Oooh! We have some really good entries by some really great photographers! I don't know how I am ever going to pick. What a great first round!
Meanwhile, I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is the last day for entering the challenge. So if you haven't entered, get to it! You are almost out of time!
So I was hoping to get some new reflection shots for this contest, but my recent wedding locations didn't cooperate. This may not be my best, but its one of my favorites.
<b>Deep in thought about the big day</b>
This photo was taken with a Canon 30d, lens was a 70-200 2/8is, the settings were: Focal length 155, 4.0, 1/60, then processed in LR2 with a light sepia tone.
So I was hoping to get some new reflection shots for this contest, but my recent wedding locations didn't cooperate. This may not be my best, but its one of my favorites.
show-off!!!!!
very - nice .....
Later,
Mark
____________
Wedding shooters rule!
(......just 'what' i'm not sure :scratch )
~
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I'm just going by my ultimate critic and advisor, my wife, and what she has to say on my work. When I brought the days images back into lightroom, I had an emotion attachment to the photo (as I do with many photos). I always run photos by my wife to get her input on things just to make sure I'm not too crazy or attached to a sucky photo. In this case, she hated the pose and the A shape the bride took on and wanted to go with a different photo. In this case, there were other better photos that met her criteria better, but I was still attached to the photo.
I'm just going by my ultimate critic and advisor, my wife, and what she has to say on my work. When I brought the days images back into lightroom, I had an emotion attachment to the photo (as I do with many photos). I always run photos by my wife to get her input on things just to make sure I'm not too crazy or attached to a sucky photo. In this case, she hated the pose and the A shape the bride took on and wanted to go with a different photo. In this case, there were other better photos that met her criteria better, but I was still attached to the photo.
Fair enough, but boy, it's a really pretty photo!!
This was taken at the second wedding that I did. Haven't done too many so I don't have much reflection but didn't want to miss out on all the fun doing this challenge. This picture showed nice skies but 1/2 hour later there was golf ball size hail pelting the cars on the way to the reception.....
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Well here is my feedback... For what it is worth. We had some really lovely entries. You guys did a great job of making my choices difficult. Now keep it up for the next round.
The rest of you can give each other feedback too! It is always appreciated.
In order of the entry:
Kinkajou- I love LOVE the idea of this photo. I wish the subject were more easily defined, and a bit closer composition. I find myself looking at a lot of other things than the bride and groom, and that is not necessarily a goodness.
Scott Quier- Perhaps it is just the brides personality, but it comes off as a bit cheezy. Technically fantastic, of course. It just lacks a bit of something to make it stellar.
Urbanaries- Love what you got going on with this, and especially the distortion in the mirrors. The fire truck is such a nice added bonus, though I wish it were all in the frame. (Yeah, I know you were lucky to get what you did, so... ah well)
MA-FOTO- Oh, I just love your composition in this. It had two main things that kept it out of the pick though: magenta in skin tones, and her expression isn't quite right.
Idle-Wild- This one made it into the short list. What kept it out of the top three was that it needed a bit more light in her face- which is tough to do when you are attempting to set everything up AND keep you and all that out of the reflection. This was a great shot and great set up that just needed one more tweak.
Memories by Melinda- The expressions in this one made it a winner in my book. The crop, while tight didn't bother me at all since the half of the mother's body that was cut off with the crop was completed in the reflection. I actually thought that was kind of cool. Those little smile wrinkles on the mother's face are just darling. A very special moment that you captured so nicely.
Lilmomma- I like what you have going with your warm tones. Cropping the lady with the grocery bag out of the photo would have improved it a whole bunch...
Mishka- This one didn't make it only by a slim thread. I love this photo, an extremely great catch. Her eye is so lovely and sharp. Only wish there were more fingers visible, since the way they are held remind me of crab's claws, which is silly, but there you have it.
Bike-21- This is a fantastic photo. Well set up and carried out. She has a very nice pensive look too.
I also like your processing, though I would have taken it just a step further and done just a bit more skin touchups in the shadows of her jaw and near her ear.
Teachflute- Great reflection! I wish the subject filled more of the frame, since it is so fantastic!
Blurmore- this is such a cool photo- It has uber coolness oozing from it. I couldn't tell if it was shopped, but whatever the case, it is really cool. Love the light in the nob, too.
Emmanualdean1975- A crop would have helped this photo out tremendously. Also there are some harsh shadows by the bride that could have been avoided.
Shima- This is a great shot, though the processing seems a bit yellow to me. I love how sharp the reflection is.
Kevin Helton- Lovely lovely shot. This one almost made it on the list, and it would have had the light been just a bit softer.
Jeffreaux2- It is a stunning, epic photo. Fantastic technically, artistically, and extremely good timing.
Mmmatt- Though I love the blurry reflection of the bride, the subject of the photo (plastic cup with a flower) does not draw me in to make this photo have any woohoo.
