First Professional job - Baptism

I shot my first job as a professional today. It was definitely nerve-wracking but I'm happy with the results. Here are a few of them. Thoughts welcomed.

Baptism.

The priest was really friendly - no restrictions though I opted not to use flash.

two more.. this family is so cute.

Thanks for looking

Nice set. I wonder if something could have been done about the stroller in #2, and the cross competes in #3. Having said that, I don't know what angles were available to you in #3.

Other than that, good set- I'm being picky because everything else looks good.

Capn Jack wrote in post #18050685
Nice set. I wonder if something could have been done about the stroller in #2, and the cross competes in #3. Having said that, I don't know what angles were available to you in #3.

Other than that, good set- I'm being picky because everything else looks good.

Thanks For #3 I was up against a wall and lost the prime real estate to a family photographer I had been jostling with. I still don't get why non-hired people think it's ok to to completely get in the way, but this guy i think he already knew where the baptismal area was and beelined it there, before I got a chance. Must.. be.. more.. assertive.. :-\ I was starting to get the hang of it though by the end when everyone was mingling, so I did tell people to please get out of the way.

Great work!! im sure the parents are going to be real happy with your images.
Keep it up!

Lovely work. I hate the pink tones you get within these mix of natural/unnatural lit areas though. My most PITA problem is getting good skin tones hence I turn to B&W alot for this.

Also nice to see you working the 18-35 and 50-100 1.8 combos from Sigma. Seems like the IQ is top notch.

Talley wrote in post #18050959
Lovely work. I hate the pink tones you get within these mix of natural/unnatural lit areas though. My most PITA problem is getting good skin tones hence I turn to B&W alot for this.

Also nice to see you working the 18-35 and 50-100 1.8 combos from Sigma. Seems like the IQ is top notch.

Thanks I'm glad I went with my gut and got this Sigma pair on the Nikon D500. People in the Nikon section were telling me to get a used 7200 or a D750 - the 7200 for saving money or the D750 to get full frame (which means I'd also have to spend significantly more for the equivalent glass). I don't think I would've been as happy with either of those options.

I tweaked the first image a bit and tried to desaturate the reds and yellows, but didn't want to mess around with it too much. It looks like he just had red cheeks. I also increased clarity and lightened around the eyes and corrected some minor blemishes.

You did a fine job! The family will be very happy with what you provided. A Baptism does not take very long, I'm very impressed by the variety included in such a short time. It is difficult to be assertive without seeming rude, but it may be helpful to state:

"I've been hired by the family to capture this event, would you mind staying behind me or off to the side and allow me easy access? I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Thank you!"

Really good effort for a first professional job. Was the church really that bright or have you just over exposed to make it look brighter than it really was? I'd love to shoot weddings in churches with that much light.

BlackBull wrote in post #18054890
Really good effort for a first professional job. Was the church really that bright or have you just over exposed to make it look brighter than it really was? I'd love to shoot weddings in churches with that much light.

If you look at the ISO it's from around 3000-5000, and my aperture is around f2. That should give you an indication of the lighting, although visually to me it didn't appear noticeably dark. Definitely the white balance, interior colors and lighting were a challenge.