A Public Chastisement of Myself

I shot two weddings last weekend; one Saturday and one Sunday. Interestingly, I didn't feel like I was doing well during the Saturday wedding, but those images actually came out stunning. Conversely, I felt like I was really on my game during Sunday's wedding, but don't think I've ever been so disappointed with the outcome (I'm sure I'm being hard on myself and the couple will actually be very happy, but I do indeed find them disappointing).

This has led me to take stock of my performance and really get deliberate about focusing in on what I want to improve about my work. And the reality is, these are all very simple basic things, some so basic they seem silly but I feel that these are the issues I really need to reign in. I thought I'd share them here to the extent that they may serve someone else, too.

- Make sure I've locked focus and focus found the subject. I use one-shot, center spot, and recompose. I still think that's the right approach for me, but too often, mostly during the reception, I'm trying to shoot quickly and fail to do this well.
- Be more deliberate about exposure. "Back in the day" of shooting film with an expectation of delivering only about 100 images to the client, I used to spot meter EVERY shot to make sure I got it just right (no photshop to help fix errors) and manual was the only metering mode my cameras had back then. Since going digital, I've been using AV and center-weighted metering, making adjustments with the thumbwheel in the interest of speed. Not bad, but too often, there isn't time or I don't think about adjusting with the thumbwheel (or worse, I make adjustments with the thumbwheel and neglect to set it back when I'm done). I think I'm going to go back to spot meter which will probably mean setting one of the back buttons to exposure lock. I think this will give me more accurate exposure more often, but it will be one more step and something else to think about for many shots.
- Take the time to really SEE the image through the view finder. Is my perspective what I wanted when I set the shot up? Am I cutting off feet, heads, or other appendages? Is a telephone pole emerging from the bride's head?
- Associated with that last item, I want to think harder about where the light is coming from and how to make it better. I used to be so deliberate about this and I need to get back to it.
- Be more aware of my shutter speed and be more steady with the camera. I tend to take the Ron Popiel approach when it comes to AV; set it and forget it. A few times on Sunday, my shutter speed dropped lower than I would've wanted. I could've pumped up my ISO, but just failed to realize my shutter speeds were getting down to about 1/30. Maybe not always a problem, but I wasn't being deliberate enough about holding steady. The pictures are plenty usable and the camera shake isn't apparent until you get to a 100% crop. But I've paid good money for an excellent collection of lenses and I'm just wasting it if I don't hold steady enough to reveal that additional level of sharpness.
- Chimp more for flash shots. I have a lot of ways to control flash in my arsenel and think I do a good job with it. I also like the flexibilty of shooting ETTL whether with bounced flash, off camera, or multiple flashes. But as much as ETTL is flexible, it is also a bit unpredictable. That's okay because I can always dial the flashes up or down if I see my shots for a given segment (like cutting the cake) are coming in hot or dark. But I can't fail to check so as to avoid having an entire segment coming in hot.

Once I restore better command of what can only be described as fundamentals, I'll get back to developing my creative eye, etc., but first things first.

Me too. On days where I don't feel "on my game" my images just don't do it for me. It has, in my opinion a lot to do with how the day unfolds. My last wedding had a bride who was completely dressed, jewelry included by the time I got there (and I'm always about 15 min early!) and didn't want to allow me shots of the shoes, bracelet, didn't want to recreate anything, well, you get the picture. So, my schedule in the house of 1 1/2 hours took 20 min, at the most. The rest of the day went in the same fashion. This completely threw me off and severely hampered the creativity I'm so proud of. I ended up not watching carefully enough the things you mentioned, only realizing the shutter speed when I could hear how slow it was. I wasn't watching where the light was coming from carefully enough and ended up not using fill when I should have or not seeing that if I moved a little, I didn't need the fill i did use.
I think exposure in the film days was more forgiving. Film and it's exposure latitude of a couple of stops is so different from what we shoot now days. I view digital the same as shooting slides and it's tight latitude. That's one of the reasons that there were only a few wedding photographers in those days that shot slides.
I'm really glad you posted this. In my opinion, I need to do this kind of self analysis every so often and seeing your post reinforces that need in me. Hang in there and remember that we are ultimately more critical of our own work than even the most critical bride.
The wedding I mentioned left me with a total disappointment of the day but the bride loved her pictures and thanked me for what I did for her and her family. I couldn't even read that and feel good.I didn't give her crap images, it just didn't meet my standards.
Thanks for the post.

