Kasey and Arthur Engagement Shoot - Beloved Style
Yes, I jumped on the Beloved Bandwagon and joined the cult of Jesh de Rox. I know it was controversial when he was making the first big push of it into the photog community a year ago, but I think it's fantastic and it works for me.
Here's an engagement shoot from last month with Kasey and Arthur in the tiny historic town of Micanopy, FL. It was probably in the mid-70s that day, so perfect weather.
C&C appreciated!
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6. Rockin' the Lens Baby
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11. I saw this in the after the shoot, so I added it to their collection
Thanks for looking!
Here's an engagement shoot from last month with Kasey and Arthur in the tiny historic town of Micanopy, FL. It was probably in the mid-70s that day, so perfect weather.
C&C appreciated!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Rockin' the Lens Baby
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. I saw this in the after the shoot, so I added it to their collection
Thanks for looking!
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Comments
Really pretty set.
Thanks for the comments, guys!
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If you dont mind explaining us what is this "beloved style" .
1. Wonderful shot. The colors, the background...composition...post processing.
2. Also like a lot...but no feet.
3. Nice shot...but, it's OOF...and you have them looking out of the frame. That's not good for a couple of reasons...one it's been a rule for a long time...and it's not a good rule to break for at least two reasons. One, with them looking out of the image, the viewers eye naturally follow theirs...and there is nothing of interest...it's like you have only part of the picture. Second, if you have them looking to the right with all that dead space on the left...what's so interesting about that. Did you ever see a wedding magazine with a cover model on the right hand side looking to the right as if there is something important outside of the viewer range...nope and you never will.
4. Other than you liking this image...I don't see any relevance to it being in the engagement collection. What is she doing. It's not a good portrait...there is no connection, no eye contact. What is she looking at.
5. Not a big fan of hiding her face...why, because like the wedding, it's about her.
6. This shot is missing emotion. he's kissing her, and she looks like she's thinking about feeding the dog...she's not reacting to him at all. Not a big fan of the lens baby...especially when it leave a whooshing looking bokeh...that can be very distracting.
7. This is a very good shot...interaction, emotion from her...but, cut off feet.
8. I find this one interesting from an artistic point of view. I like the light...even though it's legs and feet. These types of shots will never make the albums. At least, I've never seen one...it's like shooting the backs of people...while artistically pleasing...not making the long term review in the album.
9. I think you have captured some emotion here...nice capture.
10. Nice also, I like that you have her face instead of his. If you are trying to capture the emotion of the moment, women do that (emotion) so much better than guys.
11. I have no idea what this is. But, that's just me. It's pretty cluttered and I hope it's not included just because of the sun spot.
Don't be put off by my comments...it's the way that I see them. You asked for CC...and I don't think that you get much out of, "Nice set...like 2 and 6." So, my comments are just to get you thinking about how others might see your work and how maybe your might look differently at a shooting situation.
Hope this helps.
Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.
Ed
There is a link to a video on this page that is of his talk about Beloved at WPPI a couple of years ago. Since then, he made a big push to get photographers trained up in Beloved, and because he was charging money for webinars and workshops focused around Beloved, and a day of 1-on-1 business mentoring for a TON of money, it turned into a huge controversy in the industry (google Jesh de Rox and Zack Arias and you'll learn all the details). The concept of Beloved really spoke to me though, so I went through the webinars and to the workshop and it was life-changing and career-changing. I think Beloved is a fantastic tool for photographers that work with couples to have in their toolbox, and the community is super-supportive and open. If you want to learn more about it, just drop me a PM and we can discuss it in more detail. There will be a Beloved website up by the end of the month, so you'll be able to go there and see what it's all about.
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Thanks, this is awesome! You're totally right that honest critique is helpful.
You're 100% correct about cropping out feet - I routinely do that and never seem to notice until after the fact. I really have to get better about this.
