I agree, composition looks good. Soft focus issue might be improved with a few new lenses? Or a rental? At least a few look like you might need some low light options.
If you do have good lenses you might need to check which focus points you are using. If you ask around people here with similar bodies will be happy to recommend new hardware/techniques.
First off it helps us if you number the files. I'll pretend you did I'm going to be a little harsh here so please don't take offense. I'm giving the advice I would have wanted if they were mine.
1. Soft, white balance issues and tilted. As for the composition, it isn't a real big thrill to me and the biggest reason is that you killed the top of the arch. I'm more sensitive to that I think than most, but it would add some wow if it wasn't chopped off IMO. Shooting that wider would have been best to me. This one has a bit of a tilt to it and that doesn't look pro. Colors look a little off to me too. You should know how to correct both these things in post. Hopefully you are shooting weddings in RAW. If you don't, then learn. Even in manufacture supplied raw conversion software you should have a white balance eyedropper and then it is as simple as clicking on a white dress! Fix the tilt by cropping slightly.
2. Soft, overexposed, colors off. I like what you were going from here! Focus on the cake and have the dip in the background. Good concept!! Unfortunately the cake is over exposed and colors are way off on this one also. I'm not sure what is going on with the funky colored lights on the b&g but it may just be from the overexposure. This to me, other than the composition, is pretty unattractive. Compostition would have been better imo if you had moved a little bit left but I assume you were shooting 2nd at this wedding and were staying out of the main photogs way.
3. Boring centered comp. Not anything to wow me here. colors are better but if that tablecloth is white then the bride may be offended that her flowers aren't their real color, but it does look OK to my eye here not knowing what the actual colors were.
4. Short of the other photographer in the shot, this one is pretty good. I would say the best of the bunch. I would have brightened it up a little bit but this is probably OK.
5. Underexposed on subject, and boring expression. Cute kid, not a very cute expression, better angle would have been to shoot lower I think. Mom's half face in the shot is not my preference. I would crop into the frame or would have shot to include her and take the little girl out of the center of the frame. This one is underexposed a bit on the girl and a little on the warm side maybe.
So I guess I would say you have a lot to work on here, starting with the basics. Hope this helps! What was said earlier about focus points and whatnot was good advice. I am lucky enough to have top notch lenses so my eyes are spoiled, but these seem very soft to me even in my attempt to take that out of the equation.
Thank you all for your advice, very appreciated, especially Matt.
I crave constructive criticism that helps out; Yes in fact I was not even shooting at this wedding, it's my best friend's sister and was just enjoying the moment!
I need a new lens, no question about it, the one I have is slow and not very sharp when zooming.
The difficult part in composition during a wedding is that you don't have a second chance to click, it's a spur of the moment.
As for the white balance on the cake, the orange effect is what I was looking for, the whole room was orangy, wanted to stay in the same colour, WB it to white wouldnt look too good to my eye either, but I guess it's a matter of taste!
First off it helps us if you number the files. I'll pretend you did I'm going to be a little harsh here so please don't take offense. I'm giving the advice I would have wanted if they were mine.
1. Soft, white balance issues and tilted. As for the composition, it isn't a real big thrill to me and the biggest reason is that you killed the top of the arch. I'm more sensitive to that I think than most, but it would add some wow if it wasn't chopped off IMO. Shooting that wider would have been best to me. This one has a bit of a tilt to it and that doesn't look pro. Colors look a little off to me too. You should know how to correct both these things in post. Hopefully you are shooting weddings in RAW. If you don't, then learn. Even in manufacture supplied raw conversion software you should have a white balance eyedropper and then it is as simple as clicking on a white dress! Fix the tilt by cropping slightly.
2. Soft, overexposed, colors off. I like what you were going from here! Focus on the cake and have the dip in the background. Good concept!! Unfortunately the cake is over exposed and colors are way off on this one also. I'm not sure what is going on with the funky colored lights on the b&g but it may just be from the overexposure. This to me, other than the composition, is pretty unattractive. Compostition would have been better imo if you had moved a little bit left but I assume you were shooting 2nd at this wedding and were staying out of the main photogs way.
3. Boring centered comp. Not anything to wow me here. colors are better but if that tablecloth is white then the bride may be offended that her flowers aren't their real color, but it does look OK to my eye here not knowing what the actual colors were.
4. Short of the other photographer in the shot, this one is pretty good. I would say the best of the bunch. I would have brightened it up a little bit but this is probably OK.
5. Underexposed on subject, and boring expression. Cute kid, not a very cute expression, better angle would have been to shoot lower I think. Mom's half face in the shot is not my preference. I would crop into the frame or would have shot to include her and take the little girl out of the center of the frame. This one is underexposed a bit on the girl and a little on the warm side maybe.
So I guess I would say you have a lot to work on here, starting with the basics. Hope this helps! What was said earlier about focus points and whatnot was good advice. I am lucky enough to have top notch lenses so my eyes are spoiled, but these seem very soft to me even in my attempt to take that out of the equation.
The difficult part in composition during a wedding is that you don't have a second chance to click, it's a spur of the moment.