Mtmcelvy- Good catch. The only thing that makes this photo about the reflection is the selective coloring. The subject is the hands, so to make it a dual subject with the selective coloring doesn't really work for me. I don't mind if a photo is a great photo that has reflection in it somewhere to make it qualify, but the selective coloring makes it confusing. Confession: I don't hate selective coloring, if it works. Also, would have removed the warning labels.
Ssimmonsphoto- I wish you could have crawled into the water and complete the reflection too! That would have been one awesome grab with that blue sky and the rocks. Nice photo, even so.
Pwp- I wish her expression was a bit different. Also I would set the black point on this photo.
Quark- I don't know why, but she seems like the type to climb onto a unicorn and gallop around for a while. Ok, you can disregard that statement. But this is a good photo that is just lacking something to make it great. She looks like she is patiently waiting for the photo, but other than that, I don't read anything in her look.
SwanRoark- I love the light in this photo. Nicely done.
Foxysmud- Hate to say it but it is just too small for me to see what is going on.
Jayegirl- the motionblur of the hairstylist is the coolest. I like your daughter's expression- it seems to say “hows it lookin'?”. I think the clutter on the counter keeps it from being a contender, as it distracts from the subject.
Shutterz- hey twin- this is a great photo. I really like it. She seems so focused.
Bdcolen- What can I say? I know our tastes are so different. The brides expression seems perturbed or irritated, and the mom seems to be about to have a heart attack about the veil in the background. Also, I would set the black point on this photo and give it a bit of contrast.
Tenoverthenose- OH MY! I love this photo. You can tell your wife I said so. What a cool place to shoot. Also really appreciate your processing with the greens as it really seems to fit so well with the space. Was there a light behind her to make her clothes go transparent? Where was this taken?
Bloomphotog- Great expression! What a lovely bride. I am not a huge fan of the noise, and know it is probably stylistic. But a great catch.
Picturegirl- The reflection is very sweet, though the out of focus bride isn't as flattering.
Wings of Love- Fantastic! Very classic photo. The clouds in the door are really beautiful, and make an otherwise traditional / possibly boring photo have a bit of zing.
Thanks everyone for the kind words! I love how many submissions there are and how much great artistic talent there is in here. Its very cool to be chosen given the strong competition. Huge thanks to Heather for taking the time to do all of this, including the critic / feedback!
As a bit of a note / explanation on my shot, it was taken in a cenote in Mexico - basically an underground cave with water. There was a hole in the roof with sunlight and green vines pouring through, this is the only light source for the photo. Given the contrast in light, I exposed for the open ceiling and used the light to backlight the bride (and her dress and veil) which was way overexposed and caused her to glow. The coloring/toning is just a result of using a tungsten white balance in camera. The shot is just about straight out of camera with no post processing of any kind. If you look carefully, you can even see the duffle bag of someone else who was in the cave in plain view, proof that I am too lazy to use photoshop
Congrats to tenoverthenose & jeffreax2! Thank you Heather for the great feedback. I was leary about joining in but I am glad I did. All of the entries were great and I enjoyed looking at all of them. I am looking foward to the next challenge and hope that I will have something to contribute.
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So, many weddings, so many mirrors. But upon reflection, I'll throw the dice with this one...
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Meanwhile, I wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is the last day for entering the challenge. So if you haven't entered, get to it! You are almost out of time!
Nice shot, Shudderz!
Here's one of mine:
This photo was taken with a Canon 30d, lens was a 70-200 2/8is, the settings were: Focal length 155, 4.0, 1/60, then processed in LR2 with a light sepia tone.
show-off!!!!!
very - nice .....
Later,
Mark
"This may not be my best, but its one of my favorites."
I'm just going by my ultimate critic and advisor, my wife, and what she has to say on my work. When I brought the days images back into lightroom, I had an emotion attachment to the photo (as I do with many photos). I always run photos by my wife to get her input on things just to make sure I'm not too crazy or attached to a sucky photo. In this case, she hated the pose and the A shape the bride took on and wanted to go with a different photo. In this case, there were other better photos that met her criteria better, but I was still attached to the photo.
Fair enough, but boy, it's a really pretty photo!!
Doorway to Heaven
[/B]
Congrats Tenoverthenose, Jeff & Melinda!!
Here's hoping not to be the one notable exception!!
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What he said!
Here's hoping not to be the one notable exception!!
The rest of you can give each other feedback too! It is always appreciated.
In order of the entry:
Kinkajou- I love LOVE the idea of this photo. I wish the subject were more easily defined, and a bit closer composition. I find myself looking at a lot of other things than the bride and groom, and that is not necessarily a goodness.
Scott Quier- Perhaps it is just the brides personality, but it comes off as a bit cheezy. Technically fantastic, of course. It just lacks a bit of something to make it stellar.
Urbanaries- Love what you got going on with this, and especially the distortion in the mirrors. The fire truck is such a nice added bonus, though I wish it were all in the frame. (Yeah, I know you were lucky to get what you did, so... ah well)
MA-FOTO- Oh, I just love your composition in this. It had two main things that kept it out of the pick though: magenta in skin tones, and her expression isn't quite right.
