My venturing in wedding photography

photocat

Hi all, I have not been online much lately as I was working my b*** off.
Up to a month ago, I always refused to do weddings, as I thought that my photography was not nearly good enough. On an adobe tour day though a wedding photographer came up to me and asked me if I did weddings.
I told her that the responsibility was too big, and that I dared not do it.
She then invited me to come to a few weddings with her, on a free base, (Me not getting paid), so I could try it out. I did two so far, and have a solo flight in may.
My biggest problem is inside photography, and working with my flash. It is a flash with everything on it (SB800) and I read up A LOT, but I really would need a real person to show me how it works...
Anyway, a long story and so far two weddings with couples that are pleased with what I did. Now is the big question for the digital grin panel: if anyone has a dead moment, would you mind checking the site out, and give me (if possible) real feedback, as to what I could do better, or what to not do again... Would some of you hire me? Why or why not???
I will be nailbiting till I got some answers:rofl :rofl :rofl
I know I still have more to learn than what I do now, and I fully realize that two weddings is nothing. But I guess every wedding photographer had his first two...
Whip me gently... The plan is to make the two filmstrips tiny as I get more jobs... lets keep fingers crossed
Thanks for reading anyway...

http://catsphotography.info/Pages/weddingindex.htm

Shay Stephens

Very nice work, you are a natural.

Go and shoot some great weddings, you can do it!

maegandougherty

I'm not a wedding photographer, but as I recent bride I have looked at many many wedding pictures! You have some great shots and I think if you have enjoyed the weddings you have shot so far, then go for it!

LittleLew

website
Since you have an SB800, I assume you used a Nikon.
D70?

Pix are better than most I've seen, particularly nice are the scene setting shots.

Who did your web site? - very nice.

photocat

D70????

LittleLew wrote:

Since you have an SB800, I assume you used a Nikon.
D70?

Pix are better than most I've seen, particularly nice are the scene setting shots.

Who did your web site? - very nice.

Yes, I do have a Nikon D70. I am eyeballing the D200, but hubby wants to see some coins first... (so lets hope that I get some coins sooner rather then later).
I am my own website builder, PR man, contact person... I am sure there are better site builders then this one here, but again, coins needed first!!!

ingramimages

photocat wrote:

Yes, I do have a Nikon D70. I am eyeballing the D200, but hubby wants to see some coins first... (so lets hope that I get some coins sooner rather then later).
I am my own website builder, PR man, contact person... I am sure there are better site builders then this one here, but again, coins needed first!!!

I'm not so sure there's better site builders - for the price. It's a pretty sharp website.
Oh and the photographs are pretty sharp too!

saurora

I really, really enjoyed your wedding shots!!! I felt as if I had actually been to the wedding after seeing them! You did a wonderful job, nothing amateurish, just professional all the way. I think you are a natural at photographing people in general, and what is a wedding but a big, happy group of people!! Great Job!!

lynnma

Hey Cat! how goes it. Long time no see. I've just sat here and enjoyed both weddings. Great job. I backed up a wedding once... never again. Glad I wasn't the only photographer.. it would have been a disaster. I think Shay is right (and he would know) you are a natural. Some lovely tender moments, the dress seemed a problem at times for the bride? and the cake! what a lovely cake.

Right.. I'll go take my hat off now.

Very nice work, you should be proud, of your shots and your site.

Lynn

Sam

photocat wrote:

Yes, I do have a Nikon D70. I am eyeballing the D200, but hubby wants to see some coins first... (so lets hope that I get some coins sooner rather then later).
I am my own website builder, PR man, contact person... I am sure there are better site builders then this one here, but again, coins needed first!!!

Tell hubby with photos like that, you deserve a D200. Not only do you owe it to yourself, but you as a profesional owe it to your clients to have a back up for this very important "can't do it over" event.

Sam

photocat

Wwwohhhoooooo

Sam wrote:

Tell hubby with photos like that, you deserve a D200. Not only do you owe it to yourself, but you as a profesional owe it to your clients to have a back up for this very important "can't do it over" event.

