My first wedding, series of 12
lizzard_nyc
Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
Hi all,
I shot my first wedding recently and wanted to share a few of the candids which are my favorites.
I am happy with the candids and horrified by my posed shots (thankfully my brother was my second shooter and he is great with the posed shots). It was a large family and I quickly lost control when it came time to pose them and I lost all creativity, I was lucky to have the camera pointing out. I regained control but it was chaotic.
I've since shot a much smaller intimate wedding and I'm working on those.
I don't think I have the makings of a wedding photographer, unless all they want is candids.
So here goes.
C&C appreciated.
FYI--I have not stopped shooting, I know I have been MIA, trying to come back.
1.
2.
3.
4. My brother--not only an awesome second shooter, but also the only one that knew how to place one of those boutonnieres properly.
5. I'm drawn to this one--am I alone in this?
6/
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
I shot my first wedding recently and wanted to share a few of the candids which are my favorites.
I am happy with the candids and horrified by my posed shots (thankfully my brother was my second shooter and he is great with the posed shots). It was a large family and I quickly lost control when it came time to pose them and I lost all creativity, I was lucky to have the camera pointing out. I regained control but it was chaotic.
I've since shot a much smaller intimate wedding and I'm working on those.
I don't think I have the makings of a wedding photographer, unless all they want is candids.
So here goes.
C&C appreciated.
FYI--I have not stopped shooting, I know I have been MIA, trying to come back.
1.
2.
3.
4. My brother--not only an awesome second shooter, but also the only one that knew how to place one of those boutonnieres properly.
5. I'm drawn to this one--am I alone in this?
6/
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Liz A.
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Comments
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
Hey Qarik,
I had a feeling you would comment.
I know what you mean!
I agree totally.
I just don't know what happened. Was I overwhelmed? (I was for the group posed to be sure), there was a 3 hour delay in starting the shooting, everything ran late, make up artist didn't show etc, that kind of killed it a bit, was there from noon til midnight--long long day. I don't know how the wedding photogs do it! It was killer! and to try and keep creative juices flowing.
So much dead time just standing around.
I am happy w/ the candids---but thrilled is not a word I would use for sure.
Thanks for commenting and your honestly.
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Tom
in: other people's wedding shots. When you don't know the people involved, very few
candid shots have much interest. It's when you know Uncle Harry is normally a staid and
reserved person, and a candid catches Uncle Harry being silly that the photo registers.
Primping brides and bridesmaids are the fodder for candids, but these shots are as expected
as the clasped hands holding the cake-cutting knife in the formal pix. Dancing couples, proud
and happy parents of the b & g, and the flower bearer and ring bearer tykes are also formula
shots.
When strangers on the subway are seen as candids, we know we are not supposed to see them as
familiar faces and we can judge the image as an outsider. With other people's wedding shots, they
are strangers to us but we feel we would appreciate the shot more if we knew the subjects. It's
like we're intruding.
I dunno, Liz, would you be as pleased with these images if you had stopped by a wedding where
you didn't know anyone there? Are the captures special for the capture or for the subjects?
Having said all this, the karate chop in #3 is interesting. It makes me wonder what it was all
about. I know what's going on in the rest of them. Number 5, your favorite, doesn't do it for
me because I don't know if the females are wedding party members or wedding guests. There's
a separation between them and the male wedding party member, but is he ignoring his bride,
or a couple of his bride's friends or relatives? For that matter, is he the groom or an usher?
You know all this, but I don't.
I'm sure that your family will have a much different, and much more approving, reaction
to these shots.
As a complete aside, and nothing to do with this, my wife and I were discussing our
own wedding in 1964 for some reason. Her budget was $250...church wedding, catered
reception (but family members brought the booze), and professional cake. What's
that buy today? Just the cake? My favorite candid taken by a friend is the bride with
wedding veil askew and her chugging a bottle of beer.
http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
Lensmole
http://www.lensmolephotography.com/
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Tony, the only wedding cake you can buy today for $250 comes from Carvell. A bare bones, basic, wedding in the NYC metro area is going to run $10 to $12K - and that is really barebones. The average, average, NYC metro wedding is close to $30K, and when I say average, that's what I mean. Expenditures on weddings have gotten to be truly, disgustingly, insane.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
I only have 1/2 dozen weddings under my belt. But from 1st to the last..it's world of difference already. It just gets easier mentally... and when you are not so stressed out then the blinders come off a bit and your creative juices flow a bit more.
