Well I am a new photographer and took some photos for my friends!

[pinnacleseattle]

Well, please critique! Heres a few shots of the wedding (my first EVER!!). If it sucks please tell me what i can work on! Im thinking of picking up a T1i for some of my other friends weddings. I have the 10-22mm 28-135mm and a 70-300 lens, any other lens you would recommend?
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/adamtiffkiss.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_5982ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6004ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6025ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6042ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6086ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6328ps.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c134/10bmw10/IMG_6313ps.jpg

[Stevie@JC]

No picture showing for me

[jonwhite]

Adding some pictures to the post rather than just a link will get you more responses as will being honest about your experience on your website.

[pinnacleseattle]

photobucket fixed it

JonWhite- You are correct.

[KevinPourroy]

They look soft

[Svetlana]

They look soft to me, too...I like the last one the best!

[advaitin]

In general they are soft. So, you just need to work on shooting technique. Probably a little more shutter speed and better depth-of-field control. What ISO were you using?

[Ralph Merlino]

They all look soft to me.

[pinnacleseattle]

I dont want soft!! What else do I need to do to not have them come out soft? my ISO was 400...i dont know photoshop at all, so i need to start reading these tutorials on pp. do you think the borders are stupid?

i appreciate the input! im going to take a class on photography, but i cant decide if i should do it at my university or a community college!?

[advaitin]

I dont want soft!! What else do I need to do to not have them come out soft? my ISO was 400...i dont know photoshop at all, so i need to start reading these tutorials on pp. do you think the borders are stupid?

i appreciate the input! im going to take a class on photography, but i cant decide if i should do it at my university or a community college!?

The borders are OK if you are putting them in an album. Next ? Are you shooting raw? Did you do any sharpening or set the camera for sharper images. It's hard to determine a cure without knowing the cause.

I see you used an XT and the lens was either a 135 or set to 135mm. Flash was used, at least in the one I checked. Shutter speed was 1/80s @ f 5.6 on normal program setting.

The flash should have overcome any shake, so it must be the lack of post-processing. Just my opinion at this point.

[pinnacleseattle]

I wasnt shooting in raw, i dont know how to set my camera to do sharper images, i had no idea that was an option. I appreciate you going through it to help me!! i had the 28-135lens on and the rest is a blur! thanks again!

[advaitin]

I wasnt shooting in raw, i dont know how to set my camera to do sharper images, i had no idea that was an option. I appreciate you going through it to help me!! i had the 28-135lens on and the rest is a blur! thanks again!

I used to have an XTi and since I always shot in raw, I never worried about in camera sharpening, but I suspect there may be either menu settings or custom functions that would have sharpened your JPGs some. I'll check on it. Sometimes I don't know what I'm talking about.

[advaitin]

Here you go. Do you still have the manual? If not here's a link:

http://helene.ethz.ch/edu/vp/instrumente/EOSDRXT350DIM-EN.pdf

On page 63 it shows the menu settings for increasing sharpness.

[pinnacleseattle]

you rock! i appreciate the help, i probably have the manual at my dads house, we traded cameras...i sold him my 50d (i couldnt figure it out ofr the life of me) and he gave me the xt! I think im going to go back to the basics and learn how to use these cameras. I will add sharpening now to the XT. Again, thanks alot!!

[advaitin]

Here's the thing. If you shoot in RAW it gives you the opportunity to do all kinds of adjustments in the computer, even within the Canon Zoombrowser that came with the camera. You have to have downloaded and installed from the software disk to get upgrades and a more powerful program like DPP (that came with the 50D). You can find tutorials, I think, if you do a web search.

A JPG is like a final print, to some extent, and the RAW file is more like a negative. Just keep that in mind.

Good luck

[Ziffle]

it is cool you did the wedding :)
.....but....

......weddings are not the place to find out about your equipment or post processing.
If the 50D is too much camera ... i would stay away from weddings.
... so grab the 50D back from pops and learn.
why? you can make adjustments faster on a xxd body than a rebel series.

not to sound rude .. but while you are fiddling w/ you gear, the bride walked right bye....

While gear does not make a photog;
better the gear the better you are equipped to handle tough shooting situations.

as far as lens ... start w/ the 50mm.
There are 3 versions from canon: buy the best you can afford.

Practice-practice-practice .... read on forums ... there is a FAQ section just for
wedding shooters put together by Tim.
it is really good.
i think it is in the discussion section.

good luck.

Later,
_Mark

[pinnacleseattle]

it is cool you did the wedding :)
.....but....

......weddings are not the place to find out about your equipment or post processing.

If the 50D is too much camera ... i would stay away from weddings.
... so grab the 50D back from pops and learn.
why? you can make adjustments faster on a xxd body than a rebel series.

not to sound rude .. but while you are fiddling w/ you gear, the bride walked right bye....

While gear does not make a photog;
better the gear the better you are equipped to handle tough shooting situations.

as far as lens ... start w/ the 50mm.
There are 3 versions from canon: buy the best you can afford.

Practice-practice-practice .... read on forums ... there is a FAQ section just for
wedding shooters put together by Tim.
it is really good.
i think it is in the discussion section.

good luck.

Later,
_Mark


There was a real photographer there that had gotten paid, i just felt i should try and since the paid photog wasnt going to give them a dvd or cd of pics, only what they had paid for etc maybe I would snap a few shots.