Idle-Wild- This one made it into the short list. What kept it out of the top three was that it needed a bit more light in her face- which is tough to do when you are attempting to set everything up AND keep you and all that out of the reflection. This was a great shot and great set up that just needed one more tweak.
Memories by Melinda- The expressions in this one made it a winner in my book. The crop, while tight didn't bother me at all since the half of the mother's body that was cut off with the crop was completed in the reflection. I actually thought that was kind of cool. Those little smile wrinkles on the mother's face are just darling. A very special moment that you captured so nicely.
Lilmomma- I like what you have going with your warm tones. Cropping the lady with the grocery bag out of the photo would have improved it a whole bunch...
Mishka- This one didn't make it only by a slim thread. I love this photo, an extremely great catch. Her eye is so lovely and sharp. Only wish there were more fingers visible, since the way they are held remind me of crab's claws, which is silly, but there you have it.
Bike-21- This is a fantastic photo. Well set up and carried out. She has a very nice pensive look too.
I also like your processing, though I would have taken it just a step further and done just a bit more skin touchups in the shadows of her jaw and near her ear.
Teachflute- Great reflection! I wish the subject filled more of the frame, since it is so fantastic!
Blurmore- this is such a cool photo- It has uber coolness oozing from it. I couldn't tell if it was shopped, but whatever the case, it is really cool. Love the light in the nob, too.
Emmanualdean1975- A crop would have helped this photo out tremendously. Also there are some harsh shadows by the bride that could have been avoided.
Shima- This is a great shot, though the processing seems a bit yellow to me. I love how sharp the reflection is.
Kevin Helton- Lovely lovely shot. This one almost made it on the list, and it would have had the light been just a bit softer.
Jeffreaux2- It is a stunning, epic photo. Fantastic technically, artistically, and extremely good timing.
Mmmatt- Though I love the blurry reflection of the bride, the subject of the photo (plastic cup with a flower) does not draw me in to make this photo have any woohoo.
Mtmcelvy- Good catch. The only thing that makes this photo about the reflection is the selective coloring. The subject is the hands, so to make it a dual subject with the selective coloring doesn't really work for me. I don't mind if a photo is a great photo that has reflection in it somewhere to make it qualify, but the selective coloring makes it confusing. Confession: I don't hate selective coloring, if it works. Also, would have removed the warning labels.
Ssimmonsphoto- I wish you could have crawled into the water and complete the reflection too! That would have been one awesome grab with that blue sky and the rocks. Nice photo, even so.
Pwp- I wish her expression was a bit different. Also I would set the black point on this photo.
Quark- I don't know why, but she seems like the type to climb onto a unicorn and gallop around for a while. Ok, you can disregard that statement. But this is a good photo that is just lacking something to make it great. She looks like she is patiently waiting for the photo, but other than that, I don't read anything in her look.
SwanRoark- I love the light in this photo. Nicely done.
Foxysmud- Hate to say it but it is just too small for me to see what is going on.
Jayegirl- the motionblur of the hairstylist is the coolest. I like your daughter's expression- it seems to say “hows it lookin'?”. I think the clutter on the counter keeps it from being a contender, as it distracts from the subject.
Shutterz- hey twin- this is a great photo. I really like it. She seems so focused.
Bdcolen- What can I say? I know our tastes are so different. The brides expression seems perturbed or irritated, and the mom seems to be about to have a heart attack about the veil in the background. Also, I would set the black point on this photo and give it a bit of contrast.
Tenoverthenose- OH MY! I love this photo. You can tell your wife I said so. What a cool place to shoot. Also really appreciate your processing with the greens as it really seems to fit so well with the space. Was there a light behind her to make her clothes go transparent? Where was this taken?
Bloomphotog- Great expression! What a lovely bride. I am not a huge fan of the noise, and know it is probably stylistic. But a great catch.
Picturegirl- The reflection is very sweet, though the out of focus bride isn't as flattering.
Wings of Love- Fantastic! Very classic photo. The clouds in the door are really beautiful, and make an otherwise traditional / possibly boring photo have a bit of zing.
Heatherfeather ...... thanks for the feedback.
nice to see the number of entries.
so .... bring on the the next round!!!!!
Later,
Mark
Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer
Pittsburgh Wedding Photography Blog
As a bit of a note / explanation on my shot, it was taken in a cenote in Mexico - basically an underground cave with water. There was a hole in the roof with sunlight and green vines pouring through, this is the only light source for the photo. Given the contrast in light, I exposed for the open ceiling and used the light to backlight the bride (and her dress and veil) which was way overexposed and caused her to glow. The coloring/toning is just a result of using a tungsten white balance in camera. The shot is just about straight out of camera with no post processing of any kind. If you look carefully, you can even see the duffle bag of someone else who was in the cave in plain view, proof that I am too lazy to use photoshop
Thanks for the feedback Heather!
Thanks twin! I appreciate the time you took to give feedback on everyone's entry!
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Really a classic shot and well deserving. Congrats!!
Somehow I missed seeing where the list of winners is posted...could someone please tell me where to find it? Thanks.
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