That said I think PJ types have it bit tougher because you rely on what's in front of you and not so much what you can create. But you have to be careful here.. I think some self proclaimed PJ style wedding photogs are that way becasue they are afraid/not good at the "posed" aspect. They don't like herding people, telling them how to pose, finding nice window light, clean backdrops, etc. This is something you need to get over and get relatively good at. Then you can use those skills when you need them, even though they may not be your artistic bent (face it, we need to be able to get out of our selves at times). Finally if you get decent at the posed aspect, then at least you can say that your are a PJ photog for the right reasons. Thats not to say that PJ style is easy. I think excellent candid event photography can be as challenging as posed shots to a large degree. But there is technique there as well. Another mantra of PJ stylists is usually "natural light". A lot of times this means they don't know how to use flash very well. Again..learn to use it and get good. then you can go back to your artistic bent if you want but keep that flash work in your back pocket when you need it.
Now I am going ot pick on one thing in your shots..flat light. There is no dimensionality in many of your shots. You need to create/find soft directional light. Now you might get lucky and find that in the brides changing room from a window..it's your job to take advantage of that and hit those angles in your images. Sometimes you will need to create soft directional light by bouncing flash off the walls/ceiling (then you have to take care and be aware of positions and color of the walls..in my case the my flash head is always doing a dance every few shots) Regardless, it should be more than just point and shoot (unless of course the natural light is great). I guess my basic point is that PJ style should not be substitute for capturing just "moments", you still have to capture those moments with technique and lighting.
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
I don't mean to disparage wedding photography--it means a lot to the people who know the players, and it's certainly one of the few remaining steady jobs for a photographer. So that's all well and good for the client and the photographer. But transcendent value? I'm skeptical. I find it hard to imagine hanging a wedding pic of people I don't know in my living room.
I got married in our City Hall atrium (gorgeous building and room) for, dunno, $50? My wife wore a modified prom dress she bought on eBay for $40. She looked stunning in it. (Still does!) The expensive part was the reception afterwards, at some $ figure per head ($8? $10? something like that,) but even that wasn't too bad. Cash bar. Our cake was a gift from one of my MIL's friends. There are some talented amateur bakers out there, if you know where to look.
I will say that our one regret was in the photography: we gave everyone disposable Kodak cameras (so you can see how long ago this was!) and ended up with awful wedding shots. As much as the pros disparage the amateur wedding photographer with their Canon Rebels-- it would've been a step up for us!
Anyway, the point is, nice shots, Liz!
http://erinhooley.blogspot.com/2011/10/dj-micha.html
http://prometheus.med.utah.edu/~bwjones/2011/08/mike-and-djamilas-wedding/
http://utahphotojournalism.com/2011/08/djamilla-mike/
http://utahphotojournalism.com/2011/08/mike-and-djamilas-wedding/
http://kylekurlick.blogspot.com/2011/10/utah-mike-djamilas-wedding.html
http://marktheintern.blogspot.com/2011/08/mike-and-djamila.html
There are a bunch more sets from other photographers out there, but I didn't keep a list. For the record, I don't know the bride and groom.
Website | Galleries | Utah PJs
I agree in one sense...they are the ultimate documentation of the social/family
gathering...for the family and social group. Are they of interest to the rest of us,
though?
We could only afford a photographer to take the newspaper shot of the bride and
a family group shot at the reception. That almost required a panorama for the joining of
this Irish/Catholic mob.
The rest of our album is made up of candids by family members and friends. Wonderful
shots that my wife and I treasure. But, they'd bore the socks off you, BD, or anyone
else who doesn't know the players. You don't look at those shots in a critique mode;
they freeze the friends and family as they were in 1964, and no one notices if the
odd body part is out of the frame, or if the horizon is tilted, or whatever.
I have the greatest respect for Liz and her work, and see nothing mind-boggling
about not being enthused about this series. "C&C appreciated" doesn't mean
"Clapping & Congratulations appreciated.
http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
Oh, you cynic you. You may find it hard to imagine a wedding photo of people you don't know hanging in your living room, but I don't know that that's a test of anything; I would be loathe to hang all but a tiny handful of Eugene Richards images in my livingroom - they are just too damn hard to look at for extended periods of time, much less every day. But that does not mean that they aren't outstanding examples of the very best of documentary photography. Sadly, but understandably, wedding photography has been given a bad name by the shlocky nature of most of it.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Far to many people go the disposable, or amateur root - and not because they can't afford better. And they get what they pay for - a bunch of crappy photos that look as though they were taken by a gathering of drunks - which they were. :-)
And just as a point of clarrification - my wife and I probably spent even less on our wedding in 1971 than you spent on yours much more recently. Our 'reception' consisted of petite fours, cheap champagne, and coffee, served in the church reception room - very living room-like, following the 7 p.m. wedding. End of story. We did hire a Washington Post photographer to shoot the wedding and reception, and we have about a dozen 8x10s that look like 1960s news photos. I believe we paid him $150, which was the most expensive part of the affair.
