Chris & Sarah - Romance

Did my first portrait shoot in a long time over the weekend with my friend and his relatively new girlfriend. He's a big joker (as evident in picture #1) so getting him to smile and look quietly into Sarah's eyes wasn't going to happen.

Being my own worse critic, I think there isn't anything too exciting about these pictures and while #2 is pretty well lit, a lot of the photos, especially #1 & #3 had harsh shadows because I placed the flash too far off to the side and was too lazy to use an umbrella. I just had a diffuser on the flash.

I also think they're all too centered and wish I had gotten more shots where there was more background.

1.

I love 2 & 8

No offense, but he looks like her gay best friend in 1.

2, 3, 5, 7 & 8 Rock!

Nice set! JMHO.

I like 6 and 7 the best. But I think that new couples are not the best to photograph (depending on their relationship of course) but I think it can be awkward to be asked to look gently and deeply into one another's eyes for photos when it's a fresh relationship - and aside from him being a generally goofy guy, that's probably why you had a hard time getting them to cooperate in that regard.

2 and 6 for me. Nice work. Lucky guy he is.

jnoreiga wrote in post #10689002
I love 2 & 8

Thanks! Those are my 2 favorite as well - #2 technically and #8 artistically.

Duff wrote in post #10689032
No offense, but he looks like her gay best friend in 1.

2, 3, 5, 7 & 8 Rock!

Nice set! JMHO.

Thanks. I don't take offense and I'm sure he would laugh at the very thought of it as well.

FELINEDEBOURGES wrote in post #10689474
I like 6 and 7 the best. But I think that new couples are not the best to photograph (depending on their relationship of course) but I think it can be awkward to be asked to look gently and deeply into one another's eyes for photos when it's a fresh relationship - and aside from him being a generally goofy guy, that's probably why you had a hard time getting them to cooperate in that regard.

That makes sense actually because they're still very much in the honeymoon phase. It's only been about 6 months since they got together.

actorlife wrote in post #10689911
2 and 6 for me. Nice work. Lucky guy he is.

Thanks. I knew his ex and he definitely upgraded to a nicer, prettier and younger model.

Love them, especially 5.
Little nitpick... should have had him ditch the retainer. It is clear, but still has the 'plastic wrapped' look.

they look great to me. Colors really pop. Deep and just the right amt of saturation. And all shots are just ripping sharp! Please tell me what body and lens you used? Thanks.

dave

Awesome job on #2, #3, and #8. If Jill-of-all-trades didn't say something about the retainer I was going to say he looks like he has a lot of plaque. It ruined #6 and #7 for me. I also have to agree with Duff about the way your friend posed for #1.

I actually like the pp on 5. Looks almost like a polaroid. What i find interesting is that more and more people are doing this vintage look. And yet we live in a digital world where photos are so crystal clear and sharp, and yet we try to re - create an old faded image.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #10690527
Love them, especially 5.
Little nitpick... should have had him ditch the retainer. It is clear, but still has the 'plastic wrapped' look.

Thanks, if I take pictures of them again, I have to remember to have him take out his retainer.

snyderman wrote in post #10691111
they look great to me. Colors really pop. Deep and just the right amt of saturation. And all shots are just ripping sharp! Please tell me what body and lens you used? Thanks.

dave

I'm glad the saturation and color is fine. My friend who takes pictures with me always says that when I edit my photos, they are always too saturated but I'm glad I didn't go overboard this time.

And I am using a 40D. #5 and #6 were taken with a 50mm f/1.8 lens and the rest of the them were taken with a 85mm f/1.8 lens.

I sharpen them a little bit in RAW first and then run an unsharp mask when editing and then if needed, use Noise Ninja to cut down on noise.

gyoung06 wrote in post #10692320
Awesome job on #2, #3, and #8. If Jill-of-all-trades didn't say something about the retainer I was going to say he looks like he has a lot of plaque. It ruined #6 and #7 for me. I also have to agree with Duff about the way your friend posed for #1.

Thanks but now that you and Jill-of-all-Trades mentioned about the retainer, I can't stop looking at it and wishing I had made him take it off. Oh well. Next time for sure.

supernova74 wrote in post #10693117
I actually like the pp on 5. Looks almost like a polaroid. What i find interesting is that more and more people are doing this vintage look. And yet we live in a digital world where photos are so crystal clear and sharp, and yet we try to re - create an old faded image.

There were 2 more pictures that I edited to look like #5 that I didn't post up. I personally am not a huge fan of that kind of post processing but I know when I show non-photography people that kind of picture, they all love it so I edited a few for my friend like that.

Great captures. It looked like the couple were very comfortable with each other and the camera.

I like #2, #4 and #6