Selective colour and saturation [wedding shot]

Desmond

The last time I posted a selective colour shot with the yellow flowers and B&W people a few mentioned that the colours looked too bright . This time the flowers were red and i was wondering if anyone thought they should have been slightly de-saturated ?

Mike02

Ehh, it looks a bit cheesy, but yes, I do think the roses need to be desaturated a bit.

gmonkeh

It doesn't really matter what we think Des as long as the client is happy. From what I can tell of this image you shouldnt have any problems.

The selective desat actually works pretty well here, the contrast between the crimson flower and the dark surrounding works for me.

firedancing4life

I like it!

binghott

i think it's a great shot regardless of the selective coloring. i usually find selective coloring to be cheesy, but i think there is so little of it here that it does not take away from the picture. great job handling the light!

the only thing i don't like about the shot is the groom's facial expression.

gmonkeh

What you don't like the I'm too sexy for my shirt look?

Mike02

binghott wrote:

i usually find selective coloring to be cheesy, but i think there is so little of it her that it does not take away from the picture.

I'll have to respectfully disagree.. but different strokes for different folks I guess . And thats not to say the bride and groom won't like it, its just not flavorable to my tastes. :P

Desmond

Define "cheesy" for me please . I have a general idea of what it means but anyway , I supply them with all the pictures including the original and the modified versions for them to choose what to print . My approach is to give variety to the customer which must include "cheesy" as well as conventional . Rather than sticking to what the "normal" pictures "should" look like I give them a few crazy ones with text taken from things that happened on the day and so far all the customers have loved that approach .
We have to remember that with a wedding , each customer is [hopefully] doing this for the first time so there is no such thing as a "stale" concept shot or one that is getting "old" because it's always the first time they have seen my work on their wedding day . If we had to choose all our shots as if we were trying to please the people on this forum the customer would not get much variety for sure ! [there seem to be a few people out there with their claws out ready to attack each picture I post regardless of whether it is a question of technique or a request for comments on composition ] .
It is good to get some positive comments for a change . [ by positive I also mean comments that point out where I have gone wrong tactfully with advice on how to improve next time .]

gmonkeh

You'll have to forgive a couple of the people on this forum Des. We can't all be all-knowing like them.

Desmond

gmonkeh wrote:

You'll have to forgive a couple of the people on this forum Des. We can't all be all-knowing like them.

I don't want to be taken wrong here because I appreciate good advice and being steered in the right direction on technical matters [ colour , lighting , composition etc. ] but there do seem to be those out there in "absolute mode" [ new term here ] who seem to think every picture must conform the the standards of what wins competitions regardless of whether the costomers are crazy about them or not . Anyway must rush off to work , monday morning ihn New Zealand now .

Ted Szukalski

The dramatic light here as well as their quite natural poses which allowed you for a fantastic black and white photo are of more quality than the selective colour. Yes I can see it but it does not take away from a great group photo.

jeffreaux2

Hmmm
I agree maybe the flowers are a bit bright. I also wonder what it would look like if only the brides flowers were red.....

binghott

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I agree maybe the flowers are a bit bright. I also wonder what it would look like if only the brides flowers were red.....

good thought. how about if it was the bride and grooms flowers only.

Desmond

binghott wrote:

good thought. how about if it was the bride and grooms flowers only.

Sounds like something worth trying , thanks . As with the last picture I submitted with bright yellow flowers which look good in the original colour shot when everything else turns to black and white it almost looks like the colours have been over-saturated even though they are still normal .
Probably like darkening the corners of a picture to make the subject appear sharper , desaturating the other colours seems to exaggerate the colour that's left . I'll have to try one with the flowers half saturated ...[ maybe just the brides ]

urbanaries

Desmond wrote:

Sounds like something worth trying , thanks . As with the last picture I submitted with bright yellow flowers which look good in the original colour shot when everything else turns to black and white it almost looks like the colours have been over-saturated even though they are still normal .
Probably like darkening the corners of a picture to make the subject appear sharper , desaturating the other colours seems to exaggerate the colour that's left . I'll have to try one with the flowers half saturated ...[ maybe just the brides ]

the more I look at this shot, the more I like it. Definitely like the desaturated red better in this version. I am not sure about the brides flowers red next to the bridesmaid's "black" flowers.

to me, shots like this are what make photojournalistic wedding photography different, and fresh. The motion, the dark clouds, the subjects detached from the camera...all great in my mind.

rant disclaimer: not trying to be a wet blanket, but i too am just ramping up my wedding portfolio, and shots like these get me thinking.

I love this style/approach and prefer them over stiff, group pictures. My biggest struggle (not necessarily yours) with shots like this, the reaction of clients is "I hate the expression on my face", "don't like the way I look" etc. It is very difficult to coax "natural" "faux-candid" shots like this that are also flattering to multiple people. Do you (or anyone else here) struggle with the same?

I also noticed that since I started selling prints (as opposed to giving away CDs) I got much more specific feedback from clients. I'd spend hours perfecting an image like this, only to find out they hated it and would never order it. And these are folks that chose me because they like my natural, personal style, so they say. I always set expectations before signing that contract.

(feel free to ignore my rant )

Desmond

urbanaries wrote:

the more I look at this shot, the more I like it. Definitely like the desaturated red better in this version. I am not sure about the brides flowers red next to the bridesmaid's "black" flowers.

to me, shots like this are what make photojournalistic wedding photography different, and fresh. The motion, the dark clouds, the subjects detached from the camera...all great in my mind.

rant disclaimer: not trying to be a wet blanket, but i too am just ramping up my wedding portfolio, and shots like these get me thinking.

I love this style/approach and prefer them over stiff, group pictures. My biggest struggle (not necessarily yours) with shots like this, the reaction of clients is "I hate the expression on my face", "don't like the way I look" etc. It is very difficult to coax "natural" "faux-candid" shots like this that are also flattering to multiple people. Do you (or anyone else here) struggle with the same?

I also noticed that since I started selling prints (as opposed to giving away CDs) I got much more specific feedback from clients. I'd spend hours perfecting an image like this, only to find out they hated it and would never order it. And these are folks that chose me because they like my natural, personal style, so they say. I always set expectations before signing that contract.

(feel free to ignore my rant )

I know what you mean about wrong expressions which is why I take plenty of shots for something like this . Especially group shots where I take quite a few , one sneak shot without telling them to get ready and then one where I warn them because some peole like to blink when you warn them .
In this particular shot I tell them to walk towards me from a distance , bride and groom one step ahead , and then I run off and start firing away . When they are further away their faces are more natural . As they get closer i tell them to split up as they go past me . By that time they are tired of holding false expressions and seem to have gotten more natural .
Anyway , out of about 12 shots for a short walk like this one there has to be one good one !
Most weddings so far have been for people I know so I go around and see which ones they have printed and ask for no-holds-barred feedback and how I can do better .