Sam

Thanks guys... For once I let my husband read the comments I got on my wedding shots, and he said "if those people believe in you, I do too" went to his computer and ordered the D200 Nikon....:D

Thanks to Dgrin I will have a new camera, I can now keep the D70 as backup... It will be a bit a more comfortable feel that I don't have to rely on one camera...

Thanks so much guys!!!! I am frantic with joy... that is, if we can get it delivered, we ordered at Porters, and they are backordering. Husband called and they told us that it is a pain to get D200's in the store.
I hope I don't have a six months wait... He also ordered the battery pack, a strong strap and a dvd... I married the best one in the world! I kissed a lot of frogs before this prince found me, but hey, this one is a real PRINCE!!!

gus

I dont know anything about wedding photography but you have some great shots there PC...love that one of the rain on the car window...thats a shot that i just kept going back to.

Sam

photocat wrote:

Thanks guys... For once I let my husband read the comments I got on my wedding shots, and he said "if those people believe in you, I do too" went to his computer and ordered the D200 Nikon....:D

Thanks to Dgrin I will have a new camera, I can now keep the D70 as backup... It will be a bit a more comfortable feel that I don't have to rely on one camera...

Thanks so much guys!!!! I am frantic with joy... that is, if we can get it delivered, we ordered at Porters, and they are backordering. Husband called and they told us that it is a pain to get D200's in the store.
I hope I don't have a six months wait... He also ordered the battery pack, a strong strap and a dvd... I married the best one in the world! I kissed a lot of frogs before this prince found me, but hey, this one is a real PRINCE!!!

Congratulations!

Sam

saurora

Congratulations Cat!!! What a nice hubby! Having a backup camera will give you a lot of peace of mind and extra confidence while shooting weddings. How exciting!!!

leebase

I'd say you are in it for real. I think your "detail" shots are exceptional. I think that you could use a bit of culling on some of the "not such a good expression/moment" shots of the bride getting ready.

I only made it through about 150 of the first wedding. You have the chops.

My latest wedding.

Lee

photocat

leebase wrote:

I'd say you are in it for real. I think your "detail" shots are exceptional. I think that you could use a bit of culling on some of the "not such a good expression/moment" shots of the bride getting ready.

I only made it through about 150 of the first wedding. You have the chops.

My latest wedding.

Lee

Thanks Lee... I take it that culling means toss out? (As most of you know I am dutch speaking...)
And having the chops is good or bad???:D
I am on my way to take a look at yours...
Thanks for the comment

leebase

photocat wrote:

Thanks Lee... I take it that culling means toss out? (As most of you know I am dutch speaking...)

Yes. Culling means "deleting/cutting off/getting rid of".

photocat wrote:

And having the chops is good or bad???:D
I am on my way to take a look at yours...
Thanks for the comment

It's a very good thing. You have the eye and photographic skills to shoot weddings -- no doubt about it.

Lee

photocat

This is for Lee

I like how you make the black and whites so contrast rich... Do you never shoot in color? Lovely shots in there, some are not totally sharp, could be my screen though. They sure had fun on this wedding, and it shows. Great job!
How nice that the Mickeys were there... I love a lot of the shots of the bride with her father, special relationship and it shows, tender shots of tender moments.

leebase

photocat wrote:

I like how you make the black and whites so contrast rich...

I shoot raw and use RawShooter Premium to create the b&w's. I made a video tutorial that shows what I do: http://forums.delphiforums.com/photo_passion/messages?msg=127.1

(fyi: I have made other video tutorials: http://www.leebase.com/photo_passion/index.php?n=Main.Tutorials)

photocat wrote:

Do you never shoot in color?

Always. I shoot raw and the convert to b&w or color (or both). On this wedding, I was shooting for a studio as the "photo-journalist" in a two photographer wedding. In such cases, my work is delivered in b&w.

photocat wrote:

Lovely shots in there, some are not totally sharp, could be my screen though.

I'd love to be at the stage where all my photos are pin sharp. I'm just "not there" yet. I'm hoping the 5d (arrives today!) will help a bit with this.

photocat wrote:

They sure had fun on this wedding, and it shows. Great job!

