Jacob & Laura | Texas Summer Wedding

I was the second shooter for a wedding this past weekend. It was a ton of fun and challenging at the same time. It was the first time I've experienced strict rules for photographers in the church (no flash, can't go past the last pew, and staying up in the balcony is preferred). All these limitations definitely threw a kink in the ideas that I'd had for the ceremony, but I it was definitely a learning experience.

Being the second shooter, I tried to capture small details and moments rather than the obligatory shots, which were left up to the primary shooter. It was a lot of fun to be able to experiment with different lighting and settings to get new effects.

Please feel free to offer your CC, I am always open to opinions on how I can improve.

Theo

1

GREAT SHOTS.

5 and 7 Seems out of focus

4) my eyes are drawn first to the blonde with the piercing eyes (she frightens me) and then to the little girl before I even notice the bride.

great job! i like 6 and 7 the best, soft and great lighting

domat wrote in post #12709604
GREAT SHOTS.

5 and 7 Seems out of focus

4) my eyes are drawn first to the blonde with the piercing eyes (she frightens me) and then to the little girl before I even notice the bride.

thanks! they 5 is a bit soft because i was forced to pan since i couldn't use flash at the ceremony and i didn't want to bump the ISO too high. 7 is fairly sharp on the bride, but the DOF is pretty shallow. could have been sharper for sure though.

i appreciate the comments!

rick_reno wrote in post #12709985
great job! i like 6 and 7 the best, soft and great lighting

thanks!

Great shots, number six is a money maker.

Nice job. Better than many first shooters I see on here. The blonde with the piercing eyes doesn't frighten me (although I do wish her expression was happier). She looks beautiful! (We'd like to see more of her in a happy time!) Although that shot seems to scream horizontal crop rather than the portrait that you shot it in.

As to the blur, well, yeah could be better, but in the rush of the moment sometimes a little movement is ok. This isn't one of those times, but it could go in the album and be fine. Just don't do it again next time!

I do love #6. How many lights did you set up around the reception?

tolyD wrote in post #12712899
Great shots, number six is a money maker.

haha, sure hope so!

collierportraits wrote in post #12712935
Nice job. Better than many first shooters I see on here. The blonde with the piercing eyes doesn't frighten me (although I do wish her expression was happier). She looks beautiful! (We'd like to see more of her in a happy time!) Although that shot seems to scream horizontal crop rather than the portrait that you shot it in.

As to the blur, well, yeah could be better, but in the rush of the moment sometimes a little movement is ok. This isn't one of those times, but it could go in the album and be fine. Just don't do it again next time!

I do love #6. How many lights did you set up around the reception?

thanks for your CC! i do wish the blonde's reaction was a bit happier, but overall i still like it. i went for a vertical crop because of the sunlight coming through the trees combined with the fact that i was using a prime lens and vertical was the only way that i could compose it so everything fit.

i do wish that the isle shot was sharper. it would have been so much easier if i'd been able to use flash! next time i'm going to get over my fear of high ISO noise and bump it up another couple of notches. after all, the D700 does reportedly very well in that category.

for #6 i had two speedlights set bare at 1/4 power on a second floor balcony overlooking the dance floor. i just bumped up the shutter speed so that it blacked everything but the details out.

<psst: oh, you're shooting Nikon!? well, no wonder the aisle shot was blurred!>

lol, zzzzzzzzzzzzing!

p27rpy wrote in post #12712527
thanks! they 5 is a bit soft because i was forced to pan since i couldn't use flash at the ceremony and i didn't want to bump the ISO too high. 7 is fairly sharp on the bride, but the DOF is pretty shallow. could have been sharper for sure though.

i appreciate the comments!


thanks!

Don't be afraid to rock that ISO up high with that D700 you have.. if you are utilizing LR3 you can clean up the little bit of noise easily, after all whats the point of having that beauty beast of a full frame cam if you aren't going to use it for what its made for.. pretty nice pics !

Fred Eric Norris wrote in post #12714866
Don't be afraid to rock that ISO up high with that D700 you have.. if you are utilizing LR3 you can clean up the little bit of noise easily, after all whats the point of having that beauty beast of a full frame cam if you aren't going to use it for what its made for.. pretty nice pics !

preach on! i will next time for sure!

Could've been worse.
You could be doing Mormon weddings. You don't get into the temple/church at all.

Good job! Your lighting seems very well controlled.

nice set of shots but id be careful with the processing or exposures so u dont blow out the detail in the dress. and again, shot 6 is the money shot!! nice capture!

chrisdscott wrote in post #12718439
Could've been worse.
You could be doing Mormon weddings. You don't get into the temple/church at all.

very true

Michelle Brooks Photography wrote in post #12718737
Good job! Your lighting seems very well controlled.

thank you!

howzitboy wrote in post #12719582
nice set of shots but id be careful with the processing or exposures so u dont blow out the detail in the dress. and again, shot 6 is the money shot!! nice capture!

good call, i see that i did that a bit in #4. i'll keep an eye on that next time!