Comments please

KTBoom2006-E510 · August 22, 2008

I finally posted the 1st wedding on my website and wanted to see if I could get some comments on the pictures I took. So PPPPLLLLLEEEAAASSEE take a look at my gallery and comment... Good and/or bad This was my first wedding. Haven't got but a couple on the 2nd one yet.

Here is the link

http://www.kc1stphotography.com/gallery/5761251_jLumt#356268706_rxowR

heatherfeather · August 23, 2008

Pretty good! I looked through a few of them. The one thing I noticed is that the images are NOT watermarked AND you have the originals enabled. That means that anyone can steal the files from you at the original size and then go to walmart and print them for... what is it... 13 cents a piece...

Great job on the color management. And you can be proud because you got all the ones you needed, and it is just fine! Congratulations!

bham · August 23, 2008

I don't see any particular order to the photos in the gallery. You should sort by date/time taken, so they are in order currently its pretty random.

A couple of critiques. I will do a few.

A few currently on page 5
0453 The flash falloff is very evident in this picture.

0450 The bride is looking at you but the girl is looking at someone else taking her picture. If you have other people trying to get a shot at the same time wait 10 seconds for everyone else to finish and then get yours that way you have their undivided attention.

0443 Once you get a couple good shots of the bride and groom with the cake and cutting it, then you can zoom in or get closer. This shot of them feeding each other you could / should try to fill the frame more with them. Also your angle on them is not great.

A few currently on page 12
2035 someone should seriously shoot that guy, photoshoping him out will be a [EMAIL="b!t@h"]b!t@h[/EMAIL] , well I see you did and called it dpp_0001, or you could try and tight tall crop and not have to worry about him.

2057 too dark

a few currently on page 14
2141, 2151, 2153, 2160, 2163 too dark

A few currently on page 4
0328 should have shot it portrait, not landscape

0351 very good job

0368 see 0450 above

a few currently on page 2

All these indoor shots are much better as far as balanced even light vs some of the later ones at the reception.

In general this is about what you expect from a first wedding, and with limits in equipment and practice. I had a few similar and a few worse, but I was a second shooter on many before went it alone, so I could trash my bad shots easily. I would guess you still are learning your flash somewhat, and that you probably don't have it on a stroboframe, etc. Secondly it seems that you didn't try any or many natural light shots and I am guessing due to a lack of low light lens (eg 1.8 to 2.8 minimum aperature). Also didn't really see any shots that some nice boken was used as an effect. Beside learning equipment getting better at posing people, couples, groups for what you want will help. Some of that just comes with time and experience but it never hurts to look at other shots and see what they have done and make note.

Hopefully this doesn't come across as harsh, but I have learned much more from critique then from any compliment.

jeffreaux2 · August 23, 2008

I think you did very well on your first wedding. I do have a problem with the wording in the text on the page. You have used the word "pictures" to describe your work. I would minimize that and instead use the word photo...or photograph to carry a more professional tone.

KTBoom2006-E510 · August 23, 2008

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I think you did very well on your first wedding. I do have a problem with the wording in the text on the page. You have used the word "pictures" to describe your work. I would minimize that and instead use the word photo...or photograph to carry a more professional tone.

That's very true, thank you.

Scott_Quier · August 23, 2008

Hey Katie, how about you going through them and selecting the top 10 or 20 and linking them into a post. Or, show us some that you have concerns about for correction for next time. Asking for help and then asking people to dig through 160 photos is a bit much don't you think?

KTBoom2006-E510 · August 23, 2008

Scott_Quier wrote:

Hey Katie, how about you going through them and selecting the top 10 or 20 and linking them into a post. Or, show us some that you have concerns about for correction for next time. Asking for help and then asking people to dig through 160 photos is a bit much don't you think?

I didn't mean for everyone to go through every picture... but kind of glance through and give a general opinion. I know 160 photos are a lot to critique. By the way, how many pictures do you generally give the bride and groom to choose from?

david_h · August 23, 2008

KTBoom2006-E510 wrote:

By the way, how many pictures do you generally give the bride and groom to choose from?

