First Off camera Flash E-Shoot

This is my first time posting pictures so forgive me if this doesnt work. This was my first off camera flash engagement shoot. C&C is more that welcome, and very appreciated!!

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The vignette is too heavy and its killing the first two shots. Generally you like to see some consistency to the post processing in a set. These are a bit all over the place. But despite that you have some nice images.

I agree with gonz, also is it just me, or do some of these images look OOF?

SO, I'm very much an amateur, so this commentary might not be worth anything, but this is my opinion:

#1 and #2, I just don't get. Lots of hard edges, as if the originals were miss-exposed and OOF and they were heavily sharpened in post.

#3 is better, but clipped blacks

#4 is in focus, the eyes are sharp, the colors are great , and the overall look is lively. I like the lights in the horizon in the background - too bad there aren't more! There is good DOF and the short-lighting from the OCF is great! Sometimes just a real simple portrait is the way to go.

#5 looks like a very good attempt at high-key. Eyes don't look 100% sharp, but that might just be the re-sizing and compression. I like this photo a lot! I'd kill the logo, or at least tone it down, color-wise. Too blue, too eye-catching.

#6 I get the intent...Would have worked better not QUITE so shallow DOF. Also, what are you trying to say with it? for an E-session, if you're going to shoot something that thin, with the couple OOF in the background, it's best to have the focus on the RING placed somewhere in the foreground. Otherwise, it's a picture of some wood grain.

#7 Nice image, still think there's too much clipping and hard edges

#8 is real nice...I don't care that it breaks a lot of photographic rules (level horizon, some eye contact with the couple.) I think the mood of the photograph speaks to them having a quiet, private moment on their own. I wouldn't, say, use it as a stand-alone portrait, but it's part of the story that's being told, and that's why I like it.

Overall, I would say back off on the processing a bit. Somewhere, someone decided that portraits should always have a vignette, and I don't agree - seems a little gimmicky to me. You have a good mix here of some simple portraits, and others where there is some experimentation with style and composition. I think the couple will be pleased - ask them which ones they like the best, and what they like about them, and then also pick which ones you like, and ask yourself what you like about them. I think that will go a long way in helping you develop your style.

geeky wrote in post #11852430
I agree with gonz, also is it just me, or do some of these images look OOF?

I had that feeling too, but was wondering whether it was just softness from resizing and overworked PP.

Thanks for the input. Heres a little background on the pics. My brother in law asked me if i would take some pictures of him and his fiance for their recent engagement. Having never done an engagement shoot ( or any "shoot" other than snapping some pics of my wife and daughter) I was very eager to actually take pictures of something new. There was no exchange of money, i think he bought my wife and I supper. I took my xsi, 430 exii, umbrella, and a couple of cactus v2 triggers, and i was off to the races. I used a 50mm 1.8 for most pictures ( thes are 8 of about 100 pictures i gave them) because the only other lense i have is the kit, and i think i might have had the aperture a little too low to get a shallow DOF. The rest of the pictures in the set are not as "creatively" (i use that word loosely) produced. This was also my very first attempt at any sort of creative PP, so i guess i went a little overboard.. haha. As far as resizing goes, i have no idea if i did that correctly, some of these pics are down to 15% of the already reduced to 800 pixel photographs. im not sure, but that seems low. I appreciate all your time, as it makes for some valuable learning on my end! Thanks again!

scottbloos wrote in post #11853396
There was no exchange of money, i think he bought my wife and I supper.

Good! Remember that money is not necessarily a measure of ability. There is a lot of tremendous, beautiful work that people are doing for personal reasons (like yours) and on the flip-side, there is some really poor work that makes money, too.

scottbloos wrote in post #11853396
I took my xsi, 430 exii, umbrella, and a couple of cactus v2 triggers, and i was off to the races. I used a 50mm 1.8 for most pictures

This is a very capable set-up, and you're doing very well with it. Take your time with it, practice a lot, and you'll keep producing and growing.

Along with all the other comments by everyone else. Keep shooting! I'll be doing my first wedding next month for my cousin but am putting in a lot of effort. Ive already gone to the venue (earlier today) with her and her fiance, discussed what kind of photography they exactly wanted, and even started shooting in the empty place to get the lighting right.

But I just wanted to let you know that more post processing is not always a good thing. Sometimes a simple unedited photo is the best photo from the batch. Keep shooting!