E Session Leslie & Drew

This was my first E Session. I hope I did a good job. I would appreciate some constructive feed back. This happens to be my 2nd cousin - her mom is the best and probably the only family member I would even consider shooting for. I have commited to the wedding - which will be my first as the primary shooter. Here are 8 shots from the session. Some are lightly processed and others more heavily. I do have the "straight" photo processed and in their proof gallery as well. Again C&C is appreciated.
Thanks
Jh

1.

Welcome to the Wedding forum, Jamie. I like the last one better than the B&W version. Also, I think the ring shot is good, but can you add some sparkle to the center diamond?

Wow, Jamie is in the wedding forum! welcome!

Overall the feel of the shoot is very light and fun... so first off, great work on that! That is key. The colours and processing are all over the map though... there doesn't seem to be a theme or a style that can be identified. Probably partly due to the fact that this was your first e-session. I'm sure you'll find your groove quickly though.

1. I find the colours a bit too cold on this one. Also, there is sun breaking through the trees and blowing out her shirt. If you are shooting in spotty shade, then turn their backs to the sun so the light on the good side isn't so splotchy.

2 looks really fun. I like it. The sepia toning could use a bit more contrast to make it pop.

3. I really like it. The shadows don't bother me. The processing looks a bit too much... like midnight sepia or something. The one thing that I'd recommend is positioning their hands. This is one of the most annoying things in portrait photography... it's hard to figure out what to do with the hands sometimes. For this one I would have told him to put his hand on her waist, and her hand on his cheek.

4. Nice, but the skin tones look too cold again... morgue looking.

5. is fun, but we can't see him. Tell him to crouch down so their heads are closer to the same level. Even when they are being dynamic, we still need to give a bit of direction in a very quick fashion. You can still do that without losing the dynamic element of their interactions.

6 is a great moment, but a higher angle would be awesome

7 and 8 are ok shots, but something about them isn't working for me. Maybe the pose... I'm not sure.

But again, great job on getting the fun feeling throughout the shoot. That is most important. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Suzy.

Lloyd thank you very very much for the comments. I certianly will take them to heart and make the changes you suggested. You are right about the processing being all over the place. I process most of the shoot with at least 3 different processes. I posted, more or less, a sample of each process I used. I can tell from your comments which work and which don't and can present to the couple the best selections. Again thanks so much for your comments.

These better?

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Yes. The diamond is shinier. After discussing with my jeweler what is the best thing to look for in a ring, I get the feeling it's all in the feel of it. He said to me that you can have a perfect diamond, in every standard, and it still can be a dull one. So, he told me to wear mine for a year before deciding if it's worth anything to me. That's what I think about when I take ring pictures. Does this image make me feel like I'm special and different. The surroundings are just tools. The feel of the diamond is most important.

I agree they are all fun and romantic, so that's great. A lot of people who are plenty technically proficient can't get a natural look out of their clients.

A few thoughts of mine.I honestly don't care for the processing on any of them, I think it's pretty muddy so I won't comment on processing.

1 - I think that the background here is pretty distracting. Can I ask why you shot at such a small aperture? I think if it had been shot with a shallower DOF and shot where you were more down at the couples level, it would have been improved.

2 - I do like the way the wall and the fence frame the couple. There are some harsh hot spots, but for the most part they are in the shadow, so it's not too terrible.. Again though, I think a shallower DOF would have improved it.

3 - Same comments as above. I like the overall composition here, but the light is pretty hard and I think a shallower DOF would have improved it.

4 - Unfortunately I feel like his hands are dirty (so is her thumb, unless that is the processing) and her nails are a mess. I know you can't help that, but it takes away.

5 - Light is really hard here.. Also, I feel like they are really centered with a lot of empty space around them, perhaps a tighter crop would be better?

6 - The hard light really bothers me, which is a pity since their expressions are very sweet.

7 - This is very sweet and romantic, and while there are some hot spots, the lighting on them is fairly even, they just look a bit dark. I think some careful dodging would really improve it.

8 - Same here, they seem a bit dark and the background has darkness too. I know when you've got light and dark patches the camera metering can be a little off, but it is pretty close.

Jamie, you can clean up the nails and hand flaws very easily. Do that and see how much better they are. I do that when I do hand ring shots. The clients usually don't complain if you do that.

1. I think this would look better shot from a lower angle to hide the pond/water.. the background is too distracting for me as it is..
2. The rail and wall frame the subject nicely, but those arches cutting thru their heads are not so hot..
3. I like this the best out of the set..
4 - is ok, nothing special.
5-6 hot spots.. 5 would look better with smaller DOF

Keep shooting

auroraskye wrote in post #9512522
I agree they are all fun and romantic, so that's great. A lot of people who are plenty technically proficient can't get a natural look out of their clients.

A few thoughts of mine.I honestly don't care for the processing on any of them, I think it's pretty muddy so I won't comment on processing..

Thanks

auroraskye wrote in post #9512522
1 - I think that the background here is pretty distracting. Can I ask why you shot at such a small aperture? I think if it had been shot with a shallower DOF and shot where you were more down at the couples level, it would have been improved.

Not sure why I chose that apeture. But a lesson well learned thanks.

auroraskye wrote in post #9512522
4 - Unfortunately I feel like his hands are dirty (so is her thumb, unless that is the processing) and her nails are a mess. I know you can't help that, but it takes away.

he is in construction, so his hands are rough. Is there a way to fix that in post?

auroraskye wrote in post #9512522
7 - This is very sweet and romantic, and while there are some hot spots, the lighting on them is fairly even, they just look a bit dark. I think some careful dodging would really improve it.

that is my favorite shot of the session

auroraskye wrote in post #9512522
8 - Same here, they seem a bit dark and the background has darkness too. I know when you've got light and dark patches the camera metering can be a little off, but it is pretty close.

Actually the dark areas in this one is probably more processing. The original has better light.

Thanks so much for you comments. I really appreciate it. I now have some knowledge to work with and know what to look for next time.

SuzyView wrote in post #9512549
Jamie, you can clean up the nails and hand flaws very easily. Do that and see how much better they are. I do that when I do hand ring shots. The clients usually don't complain if you do that.

what technique?

yuriyo923 wrote in post #9512599
1. I think this would look better shot from a lower angle to hide the pond/water.. the background is too distracting for me as it is..
2. The raid and wall frame the subject nicely, but those arches cutting thru their heads are not so hot..
3. I like this the best out of the set..
4 - is ok, nothing special.
5-6 hot spots.. 5 would look better with smaller DOF

Keep shooting

Thanks for your comments

I do like your two edits a lot more, though I would warm up the ring shot more and maybe bring up the luminance in the red channel to smooth out some blotchiness.

The sepia one looks much better!

Jamie - On the hands, I would do something like pro retouch for his fingers and maybe lightening it up in general will help as well, when things are darker you tend to see more of the creases. Just make sure not to make it too smooth. For her nails.. healing/clone brush. It's definitely fixable, especially the nails.

Jamie, what is the date of their wedding? I find that if you stick with a style of editing the bride and groom will not be confused on what they like. If you want to outsource some editing my studio offers it. We do batch editing or individual editing. Good luck with the wedding!

Rhinotherunt wrote in post #9519708
Jamie, what is the date of their wedding? I find that if you stick with a style of editing the bride and groom will not be confused on what they like. If you want to outsource some editing my studio offers it. We do batch editing or individual editing. Good luck with the wedding!

It is the 27th of February. I might take a look at that. It will depend on how the budget is looking. Thanks for the offer.