You wait for it! Focus up, camera to the eye, and wait for the moment you want. Then just when you get the start of the expression you want.... someone walks in front of you and you get a blurry picture of the back of someones head! Ha!
Matt gave you excellent suggestions. I'll just add to his comments regarding number 3, the centerpiece shot.
Try to learn and follow the rule of thirds. Start working on creating diagonal lines, triangles, S, C and Z curves in your compositions, and they will become much stronger. This detail shot would have been more appealing from a different angle, or by moving the candles into a more supporting place in the composition.
Matt, you must have been at my last wedding - lol - had same person with a camera hop in front of me on multiple occasions right as I was taking a shot. I have some great pictures of her back side
Matt, you must have been at my last wedding - lol - had same person with a camera hop in front of me on multiple occasions right as I was taking a shot. I have some great pictures of her back side
Yeah it happens to me a lot. I literally do wait for the right shots, and people don't know what to think. People eventually just walk in front of me frustrated that I am taking so long or groups of people start jumping around trying to get my attention not realizing I am swinging a telephoto and can't see them in the viewfinder. I like that one too.
Comments
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
If you do have good lenses you might need to check which focus points you are using. If you ask around people here with similar bodies will be happy to recommend new hardware/techniques.
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Quarks are one of the two basic constituents of matter in the Standard Model of particle physics.
1. Soft, white balance issues and tilted. As for the composition, it isn't a real big thrill to me and the biggest reason is that you killed the top of the arch. I'm more sensitive to that I think than most, but it would add some wow if it wasn't chopped off IMO. Shooting that wider would have been best to me. This one has a bit of a tilt to it and that doesn't look pro. Colors look a little off to me too. You should know how to correct both these things in post. Hopefully you are shooting weddings in RAW. If you don't, then learn. Even in manufacture supplied raw conversion software you should have a white balance eyedropper and then it is as simple as clicking on a white dress! Fix the tilt by cropping slightly.
2. Soft, overexposed, colors off. I like what you were going from here! Focus on the cake and have the dip in the background. Good concept!! Unfortunately the cake is over exposed and colors are way off on this one also. I'm not sure what is going on with the funky colored lights on the b&g but it may just be from the overexposure. This to me, other than the composition, is pretty unattractive. Compostition would have been better imo if you had moved a little bit left but I assume you were shooting 2nd at this wedding and were staying out of the main photogs way.
3. Boring centered comp. Not anything to wow me here. colors are better but if that tablecloth is white then the bride may be offended that her flowers aren't their real color, but it does look OK to my eye here not knowing what the actual colors were.
4. Short of the other photographer in the shot, this one is pretty good. I would say the best of the bunch. I would have brightened it up a little bit but this is probably OK.
5. Underexposed on subject, and boring expression. Cute kid, not a very cute expression, better angle would have been to shoot lower I think. Mom's half face in the shot is not my preference. I would crop into the frame or would have shot to include her and take the little girl out of the center of the frame. This one is underexposed a bit on the girl and a little on the warm side maybe.
So I guess I would say you have a lot to work on here, starting with the basics. Hope this helps! What was said earlier about focus points and whatnot was good advice. I am lucky enough to have top notch lenses so my eyes are spoiled, but these seem very soft to me even in my attempt to take that out of the equation.
Matt
Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
I crave constructive criticism that helps out; Yes in fact I was not even shooting at this wedding, it's my best friend's sister and was just enjoying the moment!
I need a new lens, no question about it, the one I have is slow and not very sharp when zooming.
The difficult part in composition during a wedding is that you don't have a second chance to click, it's a spur of the moment.
As for the white balance on the cake, the orange effect is what I was looking for, the whole room was orangy, wanted to stay in the same colour, WB it to white wouldnt look too good to my eye either, but I guess it's a matter of taste!
Keep em comin guys n gals! I'm like sponge!
You wait for it! Focus up, camera to the eye, and wait for the moment you want. Then just when you get the start of the expression you want.... someone walks in front of you and you get a blurry picture of the back of someones head! Ha!
Matt
Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes
Try to learn and follow the rule of thirds. Start working on creating diagonal lines, triangles, S, C and Z curves in your compositions, and they will become much stronger. This detail shot would have been more appealing from a different angle, or by moving the candles into a more supporting place in the composition.
You can crop after the fact to improve composition. White balance can be improved in post. Soft is more difficult.
I am starting to second shoot weddings so no expert. They are fast and furious though!
Here is my quick processing of your first image.
Sam
MILOStudios
www.milophotostudios.com
Yeah it happens to me a lot. I literally do wait for the right shots, and people don't know what to think. People eventually just walk in front of me frustrated that I am taking so long or groups of people start jumping around trying to get my attention not realizing I am swinging a telephoto and can't see them in the viewfinder. I like that one too.
Matt
Bodies: Canon 5d mkII, 5d, 40d
Lenses: 24-70 f2.8L, 70-200 f4.0L, 135 f2L, 85 f1.8, 50 1.8, 100 f2.8 macro, Tamron 28-105 f2.8
Flash: 2x 580 exII, Canon ST-E2, 2x Pocket Wizard flexTT5, and some lower end studio strobes