First Event I became the Official Photographer.

[lost]

Well I showed up as a guest and ended up a photographer. He is my best friend from Elementary School. When I walked in with my 20D decked out with battery grip, 420EX, 24-70 2.8, and my POTN Strap I heard one person comment that must be the photographer. I snickered to my self and said he must be late. Wrong there was no photographer, or actually ther was one, it was ME. LOL I enjoyed it.

The pictures came out half way decent I think. I even sent a full set of "proofs" to his Mom. Cost me 8 bucks from wink flash.

Ok the stories out of the way now I need some CC on the pictures. Let me know where I messed up. http://www.btoups.com/gallery/list.php?exhibition=27&pass=public (sorry EE gave me a bogus Link.)

When referencing the picture just use there file name from the top.

That is every picture that I took, I did not drop any accept the ones the flash didn't fire. I also shot in large JPG by mistake. OOPS No raw files to play with.

[lostdoggy]

Great story, now how about a link that works???

[lost]

Link should work now. PS the pic of they guy at the table drinking are all my old School buddies. Yeah we liked to have fun.

[Bruce Hamilton]

Great shots... Loved the "honey do" cake. :lol:

[lost]

Yeah the colors were horrible on the cake so I tried to desaturate to add a little interest. Don't know if it worked or not.

[lost]

I know they can use improvement, Please let me know how they can be improved. Does one consistant problem show up in many of the photos?

They were not Post Processed at all. I purposely did not so I could find out if there was anything I could improve in the shooting process. (And it was just easier LOL)

I really would like to discuss this with the more experienced people out there.

P.S. I do know that a good many of them would benefit from cropping. That is something I need to work on in the future. (Cropping with the lens)

[apple]

Okay,first off, i am a complete amateur so any and all critiques are just gut feelings.

The photos all seem to have a "snapshot" about them. It probaly has to do with no cropping. If you quickly run thru the photos it becomes apparent that you used a "bullseye" approach. Everybodies faces are centered in the view. This seem true even in portrait mode. I feel this left quite a bit of dead space in the upper third of most of the shots.

On the plus side, it seemed that everybody was pretty comfortable with you taking their photos. If you can get that kind of easygoing attitude from all your subjects you will be WAAYYYY ahead of the game.;)

Just my 1.023 cents (after taxes) worth

[ayotnoms]

Love the story and the gallery.
I paid close attention to the EXIF data below each picture (great feature of that website, BTW) and what struck me was the pictures taken with the 70-200mm. They just seemed crisper to me. The other photos look like they captured the atmosphere of the occasion quite well...and it looks like everyone had a good time. 8-)

The only criticisms I can offer are those I fall prey to as well. With a flash working, I would have had the aperture stopped down more than f/2.8 even if it required a bump in the ISO. One in particular that looked like it had a shallow depth of field (IMG_6686.JPG; bearded man with his hand near his face) could have been improved with the aperture set above f/2.8 The EXIF also lists the lens as a 28-70mm. Was that a misprint??

Also, did you mean to take the last picture of your friend and wife with the Sigma Wide Angle? Perhaps you got caught off-guard with that lens on your camera because I think it would have been a killer shot taken tighter and with your 70-200.

There were a few that looked dark (although it may be my monitor). Others could have benefitted from tighter shots. I read advice somewhere to the effect: Don't be afraid to fill the frame with your subject.

Some other advice: take these comments with a grain (...or large chunk) of salt. Ultimately it comes down to how you, your friends, and family like the photos.

Thanks for sharing the story and providing a glimpse of the festivities!

Cheers
Steve

PS sorry for the long post. I didn't realize:o

[lost]

apple,

I completely agree with the snapshot look. That is what I am trying to change. What changes should I make to my approach?

Ayotnoms,

First off, I just couldn't spell you name right. Had to scroll back like 7 time. LOL. All the exif info is correct except the lens model. All were take with the Sigma 24-70 EX DG Macro. (Thanks for pointing out, I am in the process of fixing them. EE auto assigns/guesses that info.) I agree on the ISO and Aperature. I will change in the future.

The man with the beard is the father of the groom. Every time I pointed the camera at him he had to wave????? I have been knowing him for 22 years and acted as a second dad for a good many of them.

Oh and Thanks for the long post with great info.


Please keep the comments coming. Expecially with ways to increase interest and asthetic appeal of the pictures.

Thanks,

truly lost :)

[Keiffer]

Small world, My neighbor is from Houma LA. Nice pics some are alittle underexposed.

[Titus213]

The exposure on most of the pictures isn't too bad, a liitle dark. My suggestion would be to get closer and don't be afraid to shoot portrait. I read somewhere that if your pictures aren't interesting enough - get closer. I still get self-concious being down in front taking pictures but have to get over it. That's where the photographer should be in my estimation. From other posts I've seen that 420EX is capable of some really good stuff up close. I've also invested in an LSII for flash work. Your shots don't seem to show a lot of shadow but a diffuser of some kind can't hurt.

Based on your story you did an excellent job.

[lost]

Thanks Titus,

I will definitely try to get closer next time.

Keiffer,

Houma is a wonderful place. I wouldn't consider living anywhere else.