction and post crop vignetting. there is a significant different in appearance--i personally prefer the camera correction vignette by a LOT over the post crop, but your opinion might differ. I just noticed that it looked like you use the post crop vignetting to do your vignettes so you might want to look at the other option which I believe gives better looking results.

[B.Miller]

These are not very good at all.
*edit* this sounds mean, and I'm sorry for that, but you have a lot of work to do. There are a ton of ppl here that will help you with why these are bad, but I just wanted to let you know my reaction. GOOD LUCK and keep you head up to BAD reactions to your work. Sorry that I did not provide details.
thanks for the honesty billy!
One more tip for lightroom--look at the difference between camera correction and post crop vignetting. there is a significant different in appearance--i personally prefer the camera correction vignette by a LOT over the post crop, but your opinion might differ. I just noticed that it looked like you use the post crop vignetting to do your vignettes so you might want to look at the other option which I believe gives better looking results.
i will def look into it!




thanks everyone for the C&C, and the encouragement to keep working at it so i can improve!

[Tomobil]

I also think some of shots of the bride aren't so flattering, but if this is your first wedding, then I think you've done really well.

[PeaceFire]

Another thing I just noticed (going back to my busy background comment) that door behind the girls is open. Close it, and you help the pic A LOT! Little things like that need to be noticed. I made the EXACT SAME mistake early on! Now, I set up the background before I start so I don't see that later on and kick myself for it. Just a small piece of advice that will help you a lot in the future!

[B.Miller]

thanks! i was really stressed out i wasn't goign to get the shots i needed, so i wasn't paying attention to the little details as much as i should have been.

im looking into purchasing an 85mm for my next wedding so i can stop it down and get a little more bokeh for the background.

[Suedezu]

To me the whole set looks unflattering with 1, 5,6 and 7 being the worst in the set.

I know it has been said but try to make the bride look smaller than she actually is by shooting either from above or using a tele lens.

Try to keep your editing constant for the whole set. You have different WB, tonal colors.

I hope the couple are happy with their pictures. I wouldn't be.

[JasonBr]

Is it just me or does the groomsman second from the left in #4 look like the guy from Law and Order.

[B.Miller]

thanks for the input peeps. maybe wedding photography isn't for me :-/

[kingfirefly]

quick thing about poseing no one else has mentioned that future brides will appreciate and especialy the larger ones, have the subject open out her elbows so that you can see the back ground between her arm and body(as if she had someone in a headlock)
this has a slimming effect because your eye can see the width of her waist insted of being drawn all the way across her arm. it feels a little unnatural but looks a lot better

[dosha]

do a couple free weddings or shoot as a 2nd and watch a pro to learn...that would be my advice.

[brideslove]

It is very beautiful.

















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[MarkAnthonyPhotography]

First off, good for you for taking the plunge! As any wedding photog will tell you, IT'S FREAKIN SCARY on that first one. I was lucky enough to 2nd shoot for someone for 2 years before I went on my own. I would suggest contacting any local photogs in your city and see if they would let you 2nd or 3rd shoot for them for free. All photogs love FREE help. Just make sure you don't "get in the way". I will say your shots don't scream "Professional", but neither did my first shots! It will take time and practice, but just keep shooting. Shoot EVERYTHING! I had no idea what I was doing at first. I was a bartender before deciding to go into photography as a job. The internet is your key. Youtube, POTN, Strobist.com, all these sites will lead you in the right direction. Good luck to you man and keep your head up no matter what the criticism is!!