Ha! I have swooned over shots in my LCD just after taking them only to reject them later.

RT McAllister wrote in post #10600006
Ha! I have swooned over shots in my LCD just after taking them only to reject them later.

Me, too; it's amazing how often that happens.

Great post. I too am my worst critic and this kind of self evaluation helps me improve my skills and ultimately increase my prices. This is exactly what seperates you from the shoot and burn discounters.

RT McAllister wrote in post #10600006
Ha! I have swooned over shots in my LCD just after taking them only to reject them later.

Almost anything looks good on a 2" screen.

@Peacefield, this sounds like solid advice for myself. Basically, I also need to be more methodical, ATTENTION TO DETAIL, (like they preached when I was in the service), and perhaps the most important; take the time to make the shot what I envision.

Thanks for the reminder.

I certainly know how that feels.
Last wedding I shot, I thought I totally tanked it but it turned out surprisingly OK.
And of course there are times when I feel I am on my game only to be disappointed in front of my PC monitor!

I think it's just the nature of the beast. On whatever shoot I do, whether it's a paid one or for leisure, I try to at least have some kind of a goal, even if it means getting a few types of shot, consistency, etc. I am slowly getting "there"...not sure if I'll ever get "there" though.

Lightworks Imaging wrote in post #10600138
Almost anything looks good on a 2" screen.

Yes indeedy. But you'd think after looking at it 1000's of times I would know.

My achilles heel would be composition. I'm ok on the technical side I think and honestly, with the miracles one can do in post these days I'll take a well composed and "badly exposed" shot any day. (vs. one with a pretty histogram).

Even framing isn't a problem, especially with a noise free pic and the crop tool. Nope, it's composition and basically knowing what I want. It certainly sucks to be me on some days.

Lightworks Imaging wrote in post #10600138
and perhaps the most important; take the time to make the shot what I envision.

My entire post comes down to this. I need to feel less hurried throughout the day and take the time to do the things I already know to do. I suspect this is true for many of us.

Peacefield wrote in post #10600355
My entire post comes down to this. I need to feel less hurried throughout the day and take the time to do the things I already know to do. I suspect this is true for many of us.

this /\

No matter how much I try to slow down I still seem to rush a lot, and it's often not necessary. I think it's due to my deep seated feeling that most people really don't like getting their picture taken so I try get it done as quickly as I can.

mmahoney wrote in post #10600485
and it's often not necessary. I think it's due to my deep seated feeling that most people really don't like getting their picture taken so I try get it done as quickly as I can.

I think this is my issue (as well as the issue for many others, I assume). And you're right. Yet, it really only takes a few seconds to make sure I've REALLY looked at what I'm doing and make it the best image I can. No couple would miss those few seconds, yet I always feel that I need to rush. But no doubt about it, that feeling is coming from me, not the couple.

I feel your pain. It's amazing how we slip-up in the basics even though we've done lots of weddings and it usually happens when we least expect it. Lately I've worked hard on focusssing and not cutting off people's feet, things which weren't issues a few years ago.

This is one of the key ingredients missing in photographers who tend to struggle -- the art of knowing ones flaws. Too often we compare our great shot to a great photographers poor shot and think "they're not so good..." or "so and so on POTN has done just as good..." Having mini "breakdowns" like this (that's a dramatic term but I can't think of a better one right now), taking a moment to assess your flaws, and making goals toward improvement is an incredibly smart move.

The step back you've done here alone will likely benefit a ton

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Thanks everyone. And I don't want to overcharacterize things. I assure you that I'm not having a breakdown (not even a mini one) and I'm not beating myself up. Just taking that step back Bobby mentions. And I've just finished up processing the images from Sunday's wedding and they're really quite nice; I'm sure the couple will love them. But there's always something that could've been done better. Even on the weddings where I knocked the cover off the ball, there are always those opportunities that didn't happen on site which always seem to became obvious back in my office. Just taking the time to consider what those elements are for me and focus on them a bit more along with offering the thought process to the extent it can help others do likewise.

I was going to start a thread, but found this one. It was just what I needed. Yesterday I felt flat. I usually run on inspiration and often come up with shots that I'm so happy with. I guess it was good just to see that others have an "off" day. Thing is - I can't afford to have off days, because I always want my couple to be ecstatic about their photos. I got enough good ones that they will be happy with - but they aren't up to my standards. I guess now is the fear of having another day like that - off my game. (This was about my 27th wedding.)