Canadiann Wedding Photographer!?

Ann McRae

Several months ago, a girl I used to work with asked me if I would photograph her wedding. It was going to be very small, in her Grandmother's garden which is on Vancouver Island. I, as you probably know, am a Sports shooter that enjoys shooting landscapes! But I thought, why not expand my horizons a bit.

The wedding plans changed, it got larger, and moved to her mom's yard here in Edmonton.

I spent an afternoon with the bride, groom and their little boy, picking locations for photos, and getting a good understanding of her expectations. This did not help me be less nervous!

Two days before the wedding, I tripped over my own two feet and bruised myself up pretty good. Major hematoma on my thigh and a sprained thumb right hand, among other things. So, advil was my friend that day.

I met Heather and Elana at the salon the morning of the wedding.
1.

2.

3.


Then moved on to her mom's house for getting ready photos:
4.

5.


The ceremony was under a beautiful big tree:
6.


Their son, Ty
7.


They wanted formals along the river bank
8.


and along a path
9.


and had a great old car transport them around:
10.


And then back near her mom's house, a beautiful bride:
11.


These are not final edits, but some of my favorites.

Constructive criticism is welcomed.

ann

Jeremy Winterberg

I think overall you did well.

• I like 2, 3, 4, 7... 7 is my favorite... the teddy bear adds alot to the picture I think! maybe try cropping in more on the right, like right up to them... I think the buildings to the right of them kind of distract the viewer a bit.
• The dress is blown out in the last one... It happens
• white balance... some of the pictures the dress is white, some of them its a yellowish off-white... which is it?

jeffreaux2

I disagree about the dress being blown in the last shot. Maybe bits or pieces are blown, but the details...the embroidry....the pearls.....those things are all still there.

The white balance in several could use an adjustment.

divamum

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I disagree about the dress being blown in the last shot. Maybe bits or pieces are blown, but the details...the embroidry....the pearls.....those things are all still there.

Not blown on my monitor either.

I really like the last three. Hope your bruises and bumps are healing up!! Ouch....

Jeremy Winterberg

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I disagree about the dress being blown in the last shot. Maybe bits or pieces are blown, but the details...the embroidry....the pearls.....those things are all still there.

The white balance in several could use an adjustment.

The middle part.. just below the embroidery and lace, etc.. and before the ground... that part looks blown on my screen... but then again, I do not have a properly calibrated monitor (I calibrated it with a THX dvd setup, can be found on most animated kiddie movies ) So, I guess if Jeff says its good, don't worry about it. I need to invest in a professional calibrator

Ann McRae

Jeremy Winterberg wrote:

I think overall you did well.

• I like 2, 3, 4, 7... 7 is my favorite... the teddy bear adds alot to the picture I think! maybe try cropping in more on the right, like right up to them... I think the buildings to the right of them kind of distract the viewer a bit.
• The dress is blown out in the last one... It happens
• white balance... some of the pictures the dress is white, some of them its a yellowish off-white... which is it?

Hi Jeremy

Thanks for the feedback. The group shots with the cityscape backdrop turned into the nightmare part of the day. The sun was highly variable - really intermittent cloud, and my reflector was giving the subjects trouble - too much sun onto their eyes.

I will certainly crop that photo if they order it. An 8x10 crop would remove most of the right hand side. If they order smaller, well I can still crop closer.

WB is not something I looked at yet, and I guess I should. Her dress is a champagne color - not white. But the guys shirts are white, so I do need to check that.

ann

Ann McRae

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I disagree about the dress being blown in the last shot. Maybe bits or pieces are blown, but the details...the embroidry....the pearls.....those things are all still there.

The white balance in several could use an adjustment.

Thanks, Jeff. Yes, I love the LR feature (PS too) that identifies the blown and black bits for me!

WB noted. Any other thoughts?

ann

Ann McRae

divamum wrote:

Not blown on my monitor either.

I really like the last three. Hope your bruises and bumps are healing up!! Ouch....

Thanks, I am healing just fine, although not as quickly as when I was young!

ann

jeffreaux2

Came back to say that when I first saw #9 I though WOW. Not because of what it looks like now, but because it has a LOT of potential. Its a beautifully executed shot, but really strikes me as an incorrect (much too cool ) white balance. Also, some subtle vignetting colud really set them off from the background. Id plat with some different looks on that one in post for sure!

Good news is that if you have been shooting sports you are probably already well armed with the large, constant aperture lenses that are a mainstay for wedding work. IMO, wedding photography isnt altogether different that sports in that you are constantly watching for a great composition to materialize.....and then be fast enough to capture it. What may be alien to you (maybe not?) is actually being able to set up shots with your subjects posed for the camera. The best help here is to study photos from the photographers you envy...what works....what doesnt......and dont be afraid to try something new. Opening the aperture up on those lenses to isolate your subjects would be a goodness as well!

Ann McRae

Thanks so much for coming back jeff. I will play with the WB some when I do finally edit that shot. The dress color and tux color are pretty accurate right now though. Skin color too.

I do have a great collection of glass, you would be surprised! And lots of fast glass. And you are right, the group shots were the hardest for me. And then, to top it off, the sun came back out and I failed to change settings so I have some heavy editing to do with those!

I wanted to be creative, but when it came down to it, I wanted more so to get good photos. So while we did have fun and I did copy shots that I have seen done here, I also made sure that I got shots that could print well, be cropped many ways and would be usable. (I hope!)

ann

Oh, and speaking of group shots, this weekend I am shooting a 60th wedding anniversary, with 40 guests! 5 extended families! Small (tiny) garden to shoot in......

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Came back to say that when I first saw #9 I though WOW. Not because of what it looks like now, but because it has a LOT of potential. Its a beautifully executed shot, but really strikes me as an incorrect (much too cool ) white balance. Also, some subtle vignetting colud really set them off from the background. Id plat with some different looks on that one in post for sure!

Good news is that if you have been shooting sports you are probably already well armed with the large, constant aperture lenses that are a mainstay for wedding work. IMO, wedding photography isnt altogether different that sports in that you are constantly watching for a great composition to materialize.....and then be fast enough to capture it. What may be alien to you (maybe not?) is actually being able to set up shots with your subjects posed for the camera. The best help here is to study photos from the photographers you envy...what works....what doesnt......and dont be afraid to try something new. Opening the aperture up on those lenses to isolate your subjects would be a goodness as well!