Last month wedding shoot.

Just thought id post a few of my recent wedding photos. First one has a few things altered in it. If you would like to see the original just ask.
2 and 3 i didnt have to do much. At least i didnt think they needed anything.

I am sorry to be the bringer of bad news but you have some very serious issues here, with major faults in basic exposure, composition, posing, verticals and post image capture processing.

#1: Exposure way off. Dark red face, burnt out textural highlights in dress and flowers, missing arm and hand, dreadful background that is unfit for a wedding photo that ought to be soft and romantic. Brickwork suits an industrial shoot not a wedding. Awful pose and over-sharpened image giving more attention to the detailing of the bricks.

#2: Exposure way off. No textural detail in male clothing, dress highlights burnt out, dark red faces, pointless pose viewpoint, non-vertical verticals, industrial background unsuitable for wedding images. No point to rings being on the ground... (what is the intended message - what does it say or signify?)

#3: Exposure way off. Highlights burnt out. Poor subject placement (what is the importance of the dirty old door? Do they live here? ...in which case show the whole door and some means of tying it to the couple. Two-headed person poses are a very basic error that should be avoided at all costs. apart from the unintended comedy, it gives the impression that the woman is not as important as the man and therefore should be hidden from view. Unsuitable for all portrait images unless intended to be funny.

It should not be too difficult to find some greenery, parkland, trees, running water, even in a city... something rather more inviting; as a permanent memory of the happiest day of the couple's life, than this badly chosen location which gives the viewer the impression that it is little more than an urban wasteland.

I could not accept these images as those from a client paid wedding shoot and I also would not accept them if they were taken by a personal friend. They are beset with fundamental errors of capture and processing and you could usefully revisit the basic photographic techniques of image capture, image framing and composition in addition to exposure and post capture image processing.

Perhaps you can find a professional photographer who would be willing to have you accompany them on weddings shoots, for free... just so you can work in that pressured environment, where every image produced has to be perfect and saleable. None of these images is approaching saleable and you need to consider where you are going with your photography, if you think that these images are an acceptable standard for a wedding shoot.

Take your camera out and shoots lot of different subject matter. Check for straight verticals, face colours, detail in highlights and shadows, attractive compositions, image framing errors, differential focus and aim to make a good exposure in camera. Lay off of the post capture processing until you can actually see the errors in the images you have posted. Get yourself a really good book on basic image processing, by someone who has been acknowledged for their skills in the field. I commend Katrin Eismann's work to you because she is an expert. I could not recommend that you take on any more wedding work until you have addressed and improved your skill set.

wow. its funny that i have booked 4 other weddings on these few images alone.
Shows how much you know

LOKPhotography wrote in post #10785960
wow. its funny that i have booked 4 other weddings on these few images alone.
Shows how much you know

Yep, you are right. Your images are fantastic and I was wrong to tell you otherwise. I've only been a professional for 40 years and of course; I would not know a good image if it came up and bit me in the @ss.

Good luck with your business.

While Pixelmangler might sound a bit harsh, I actually agree with much of his post - and this is the critique forum so expect some honest feedback. In fact, you should want honest feedback, because that's the best way to improve.

Your photos show that you're thinking out of the box - that's a good thing. It might be worth rereading Pixel's critique and seeing how you can take that technical advice and improve your shots. Since you have 4 more weddings booked (grats on that ) I suggest you take that chance to experiment and improve. Why would you be satisfied with taking "ok" shots when you could be taking great shots?

Personally I have no problem with a few brick wall shots - the door does bother me, as do the grills and vents. Was this your only shoot location or did you get some softer shots elsewhere?

#3 seems a bit hot to me too - it really bothers me that the brick detail looks much different in #1 than in #3 - looks like a totally different building (and I'm not a big fan of overly processed looks, but that's my personal preference.)

What pixelmangler said may have come across as being harsh, but he is right. You can't ask for criticism and then shoot it down because it's not favorable. You'll never learn or get any better that way. Listen to what he said, have a better attitude, and keep shooting and you may improve. If I were you, I wouldn't touch a wedding with a ten foot pole until I got a little better at the fundamentals.

LOKPhotography wrote in post #10785960
wow. its funny that i have booked 4 other weddings on these few images alone.
Shows how much you know

drumnut01 wrote in post #10786269
What pixelmangler said may have come across as being harsh, but he is right. You can't ask for criticism and then shoot it down because it's not favorable. You'll never learn or get any better that way. Listen to what he said, have a better attitude, and keep shooting and you may improve. If I were you, I wouldn't touch a wedding with a ten foot pole until I got a little better at the fundamentals.

Don't you love it? The OP posts in a critique forum and then gets defensive when critiqued. <sigh>

The second one is so underexposed you can't even see the faces.

If you charged for these pixelmangler's harshness is called for. Sorry.