I found the wedding faq and am reading through that.

The reason I didnt like the 50d was because the dials kept switching when id change modes, thats why I think I want the T1i. I called my dad today and hes not selling back to me haha, oh well maybe Ill take lessons and get the new version of the 50d if it comes out any time soon.

I like car photography and this was my first shots of people in general. I took over 1000 photos while I was at the wedding than decided to go have some fun with the bridesmaid friend ;)

And you didnt sound rude at all, I am completly new at wedding photography (photography in general) but I definatly love it and want to excell, so youll see me posting here plenty and asking for advice! Probably in the wrong areas too lol

I appreciate your comment and advice!

[adellecousins]

Hi Pinnacle...
I think you need to really get that great EYE when doing weddings...ANY photography. Your images are very soft...which means you probably need to invest in some good lenses, just 2 would be fine for a start up, if your shooting with a kit lens though...ditch it. Its better off in the bin haha!
Shoot in RAW as well....at least for now, i do it JUST IN CASE but more often than not i just need to adjust slight white balance to make my images a little warmer....
Good luck....and definately KEEP PRACTICING AND RESEARCHING! The best thing to have is the eye...the technique....oh and the HISTOGRAM! :)
Del

[pinnacleseattle]

i have the 10-22mm and 28-135is which is what i used (my kit 18-55 was sold a while ago). im probably grabbing the 17-40 and a 50 prime next. i believe my XT is whats holding me back a lot more than anything. i also was further back in every shot so i didnt step on the photogs shoes since she was paid for the gig.

[adellecousins]

Pinnacle use what you have to your advantage...think about when we were using BOX BROWNIES...they werent the best piece of equipment out there (THey were for their time) but still people got great shots because of their technique and what they knew!
Get your exposure right using the histogram - it will change the world of photography for you, a well constructed image isnt about how it looks its how its executed!

[Nicole Faith]

It may be the compression, but almost all of these look out of focus to me. That would be the first thing I would fix. Then I would check into the white balance on some of them - reddish skin and some blown out areas - like the last photo. Good for the first wedding though - if they are in focus that is. lol.

If you weren't the paid photographer - then these are even better and you should worry less, as you were doing it as a favor. I also suggest that if you ever plan to take on a paid wedding - you need to know what the heck you are dealing with... and I mean, know what your equipment does, know how to use Photoshop, how to publish to the web. All of these things are like being trained to do the job your are paid for. It's too easy to just pick up a camera and say you are a photographer because someone is getting married and offer you $400.00 or something cheap. Practice for cheaper prices, but learn your **** too!! :) I mean this lightheartedly too. It's not fair to anyone - you or the couple - to just do it, to get money. You have to know what RAW is and how to process them before you even think of being a photographer. I also suggest moving onto equipment above the Rebel sets - where I am sure these are great for hobby photography, most professional wedding photographers use a higher based camera - 5D and up. All suggestions from me. Good luck tho!!

[Todd Lambert]

I think the photos look soft and in general, uninspiring. There's nothing here that jumps out at me. Nothing that makes me look twice. They look like snapshots to me.

I hate to be harsh, and I don't really mean to be. You asked for a critique and that is my honest opinion.

[pinnacleseattle]

It may be the compression, but almost all of these look out of focus to me. That would be the first thing I would fix. Then I would check into the white balance on some of them - reddish skin and some blown out areas - like the last photo. Good for the first wedding though - if they are in focus that is. lol.

If you weren't the paid photographer - then these are even better and you should worry less, as you were doing it as a favor. I also suggest that if you ever plan to take on a paid wedding - you need to know what the heck you are dealing with... and I mean, know what your equipment does, know how to use Photoshop, how to publish to the web. All of these things are like being trained to do the job your are paid for. It's too easy to just pick up a camera and say you are a photographer because someone is getting married and offer you $400.00 or something cheap. Practice for cheaper prices, but learn your **** too!! :) I mean this lightheartedly too. It's not fair to anyone - you or the couple - to just do it, to get money. You have to know what RAW is and how to process them before you even think of being a photographer. I also suggest moving onto equipment above the Rebel sets - where I am sure these are great for hobby photography, most professional wedding photographers use a higher based camera - 5D and up. All suggestions from me. Good luck tho!!

Yea, photobucket killed the photos and thats why they look more soft in my opinion. I know nothing about photoshop or cameras for that matter. I signed up for a Digital Photography Class at my college that starts in September. Ive had photoshop for years but only used a few functions (brightness contrast). Ive seen the RAW setting and thats how my dad does his work (he doesnt want to help with this at all). Ive considered getting the 5D camera but I would have to get all new lens etc. I think what im going to do is use the T1i get that camera down jump to my dads 50D get it down and than 5D, hopefully in a year I can call myself a photog vs a friend with a camera. I appreciate the comments!



I think the photos look soft and in general, uninspiring. There's nothing here that jumps out at me. Nothing that makes me look twice. They look like snapshots to me.

I hate to be harsh, and I don't really mean to be. You asked for a critique and that is my honest opinion.


I appreciate the opinion, there isnt anything anyone could say to offend me (you guys are the experts! im just starting off). I agree, looking over a few posts here on wedding shots they all have way more pop and are much sharper. These shots were only a few shots from the entire event. It was my first time taking pictures of people yet alone a wedding.