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan
"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
Hi Tom,
Thanks
I had to give it a go and I was getting paid.
I have a ways to go if I would consider doing more. Much to learn.
The biggest obstacle is losing any creativity. It just left me.
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Hi Tony,
The karate chop in #3 is a blessing. They are Colombian and being there it felt like something they had done many times before.
They are not my family, they hired me.
As for budget, we got off cheap at my wedding $10 grand in NYC, two blocks from the World Trade Center in 1999.
But can you believe we did not hire a photographer. My sister took some shots and we gave all disposables (I know!!!). I worked on them since them, scanned them in converted them. Not bad.
Also I want to see that photo of your bride:) serious.
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Thank you very mucy. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
This was a big budget wedding here in NYC. Glad you got to see it.
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Hey Mark,
We spent more money and still had only the disposables!! i could kick my own butt.
Though by NYC standards we got off on the lower end. Knew the owner of the restaurant. 120 people full sit down meals, open bar, dress, limo, cake, dj--and NO PHOTOGRAPHER! lol, oh I laugh now.
THank you. I'm glad you liked the shots.
I'd love to see some of your shots too from that day if you want to scan them into this thread.
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Thanks for the share!
I looked at everyone of them.
I'm drawn more to Kyle's photos second from the bottom. So cool. Loved the black and white high contrast and some reminded me of BDs work.
it's not very often you get to see photographers take on the same wedding. Pretty educational, motivational if you ask me.
What a lovely couple too to handle the rain with such style and grace.
When I first opened up the thread though I thought "lol, hipster wedding" but quickly wound up liking them.
Very inspiring. THank you.
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www.mind-driftphoto.com
Thanks B.D.!
Funny you should say that about funerals. I am hesitant to shoot there.
I attended one a couple of weeks ago and had a great shot.
The lady who died in her coffin and my daughter and her cousin on the kneeling thing below them,b ut they were playing rocks papers scissors. I couldn't bring myself to shoot it. Still on my mind though.
I caught the chopped limbs too late, you are right to be mindful of the little details.
I'm glad you liked my candids.
I need to work on my wedding photography big time. So much to learn!
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Thanks Juano.
#10 was the bride with her son, but I loved the angle and how it came out.
Lots of happiness that day, big loving family who never got off the dance floor.
Matter of fact part of the toast to the couple by the dughter was "if there is a beat, they will dance to it". so sweet.
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Hi Richard!
Did you see my brother?
He is shooting weddings, portraits, all sorts of events and making money these days!
He came a long way since you met him.
Thanks for the input.
I am torn on wedding phography myself.
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Thanks Damon,
That would be the daughters getting ready. I have a lot of them, I was drawn to them. Had to remind myself to shoot the bride and groom.
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You are back:)
I will re read this, I think you have many valid points.
FYI, it was my first event using a flash!
I have not mastered it. But it was too low light not to use a flash. I think that had some input into why I lost some creativity, too busy freaking out over the flash.
I know there is a guy on Weddings "Bearle" maybe. HE does PJ style but he is so freaking artistic too. That's what my goal is with wedding photography. They guy obviously mastered all the above though.
Thanks again.
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A couple of years ago I attended a memorial service for a dear friend and fellow athlete who died too young. There were hundreds of people in attendance, most of whom I had not seen since our glory days of youth. I hesitated to bring my camera, but finally decided that I would try to capture the event. I ended up getting an enormous number of thank-you notes from just about everybody, many of whom commented that they were too afraid to take pictures themselves but were very glad to have the event memorialized. And I know that the widow of the deceased printed and framed at least one of the shots. I wouldn't say that any of the shots were particularly good on purely photographic merits, but for those in attendance--and those who could not make it--the photos had real value.
yup, that guy is damn good. Assuming you are in room with whitish walls/ceilings I can boil down 80% of my learning with bounce flash to "point slightly behind you and slightly towards the ceiling".
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
My wife has imposed a gag order on that image. She says she didn't
mind being seen all that goofy around family, but draws the line at a
bunch of complete strangers.
She has agreed to the release of this one as long as I say that this
was her first beer, and that she only sipped it.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/onueazowxyaqi38/1964-027.jpg
http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
I'm hurt she thinks we're strangers.
That is an awesome photo!
She's radiant and I love her dress!
The crowd is a hoot too.
I so enjoyed this share! Thanks Tony and thank the Mrs. for allowing it.
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