Some photos i took a a friends wedding

[Learning101]

These are just some photos i took at a good friends wedding
Please cc you thoughts as i am learning..Thankyou:D

[Svetlana]

I like the second one - great moment.

The first one is a bit underexposed.

[Learning101]

Thankyou for your comments. I like the second one too. With the first one what is the best way to fix the underexposure?

[Learning101]

103 views and 1 comment...i know they are not professional material..please cc so i can learn..thanks

[ekupsu]

Some of those 103 views may be people like me who are trying to learn along with you and don't have the skills yet to comment...

[Learning101]

Thanks Ekupsu, i know..im just very keen as i am sure you are...Good luck with it!

[Ingardj]

Number one looks crooked, and the mix of natural light and the light inside isnt really working. Mixing to different light can make the whitebalance off. Also the light inside is very flat and makes a lot of shadows. I would probably not have had the bright windows in the background, since they are lighter then inside and gets overexposed and very visible in this shot. It also feels very tight.

[Yeoer]

1. As others have said the first is underexposed but importantly its badly lit which is why the colours look a bit drab and your eye is drawn to the window rather than the cake, also the background is quite cluttered for a cake shot, as it not moving and there is plenty of time to adjust your position next time try shooting from different directions in minimize clutter, i've had to shoot the cake quite high before (standing on a chair) to get it how i wanted it to look. I also always use flash for the cake to make the colours and detail really stand out after all thats what the couple have paid for.

2. Nice moment but nasty direct flash, if your flash head will tilt and turn then always be on the look out for surfaces to bounce it off, your pictures will look so much more natural when you do, i find the soften flash heads still produce tell tale harsh shadows so i don't use them either, master the art of flash and you will be amazed how natural your shots can look.

[SS308]

Some of those 103 views may be people like me who are trying to learn along with you and don't have the skills yet to comment...

:D I agree, I'm always looking for great ideas. Me personally, I like number two also.

[Nyobie]

More ideas - with mixed lighting conditions in Photo # 1, if you run into this again, walk around the table at various angles and take a few other photos. Sometimes, you can get a better lighting effect just by changing your perspective. I think it's the light from the window that distracts from the image. You can also do some post processing adjustments which can do a photo wonderful things if you know how to use some basic photo edit tools - enhance the exposure by a small amount, increase and decrease the contrast (play around with it a bit). You can often turn a blah or boring photo into something really neat and make it look like you planned it to turn out that way when it was just something that happened to not be what you wanted but you were able to turn it into something.

If you haven't learned to shoot in RAW image format yet, you might want to check out that area of POTN and learn a few things. Much of the breathtaking work you see in POTN is in part due to the post processing technique people have learned and evolved. You'd be amazed at what an original image looks like compared to the finished product. Before and after don't even look like the same person took the photo sometimes. It's really cool stuff!

I know one thing. You're in the right place to learn lots of great stuff. Enjoy!

[ajmonholland]

One thing I try to keep in mind more than ever is the background is as important as the subject. The background should enhance the subject not detract.

[sctbiggs]

Comments are hard to come by around here at times.

Yes. It is underexposed. I am no pro at exposure. It is always trial and error for me. If it doesn't look right I'll take 30 more until I get it right. I think... think being the keyword here... If you had no choice but to shoot with the window in the back ground, Expose for the window. Use fill flash for the cake and fast shutter speed... again, I said I think. i could be completely wrong. i try many different things.

Best to change position as someone else mentioned to try and avoide bad background/lighting. The lighting might have just been perfect if you had been on the other side of the cake using the light from the window to light the subject.

Also, RAW mode. RAW mode. RAW mode. This will help you fix exposure after the fact.

As for the second shot... bounce your flash if you can if you must use on camera flash.

[haquocdung]

The cake looks yummy:D

[LGunny]

I really think that is one unique cake, I kind of like it.

I am no expert but here is my two cents worth-

Both images seem too dark, what type of lighting do you use? Flash, natural lighting etc. For the cake image can you get your flash off your camera? maybe on a monopod with someone helping you hold it? With cakes and dresses you have to be careful not to blow out the white so you will need to meter it correctly exposing the white.
As the other posters comments have suggested the second image is a hard flash image, your flash pointed directly at your subject, which is causing the sheen on her face. Buy a Flash diffuser like Gary Fong's or something similar, it will help a bit and bounce your flash off the wall or ceiling.
Take as many pictures as possible because many of them will not be the money shot but the more you take the better chance you will have at capturing that really nice shot. Take your pictures from all angles, this is digital photography the more you take the better.
You have a nice eye in capturing sweet moments as shown in image two, again some sort of flash diffuser may help you out here.