Branden & Miska - Engagement session

I haven't posted in a long time so hopefully I get this right! I took these shots last Saturday and they are getting married next saturday! C&C welcome!

1.

L-O-V-E these!!

The genuine country feeling is awesome. This is how I would want mine done. Especially #1 and 2.

Beautiful work... I can't even pick a favorite!

I am frustrated with my upcoming brides. No imagination, happy to be confined to a tiny backyard for photos that can only be taken in one spot, no suggestions, wants or dislikes. Grrr. They will surely be the ones to complain.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #10635170
L-O-V-E these!!

The genuine country feeling is awesome. This is how I would want mine done. Especially #1 and 2.

Thanks! They both love the western/country look and she's an ex rodeo queen, so the buckle and personality are for real.

Maureen Souza wrote in post #10635366
Beautiful work... I can't even pick a favorite!

I am frustrated with my upcoming brides. No imagination, happy to be confined to a tiny backyard for photos that can only be taken in one spot, no suggestions, wants or dislikes. Grrr. They will surely be the ones to complain.

Thanks Mo! I hear ya on the back yard weddings, my last 2 have been like that and it's really difficult sometimes to find spots for pictures among the plastic deer, gnomes and other strange decor. It's especially fun when the sun is blaring, it's 2:00pm, 100 degrees and NO trees! lol But, times are tough and I'm glad they choose to spend their money on pictures and use someones yard!

Very good job. These are great!

Am I the only one that doesn't really like these (no offense OP)?

Something about #1 strikes me odd...maybe it's the uneven lighting (or more likely the lighter tones on the outside as compared to the inside).
For #2 the boards aren't totally vertical and again the uneven (kind of flat) lighting doesn't do much for me.
I really want to like three but I just can't. I think it would work much better if you cropped off where the boards end to the left, but my eye keeps flying to her blown out hand and the blown out board above them. I think some rim light couldn't have hurt, either.
I think #4 might need a little fill. Something about it still strikes me as odd.
Five is good but I'm not sure how I feel about his shoulder being chopped off...
Six is great, but to my eye it could use a little contrast (and the vignette is too strong).
Seven is wonderful, although the vignette is too strong (and it looks like it might have too much headroom).

I don't know, maybe I'm just picky tonight .

texasreddirt wrote in post #10635568
Very good job. These are great!

Thank you!

TheBurningCrown wrote in post #10635619
Am I the only one that doesn't really like these (no offense OP)?

Something about #1 strikes me odd...maybe it's the uneven lighting (or more likely the lighter tones on the outside as compared to the inside).
For #2 the boards aren't totally vertical and again the uneven (kind of flat) lighting doesn't do much for me.
I really want to like three but I just can't. I think it would work much better if you cropped off where the boards end to the left, but my eye keeps flying to her blown out hand and the blown out board above them. I think some rim light couldn't have hurt, either.
I think #4 might need a little fill. Something about it still strikes me as odd.
Five is good but I'm not sure how I feel about his shoulder being chopped off...
Six is great, but to my eye it could use a little contrast (and the vignette is too strong).
Seven is wonderful, although the vignette is too strong (and it looks like it might have too much headroom).

I don't know, maybe I'm just picky tonight .

No offense taken at all, if I didn't want to hear what people thought about them, I wouldn't have posted them.

I can look through them and agree with everything you said about the technical aspect.....they are far from technically perfect!

I have been through stages in my career where my biggest concern was perfection(mostly when I started posting in this forum) and I learned a lot about what it takes to achieve technical perfection, weather it comes out of the camera that way or I photoshop it to perfect.

But you know what I have found....my customers and myself are generally much more pleased with my work if i just relax and shoot for subject matter and emotion. Every individual is different and their expressions that make them who they are is what is priceless and if i can capture photos that make them happy and show what they feel or how they act then I have satisfied them and myself. So that's what I strive for. And if by chance I get one like that that is also technically great, then hey! I got a smile

We all have different tastes on what strikes us as being a great shot.

While for the most part they are solid, I agree they all lack just slightly in technicality. They seem flat and a hair underexposed for almost all of them. The WB is also a little off in quite a few. It's all pretty close, but it just leaves them 'okay' in my opinion. They are also a little boring in my opinion, BUT that's ME and looking at this couple, I am sure they are thrilled with them and they probably are exactly what they wanted.

Maybe more exposure? but thats just me (5, 4)....I love the frame within a frame thing...love it!