Thanks.

photocat wrote:

How nice that the Mickeys were there... I love a lot of the shots of the bride with her father, special relationship and it shows, tender shots of tender moments.

That's my job -- to capture the emotions of the day. They were going to Disney for their honeymoon, and so the aunts and uncles did a skit and came out dressed as Disney characters.

Lee

photocat

Good tutorial on putting pics in black and white. I agree that raw conversion is the best method to go to black and white. I prefer it over the channel mixer in photoshop.
Desaturation in the raw converter and then a play with the contrast en brightness/shadows works a charm...
Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I love pics of the girls, very flattering and beautiful children.

Art Scott

photocat wrote:

Thanks guys... For once I let my husband read the comments I got on my wedding shots, and he said "if those people believe in you, I do too" went to his computer and ordered the D200 Nikon....:D

Thanks to Dgrin I will have a new camera, I can now keep the D70 as backup... It will be a bit a more comfortable feel that I don't have to rely on one camera...

Thanks so much guys!!!! I am frantic with joy... that is, if we can get it delivered, we ordered at Porters, and they are backordering. Husband called and they told us that it is a pain to get D200's in the store.
I hope I don't have a six months wait... He also ordered the battery pack, a strong strap and a dvd... I married the best one in the world! I kissed a lot of frogs before this prince found me, but hey, this one is a real PRINCE!!!

See what porters tells you and if it is back ordered go to BESTBUY.com....I live in the midewest usa..wichita kansas and the local Best Buy has had them now for over a month..kit is like 1695.00 at local Best Buy.

Good luck and great weddings.

leebase

photocat wrote:

Good tutorial on putting pics in black and white. I agree that raw conversion is the best method to go to black and white. I prefer it over the channel mixer in photoshop.

I just find it faster and easier to get the precise look I'm going for -- and then copying it to a bunch of other photos.

photocat wrote:

Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I love pics of the girls, very flattering and beautiful children.

Helps to marry a beautiful woman

Thanks,

Lee

photocat

Art Scott wrote:

See what porters tells you and if it is back ordered go to BESTBUY.com....I live in the midewest usa..wichita kansas and the local Best Buy has had them now for over a month..kit is like 1695.00 at local Best Buy.

Good luck and great weddings.

Thanks, they do have one, but they don't ship APO... (Military Europe... AAAGGGGGRRRRRR)

lynnma

photocat wrote:

Good tutorial on putting pics in black and white. I agree that raw conversion is the best method to go to black and white. I prefer it over the channel mixer in photoshop.
Desaturation in the raw converter and then a play with the contrast en brightness/shadows works a charm...
Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I love pics of the girls, very flattering and beautiful children.

Well I never... I've ALWAYs used channel mixer.. I must try raw conversion in future..

photocat

Porters shipped!!!!

lynnma wrote:

Well I never... I've ALWAYs used channel mixer.. I must try raw conversion in future..

O you do Lynn... Bless the person who invented RAW! It took me a long time to shift from jpeg, but once tried, I never looked back.
It is very easy too, the channel mixer is lots of sliding back and forth, untill you have the right mix,

Raw is just the saturation slider all the way to the left, and then play with contrast and brightness...

On a second good note today: Hubby ordered the camera in another store who had them in stock and canceled Porters, only to find that IT ALREADY SHIPPED !!!!!!!
So yesterday when I called they had no clue about when they were going to have them, and a day later, THEY SHIPPED !!! YEAHHHHH...
So Aaron had to cancel the second store... Unbelievable!

saurora

photocat wrote:

Good tutorial on putting pics in black and white. I agree that raw conversion is the best method to go to black and white. I prefer it over the channel mixer in photoshop.
Desaturation in the raw converter and then a play with the contrast en brightness/shadows works a charm...
Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I love pics of the girls, very flattering and beautiful children.

I am just beginning to learn how to do color in RAW. I hadn't even thought of black and white (which I love!). This is exciting...I am never totally pleased with channel mixer but had not taken the time to investigate other possibilities! So much new stuff to learn my head hurts. I have to go check out Lee's wedding shots....:D