#3 is definitely OOF. Because it was a natural moment and they had exploded in a moment of laughter, I kept it in the set. I would never print it for them specifically because it is out of focus and it would look awful. For a little internet image, however, I think it's ok. When they saw it, they thought it was the one out of the set that most describes who they are, so it seemed to strike a chord with them. You are totally right about cropping, though and I didn't think about it until you mentioned it... I should've reacted quicker and set them off to the other third of the frame while they were in that moment. I was worried about having the bottom of his shoe in the center of the image, though, so I think that's why I put them on that side. Maybe I could've stood up to change the composition...?
For #5, I would argue that it's also about him... at least from my perspective as a female, I would want a couple photos of my guy being sweet and showing emotion (especially, as you implied, it can be hard to get that from a guy), so that's why this one was included.
#6 - I can see how the lens baby might not be ideal. I usually don't use it during professional shoots, but because the wall here was fairly plain, I thought I'd give it a try. I can accept a 'not so successful' critique on this one
#11 - Although I admit to being a total sucker for sun flare, that's not why this was included in the set. I usually like to include a couple of contextual shots in my collections, and this was a moment that seemed to wrap up feeling of the afternoon well to me. The warm, low sunlight coming through the trees and brush in this image echos the late afternoon light in the last few images in session. Also, the prairie is a unique natural feature in this region (this is the only prairie in central Florida - possibly all of Florida!) so it gives a little context for those who know/live in the area and puts a nice little closing moment on the day.
Lastly, I admit that I do aim for images with honest emotion and a little bit of an artistic bent; I generally am not trying to shoot something that looks like it would appear in a bridal magazine. Instead, I'm really trying to feel out what speaks to me as I'm going through this learning process. Maybe this will bite me in the butt later because it won't speak to anyone else, but it is a way for me to sort of define and refine my own style.
That said, I am DEFINITELY still learning and very appreciative of the fact that you took the time to really critique each image. I'm sure that I'll come back to your comments again and again to help guide me as I'm preparing for future shoots.
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+1 love this, exact same way I try to shoot but my reason is one I'm not too good at posing people and
second people I shoot are not professional models so even if I manage to pose them they start feeling stressed out once posed. Go Candids
I am happy to have helped. When you ask for CC, it shows a willingness to grow and evolve. You sure have tallent...that's obvious...and trying new things, stepping out on that limb and then asking for peoples thoughts will help you get there.
You are right to want to include "your man" in the shots...and I was just pointing out that guys just stand there sometimes. I was suggesting some things to help you grow as a photographer. I grow every day...learn new things and really appreciate constructive commentary and critique.
On your shot where you have them too far right and looking out of the frame, if you don't have a zoom and can't pull back, just sweep from your current focal point to the left or right as you click off two or three quick shots. Hold the shutter release down and sweep.
I don't try to shoot bridal shots when shooting in this situation, but just used it as a reference. And, it should have been written, bride to left of cover page looking left, instead of the way that I wrote it...page right, looking left.
I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.
Ed
I had to Google the person you mentioned, and I tried to listen to his beloved speech from the launch, maybe you had to be there, I got through about 3 minutes, and it just sounded like someone ego trippin'. He seemed to be concentrating oncouple interaction, "being present emotionally", and allowing the inner beauty of a relationship to shine through by allowing an emotional connection between the photographer and the photographed. IDK He seems like a cool guy that is making money, but I don't think any people photographer will deny the importance of making an emotional connection (on some level) to the subject. There is probably more to it than that, and hey I say whatever works for you, and helps you I have no problem with. "Whatever gets you through the night, alright, alright."
So far as the pics go.
I like 5,6,7,10.
3. needs a tighter crop, but it looks like it might be a little unsharp.
2. Would work....but I really need to see those feet.
1,2,3 all seem processed a little hot, but within personal style I guess
5 is a great emotion shot, and you got a killer rim light in 9, but I would go B&W on it.
Blur - Hence the controversy. Some folks can't get past the froofy stuff and are just over it in the first 5 minutes and can't understand why anyone would ever give this guy money.
Thanks for your comments! The foot-cutting-off seems to be the #1 issue here
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Glad your happy, and yes your images are very nice and your clients will be thrilled with them.
Sam