We usually provide anywhere from 800 to 1,400 proof images, depending on what is happening during the wedding day.

To get back to your wedding images here are a few comments:

1. The random order of the gallery is irritating. We use 4 camera bodies at most weddings and synchronize the time on the cameras so that we can sort the images by time taken. It is much better if the gallery shows the flow of the day.

2. As Scott said, there are way too many shots to comment on and quite a lot of them are really snapshot quality anyway - you'd be much better just posting your ten favorites.

3. I think the fact that the lenses you used are not the best quality is holding you back with the quality of the images.

4. You might want to see if you can do some second shooting with photographers in your area. This is a great way to practice exposures, composition, angles etc. without pressure to get it right every time.

Having said all that, it is a pretty good starting point. Personally, I'd get rid of the Olympus camera and invest in a 40D or (maybe this would actually be the best bet) a good used 5D. You can keep your Rebel as a backup but eventually you want to get at least two of the same bodies.

Get a decent 50 mm lens - the 1.8 is OK, the 1.4 much better or the 1.2 (if you can afford it) is best. I would say that the 70-200 IS is also essential if you are serious about weddings (I'm a Nikon guy, but I've watched people get stunning results from this Canon kit).

Keep practicing and keep having fun

:D

KTBoom2006-E510 · August 25, 2008

david_h wrote:

We usually provide anywhere from 800 to 1,400 proof images, depending on what is happening during the wedding day.

To get back to your wedding images here are a few comments:

1. The random order of the gallery is irritating. We use 4 camera bodies at most weddings and synchronize the time on the cameras so that we can sort the images by time taken. It is much better if the gallery shows the flow of the day.

2. As Scott said, there are way too many shots to comment on and quite a lot of them are really snapshot quality anyway - you'd be much better just posting your ten favorites.

3. I think the fact that the lenses you used are not the best quality is holding you back with the quality of the images.

4. You might want to see if you can do some second shooting with photographers in your area. This is a great way to practice exposures, composition, angles etc. without pressure to get it right every time.

Having said all that, it is a pretty good starting point. Personally, I'd get rid of the Olympus camera and invest in a 40D or (maybe this would actually be the best bet) a good used 5D. You can keep your Rebel as a backup but eventually you want to get at least two of the same bodies.

Get a decent 50 mm lens - the 1.8 is OK, the 1.4 much better or the 1.2 (if you can afford it) is best. I would say that the 70-200 IS is also essential if you are serious about weddings (I'm a Nikon guy, but I've watched people get stunning results from this Canon kit).

Keep practicing and keep having fun :D

My olympus is gone. I used my Canon Rebel for this wedding. Which in fact I have 2 of them now. I also see that people on this sight use the Rebel for there first pick, so I think I am good with that. My olympus, while it was good, took excellent pictures. As of right now, I am already -4,000 in debt trying to start a business while working my regular 5 days at my real job. So a better lens isn't an option right now. Being a second shooter isn't really an option either for me, but thanks for mentioning that. I look to dgrin to make myself better. Thanks for your opinions though.

Scott_Quier · August 25, 2008

The following are comments and first thoughts as I went through the gallery. I didn't comment on every photo - just the ones that struck me one way or another. The comments may come across as more than just a little harsh - sorry. I wanted to give as much feedback as I could without taking a day to word-smith the C&C. So, take the comments for what they may be worth:

General comment 1 - As a first wedding, this is about par for course. There are lots of aspects of your photography of this event that show you could use more practice.

General comment 1 - you had some very tough light to contend with. In large part you did pretty well and you should feel pretty good about that. However, there are some important shots that you let get completely blown (see below).

General comment 2 - You captured many of the important moments. That's not a trivial thing to do.

General comment 3 - Decide for your clients what you are going to offer them. Or, at the very least, don't include duplicates (33, 34 - for example).

General comment 4 - Watch your white balance. This is hard to do, but it's absolutely necessary. If necessary, you can set the WB in post by using a guy's shirt collar (as long as he's wearing a white cotton shirt). Case in point, #38, 58 - her gown is blue!

General comment 5 - You need to better learn the use of the flash and how to mix it with ambient light. Number 58 and 59 are good examples of what not to do.