Here's what I've learned in this forum from just being here for 3 months. LOK, you ask for critique, then somebody gives you what you ask and you get upset. Post it in a different forum instead of in critique corner. Pixel, you seem to get really harsh with people HOWEVER, I would say that she asked for it by posting here. I have posted pictures in critique corner in hopes that somebody would rip me to shreds so that I could learn from my mistakes. LOK, if you booked 4 weddings off of these pictures then why do you feel the need to post them for people to critique? Post them in the wedding forum if you feel they look good. I am wondering if you understand what the point of Critique Corner is. I think the pictures look pretty good but they could be BETTER as ALL of our pictures could be. Just keep practicing and take the advice of other people on this forum!

Quick edit, Pixel, have you posted anything to Critique Corner? I would be interested in seeing your work! You seem very good and I'm not being sarcastic!


Another Edit!

I felt that some of your points were kind of off Pixel. You were not there for the shoot. Maybe the bride and groom asked for brick? What if they were married in downtown New York City with no vegetation insight. One of my friends just got married and requested a shot like that up against brick. For the second picture, again just an opinion. Not everything has to "mean something" Maybe the bride and groom found a ring on the ground and that's how they met. You don't know. I would say however that LOK, you could step it up a little in the PP department. I think you could fix these pictures they just need a little PP.

LOKPhotography wrote in post #10785960
wow. its funny that i have booked 4 other weddings on these few images alone.
Shows how much you know

If what you say is true it's probably more indicative of how little people outside the photographic world actually know about good photography than what it says about your work. I wouldn't be too over sensitive about someone else's critique especially if a) they're right and b) you asked for it. But I also agree pixel guy was a bit harsh.

im new hear and havent explored all the sections of the site. there is a lot of sub forums to the main rooms.

Now for the picture. The client picked this particular spot. is a very widely used spot in my town. As we were doing photos another photographer and his clients were waiting to use the alley. ive seen this alley used 10-15 times with local photographers. So it must not be that bad of a spot to use.
No this was not our only location.
This was the fountain we also used right around the corner where i originally was taking them. The client suggested the alley.

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LOKPhotography wrote in post #10786628
im new hear and havent explored all the sections of the site. there is a lot of sub forums to the main rooms.

Now for the picture. The client picked this particular spot. is a very widely used spot in my town. As we were doing photos another photographer and his clients were waiting to use the alley. ive seen this alley used 10-15 times with local photographers. So it must not be that bad of a spot to use.
No this was not our only location.
This was the fountain we also used right around the corner where i originally was taking them. The client suggested the alley.

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As for the sitting in front of the door pose that was a candid shot. The bride had just came back from the restroom. i was sitting on the ground cause i just did the ring shot with them in the background. She came back and grabbed him from behind and hugged him. I said hold it, then took a shot.
As for the Pp in the first photo every bit of it was intentional. i have the original and i put in my post if you wanted to see it just ask.
As for the first poster he was commenting on things that had nothing to do with the photo. Putting down the location that my client choose. there is a way to be professional with your comments then there are ways to be flat out rude to another person.

I will tell you in a nice way before somebody else lays into you in a harsh way but the picture you posted has a couple problems. The groom is obviously squinting and there is harsh light on his face etc... Here is what I do. I look at somebody who is AMAZING at wedding photographs. Then I ask myself, ok self. Would "Amazing Wedding Photographer" use the picture I just edited? If the answer is no, I move on. Now ask yourself. From the amazing pictures I'm sure you've seen on this forum, do yours look similar? I understand not everybody has the money to buy a 5d mkii and a group of L lenses but you can still get the basics down. I am kind of surprised that you posted that picture. If there was just harsh light I could understand but in this picture the light is so harsh he's squinting. I am by NO MEANS an amazing photographer but I would have skipped this one.

Wow - I didn't think I'd say it, but I agree with pixelmangler's assessment of the first shots. In his defense (not that he/she needs it) - In your post you did say that only the first one had PP and you didn't see anything wrong with the others. Also you presented all of them as wedding photo's not any as candids which don't have the same expectation of quality to them.

The last one has some harsh shadows going on a diffuser would have helped and reduced his squinting. The building is way distracting with it's leaning. Should have used your telephoto and reduced your field of view to just the fountain. To me, looks like just a snapshot.

If you think your photos can hold a candle to this guy then we'll let you off the hook.

http://www.ethanyangph​otography.com/blog/

OP- Let me give you a little advice take what you'd like or ignore me. When you ask (post pictures) for peoples thoughts on this fourm, they dont bounce around the issue. They tell you what needs to be fixed. Sometimes its harsh but my photo's have flurished from their critques. Take it with a grain of salt. These people know their stuff, if you are going to be rude dont expect people to even ackowledge you from now one.


*typing one handed forgive typing errors*

LOKPhotography wrote in post #10786628

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I tend to agree with pixel, nothing you have posted would have been a keeper for me they would have all gone into the bin, and I am not even close to charging for my photography. In the above piture not many people have commented on it, but like others have said, building is crooked, fountain is crooked, guy is squinting, detail lost in the water and the sky highlights blown out, last but not least it is not sharp, focus is off and the picture looks soft (in your defense this could be a result of the upload). your equipment list says you have a flash do you ever use it? You could have gotten perfect exposure with some fill. Straighting can be done post.