Saturday's Wedding (assistant/2ndshooter)

I helped a friend out as an assistant/second shooter on saturday, and have sorted out a few photos to ask you all for your comments on
i normally shoot motorsport, but this was a change from fast cars, and i enjoyed it.
these are all pretty much straight out of the camera, just cropped/resized to 640x480px - #2 had a slight levels adjustment as it was a little dark
all photos shot with 1dmk2n and 580EX , and either sigma 10-20mm, 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 lenses - Exif should still be available on all of them

1

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The photos are sharp!

It looks like the couple was posing for the primary photog and you were shooting from another vantage point so to me some of these feel "off" because of it.

I don't know if it was lens choice limited but I'd like to see less DOF, especially on #5. I think it could also be improved with different composition (again, not sure if you were forced off to the side while the primary got all the "good" vantage points) but if you had used less DOF the windows would be less distracting.

Can you use less flash outdoors? It seems a bit overpowering, again obvious in #5 with the reflections and it really lit the column and in 6 it really reflected off the door. You've got fast glass, use it. :P

KennethPhotography wrote in post #4213918
The photos are sharp!

thanks

KennethPhotography wrote in post #4213918
It looks like the couple was posing for the primary photog and you were shooting from another vantage point so to me some of these feel "off" because of it.

yep, most of them the couple were looking at the other photographer

KennethPhotography wrote in post #4213918
I don't know if it was lens choice limited but I'd like to see less DOF, especially on #5. I think it could also be improved with different composition (again, not sure if you were forced off to the side while the primary got all the "good" vantage points) but if you had used less DOF the windows would be less distracting.

Lens choice wasnt limited at all, i had all my lenses with me, and the main shooter used his gear.
#5 was shot with the sigma 10-20- which tends to have a huge DOF even wide open, that is why i used the flash, to try and drop the exposure on the windows a bit more so they werent so distracting

KennethPhotography wrote in post #4213918
Can you use less flash outdoors? It seems a bit overpowering, again obvious in #5 with the reflections and it really lit the column and in 6 it really reflected off the door. You've got fast glass, use it. :P

i can see what you mean with #6, the reflection looks pretty poor
#5 the only flash reflection is the white spot on the window frame, the reflection in the glass is the open area behind me - but i see what you mean about the reflections, it is annoying

thanks for the advice, next time i help with a wedding i will try your advice

I think these need a little extra pop with some processing in photoshop. Otherwise the shots are ok, the exposures are ok, but its hard to get a connection with the couple since they aren't looking at the camera.

I agree with Mrs. Opie

MrsOpie wrote in post #4216158
I think these need a little extra pop with some processing in photoshop. Otherwise the shots are ok, the exposures are ok, but its hard to get a connection with the couple since they aren't looking at the camera.

i will agree with you there, i normally shoot raw, but the person i was assisting asked me to shoot Large Jpeg, so these are shot with my normal in camera settings. i will have a go with photoshop to get the "pop" and repost them here

PS wont get the connection with the couple though

Echo63 wrote in post #4215396
thanks
Lens choice wasnt limited at all, i had all my lenses with me, and the main shooter used his gear.
#5 was shot with the sigma 10-20- which tends to have a huge DOF even wide open, that is why i used the flash, to try and drop the exposure on the windows a bit more so they werent so distracting

I was suggesting that perhaps your DOF was limited BY lens choice (which clearly it was in #5) not that your lens choices were limited. IMHO you probably could have picked a different lens that would have given you more creative control (especially over DOF). As you aptly pointed out an ULTRA wide lens is going to limit your Bokeh (unless it's a f/1.4 and your subject distance is close).

I like a slightly longer lens for portrait work to make people "pop" out of the surroundings.

As you know, this is the internet so take anything I say for a grain of salt. I'm not even happy enough with my photos to post them up.

ok i have had a little play in lightroom, and these two seem to "pop" a bit more now (more contrast, colour and a slight exposure correction)

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Nice to see some shots of Perth in there Echo.

Wedding Shooter wrote in post #4224474
Nice to see some shots of Perth in there Echo.

thanks, first time i have assisted with a wedding, not the greatest shots in the world, but i think i did pretty well, i do need to pay attention to a few more things, as the people above me have suggested.