General comment 6 - Where needed, correct your horizons. There are some where a tilt might have been intended. There are others (94, 95, 96) where it's obviously not intended.

General comment 7 - You really should find yourself a photographer that will allow you to be a second shooter for a while. You have the potential (some of your photos show you have a good eye), but your technical execution needs more practice. You need to learn more about exposure and how/when it's appropriate to over-ride the computer in your camera.

General comment 8 - It appears you are more than a little limited by your glass. I might suggest you invest in a couple of quality pieces and use your current glass as backup. Yes, I read where you have already spent a bit and feel the need to recover that investment. Consider that many (not all) photogs have an initial investment of about $10,000.

General comment 9 - Don't rely solely on DGrin to make you better. You need to study. Get photogrpahy books that have work that you admire and would want to emulate. Study them photos. Learn to reverse-engineer the lighting so you can duplicate it. Some book subjects that you may want to investigate: Posing (one person and groups), lighting - theory and practice, Wedding Photography - for the thought process behind getting the event and for the begining of a list of "required" photographs. Check out this thread for some suggested reading.

The numbers here refer to the photo sequence number in the gallery.

6 - Need to watch the jackets - When a guy spreads/lifts his arms, a buttoned jacket will balloon out - not nice.
Watch the backgrounds - you have tree branches growing out of his head.

10 - Nice capture of the moment. Need to clone that stick growing out of her head (upper right corner).

12 - This is even nicer! Spots and stuff growing out of her chin.

16 - I like the "Queen and Her Court" feeling of this one. Picture frame growing out of her head.

21 - Lots of clouds and shirts blown. Needed to move to a place where your shadows on the ground didn't fool the camera so badly. Or, you could/should have applied a bit of Exposure Compensation. Chairs to the side are not significant.

22 - Ditto and she blown out as well.

28 - You need a 9mm. Not a lens. A Glock. For the Uncle Bob. One plug and he'll drop right out of the picture. Oh well, it is what it is.

30 - Nice lighting on this one. I don't know if the vignette was in camera or in post, but it's well done either way.

32 - Too centered on them. Figure out what there is in the background you want to include and then exclude everything else.

46 - 57 - Under exposed, strange exposure and/or flash illumination. Very strange - it's almost like you were using the built-in flash for these and your lens shadowed the lower portion of the frame. Number 57 is hugely burned - her shoulder, bodice, and his face.

60 - I still love this shot! Her hand is graceful. His is very masculine. The program in the background. I think a slightly faster shutter speed would have been the topper for this one - to cut down on the blown candles a bit.

61 - Now that's a good flashed photo! You have good shutter speed allowing a good amount (but not too much) background light to come through and the flash is not real obvious on them. Very well done!

67 - The hands pointed like that. Was that your idea of her's? Either way, that's a neat photo.

73 - White blance and/or skin tone - way too magenta.

75 - Very cute. Now, crop it appropriately. When photographing children, it helps to get down on their level.

80 - This is a keeper, just needs a bit of exposure adjustment and a cropping.

83 - The magical hand appears from nowhere! Not a keeper.

86 - Blown highlights.

117, 118 - Exposure. Two shots from the same place and nearly the same instant. The exposure in 118 it so much better (but still too hot) than 117.

136, 137 - The clone job needs some more work. Make no mistake, that's a hard one. You changed the exposure between the original and the edited as well. I'm thinking this would be a prime candidate for a portriat orientated cropping - that would remove the need for a cloning of the Uncle Bob.

140 - Like the angle and perspective of the shot. Need to fix WB and exposure - easy stuff.

142 - Cake is underexposed and too small in the photo.

153 - The gown is blown and blue! Looking at 154 (same source image, different processing) it appears the exposure error was in post as there's more detail in 154 (though that's still just a bit over-exposed).

158 - 162 - All are hugely under-exposed.

162 - The bouquet toss. I try to shoot this from an angle where I have both the bride and the "receivers" all in the frame. I usually have to help them get into a suitable position. I just tell the bride where to stand for a better photo.

I know this was rough to read, but I really hope this helps you - that was my intent.