Recent Bridal

picturecrazy wrote in post #12482177
I quite like 2! The fisheye distortion really adds to the photo and makes it better than it would have been without it. That's pretty cool!

As for skin tones, I too find 3 on the hot side, but that is personal preference. I prefer natural skin tones but that's not to say that someone who doesn't is doing it incorrectly. The skin tones are actually nice in the rest, except 6 where it's just an artifact of the flare which was done purposefully, rather than brute overexposure.
Also, aside from 3, I see enough detail in the dress to appreciate the design and beauty of it. Yes there are blown highlights in the dress but I really don't find that it's blow to a degree that prevents me from appreciating it.

Thank you, Lloyd! I rented the FE for a wedding before this shoot & I really liked the effect it gave to some of the shots. This is actually the photo she chose for her portrait, only cropped to a 14x11.

I also usually prefer more of a natural skin tone and less brightness. But I kept seeing this look in different wedding photo sources & thought I'd try it if the bride liked it, and she did. I like it as an alternative from time to time, if the subject lends towards the process, which I felt this girl did. I should add that this is just a sample of the session, obviously, and there are other photos where the details of the dress are very apparent, but the bride still chose one of these I've posted as her favorite.

Lloyd, when you mention the artifact in #6, do you mean that purplish cast on her arm? I can't view the shots here at my other job, but I remember being aggravated that I couldn't get rid of that & wondered what it was.

mrmarklin wrote in post #12482297
The photos all look washed out. I'm a little vague on doing this for "style" What style would that be? Most people that pay for a photographer's work are not interested in a "style" that does not flatter the subject of the photo.

Ok. Again, there's no style or process that is going to appeal to everyone, and apparently this one doesn't to you. That's cool. This bride & her mom thought she was beautiful in the images and so do I.

stratos285 wrote in post #12482327
I really like the posses but they do look over exposed.

James

Thanks, James, appreciate your comment.

umphotography wrote in post #12482352
Nice shots Michelle. I also like the blown out look to add to the creavity of things. Ive seen enough of your work to know thats where you were going with this. I know you have proper exposure down cold. I like the artistic look to this and as you indicated, its all personal preference. When your client raves about it, Thats all that matters. Nice work and way to get creative

Well, thank you, this is a very generous comment & I have to say, undeserved! I wish I had exposure down cold but I still struggle sometimes; however, I can say my husband & I have come a long way from where we started. Anyhoo, thanks for your morale boost! I enjoy trying new things & breaking out of my comfort zone from time to time.

jcolman wrote in post #12482442
You say that the bride loved them. Which image or images did she select to have enlarged?

They are "artistic" photos and I congratulate you on your vision, but I didn't see any shots that shows off the bride and her dress very well. #4 comes the closest but like you said, you cropped off her train.

As stated in my response to Lloyd above, she chose the FE shot cropped. Yes, I am trying with each bridal session to pay more attention to getting a few good shots of the full dress-- I do tend to get more caught up in facial expressions, creative angles, etc, that's a weakness I recognize. We did get some full length shots without the cut off train but again, this bride preferred the "artistic" FE shot. Please keep after me when you see me reverting to my old habits & enocurage me to do better!

pbelarge wrote in post #12482474
What about darkening the backgrounds somewhat...

Could be a good idea!

collierportraits wrote in post #12482608
Nice shots... I also love #2, but there's some weird burning in the upper left corner? Perhaps you overburned this area in PP?

Yes, these images are blown out and yes, that's the trend. And while not commenting on either of them, let me say this: Make sure this is a style that YOU love and that YOU are drawn to. If you try patterning your photography after every trend that sweeps along, your work will be all over the map and you'll never end with a distinct look that is 'you'. I would encourage you to follow your own eye, and do the things that are really appealing to you. You may notice that most of the amazing, unbelievable photographers out there have a very distinct look and it's because they may notice the trends, yes, but they're shooting their own style and what appeals to them. But I digress.

As to the photos, I would also be interested to know which image she chose for her wall portrait. One that she looks amazingly beautiful AND shows this gorgeous dress off. She's one of the uniquely few brides that can actually carry off the strapless, sleeveless gown that every bride seems to love these days and SO FEW seem to be flattered by.

As to the other shots, the angles seem to be lower than necessary. I realize you were going for sun flare in the last one, but low angles on people isn't always the best. Shooting up into the nostrils and such. And, as always, watch cutting off trains, but you already know that. The IMPORTANT thing is that your client was very happy! So, good job!

collierportraits wrote in post #12482611
p.s. I love the 180 rotated image. Much improved!

Darn, I can't view the photos here so I can't see what you mean about that left corner! I'll have to look at home. Glad you like it! It was actually one of my favorites from the session.

I understand exactly what you mean about styles. I really do like this look, but again, not for everyone or every session. I'm not sure we have "our" style clearly defined yet, we've been doing this such a short time, but we're getting there. Myabe I'll be the Lady Gaga of photography-- you never know what look will be pulled out! j/k

Yeah I usually try not to shoot up the nose, but like you mentioned, some of these were to get that flare, and others I just felt like it might be ok since she was so darn photogenic. What you said about her pulling off the sleeveless gown is so true-- we had a bridal shoot a few weekes ago where I just cringed when I saw the bride had chosen a sleeveless dress!

Thanks so much for taking the time to post all this for me, I am really learning to be more cognizant of things because of reminders like this.

I like them a lot. I enjoy bright pictures, but the dress is bordering on amorphous white blob.

pbelarge wrote in post #12482474
What about darkening the backgrounds somewhat...

Or you could try adding some vignetting to the corners to make the subject pop a little more!