Faves from July 28 wedding

urbanaries

C&C always welcome. This was a challenge for me in a lot of ways, very ugly venue, a very small budget wedding and the groom just did not want to be there at ALL. But I think I came away with some decent shots. More black and whites than I normally like, thanks to the ugly venue and mixed lighting. I think a WhiBal would have helped.

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8. DISCLAIMER: I generally detest selective color but the bride begged me to do JUST ONE, and that I could decide which one. What do you think? (those of you who also don't like selective color as a rule )


9. I totally ALMOST had this one right! the glare was so bad in my eyes, I couldn't see whether I lit it evenly or not, turns out if the bride and MOH had moved their flowers down, I would have been ok. :cry next time...


10.


11.


12. (the LPS entry that couldn't...:D)



13. It was SO cool that she didn't want pictures of her bridal party processional, in exchange I promised her amazing candids of her and her dad. SMART GIRL! :thumb


14.


15. This was right after the ceremony, I can't for the life of me remember what he was describing. But he was generally so UNdemonstrative, I hope they like this rare shot.


16. Oh sheesh, just realized I am just now getting to the reception, and its getting long. here's my fave.


Enjoy!
Lynne

pathfinder

Wow!! I think you done good!!:D:D

You did an excellent job of capturing lovely shots in s setting that was less than optimal - just as you said. Mixed lighting can play heck with color balance for you. In spite of that, your candids and close ups display the couple in lovely manner.

I think the use of B&W here is first rate and a great choice. Color is so ever rated sometimes:D

Your candids are really lovely. Nice close up shots too.

First class work!!

photodoug

you did an excellent job. shooting out of the box rocks....

schmoo

Lynne,

Holy cow! I am consistently impressed with your work. If you hadn't said right up front that it was a challenge for you, that the venue was ugly and they were on a budget I never would have guessed. You captured the important things that I'm sure the bride wants to see emphasized: smiles, comraderie, expressions, the dresses, the lovely flowers...

You PP is fantastic, too. Very dreamy and picturesque without going overboard.

If I had to pick something that I didn't like as much, it'd be the first shot of the groom. Nothing wrong with it IMO as a portrait of him but it doesn't strike me as creative as the others you posted. A little straight-on, a little tightly cropped.

You go girl.

Elaine

Gor-ge-ous, Lynne! What a fantastic set! I think your selective color choice was done very nicely. I love #13 with her dad, but I am a bit confused...are those reflections we're seeing? That last one is a stunner, for sure. Too many "favorites" to list, for me! Are these mostly done with the 17-55?
Congratulations!!!

iSYTE

Nice Capture
GREAT Job taking a tough situation and documenting the beginning of this couple's life together. They will appreciate and remember you!

photogmomma

These are just stunning! I normally don't like selective color, but I think in this case it's perfect!!

Gorgeous set!!

fcorin13

I love the colors & expressions in #3!

~Jan~

Wow, those are really great! That is too bad the groom didn't want to be there. I hope he wanted to get married! I LOVE the b/w's.

urbanaries

pathfinder wrote:

Wow!! I think you done good!!:D:D

You did an excellent job of capturing lovely shots in s setting that was less than optimal - just as you said. Mixed lighting can play heck with color balance for you. In spite of that, your candids and close ups display the couple in lovely manner.

I think the use of B&W here is first rate and a great choice. Color is so ever rated sometimes:D

Your candids are really lovely. Nice close up shots too.

First class work!!

Howdy neighbor! You have helped me through some fairly elementary color issues in the past, so I am truly humbled by your praise. Thank you so much for commenting! I'm glad you approve of the BW choices. The bride loves BWs so I'm hoping she's not bothered by the overabundance of them.

photodoug wrote:

you did an excellent job. shooting out of the box rocks....

Yay! I'm avant garde now. Thanks for that! Made my day.

schmooo wrote:

Lynne,
...

If I had to pick something that I didn't like as much, it'd be the first shot of the groom. Nothing wrong with it IMO as a portrait of him but it doesn't strike me as creative as the others you posted. A little straight-on, a little tightly cropped.

You go girl.

I consider you the ultimate cool kid; your edgy, visually juicy work is inspiring to me, so a "you go girl" from you ROCKS! And I agree the first one is too tightly cropped, I guess knowing how bored the groom looked all day, I was excited to get some genuine smiles out of him. (i am serious, the guy picked at his hands during the whole ceremony. )

elaine wrote:

I love #13 with her dad, but I am a bit confused...are those reflections we're seeing? Are these mostly done with the 17-55?

Hey E, Thanks! #13 was shot through two panes of glass (a glass door that was open, and then a glass wall separating the two rooms.) The flash fired so it was a total fluke that the subject actually exposed. I probably could not recreate this shot. Most are with the 17-55, yes. But that last one was natural light with the 85mm. ISO 1600, f1.8, 1/100th, no noise reduction.

Thanks also iSTYE, Andi, fcorin and ~Jan~ for your kind words! I owe a good deal of whatever success I have shooting to the nifty folks here at dGrin.

Cuties02q

Wow the pictures look great I am sure the bride will be thrilled. I was going to start listing my favs but I cannot list them all...lol. I love #12 Also on #8 I usually really dislike selective color also, but I actually this picture.

evoryware

I like 8 because the selective color isn't typical black & white w/ red.

Judging by number 7 I would think this was the perfect venue!
#12 is sweet!

Great series!

urbanaries wrote:

HA, being single ROCKS!!! Less coming in, but only one person deciding where it goes.

I can't wait to see who shoots pictures of YOUR WEDDING!

Swartzy

Fabulous Lynne
What great work and selection. BTW...I'm stealing your poses....these are great! Love your conversions too. My goodness you do fantastic!

Elaine

urbanaries wrote:

Hey E, Thanks! #13 was shot through two panes of glass (a glass door that was open, and then a glass wall separating the two rooms.) The flash fired so it was a total fluke that the subject actually exposed. I probably could not recreate this shot. Most are with the 17-55, yes. But that last one was natural light with the 85mm. ISO 1600, f1.8, 1/100th, no noise reduction.

I honestly thought it looked like it was shot through glass, but then I thought, "Naaa." That's a wonderful shot, especially considering those conditions! OK...I'm so jealous of the ISO 1600, f/1.8, no noise reduction...it looks nice and sharp and not noisy and just beautiful!!

jeffreaux2

I saw a few of these yesterday on your blog.

Aside from photography, playing guitar and writing a song now and then is my other love. It is often frustrating, and exciting at the same time, when someone who can REALLY play guitar borrows mine and brings it to life. I felt the same way looking at these yesterday.....excited, frustrated, but definitely inspired. These are the shots that I was thinking of when I mentioned the IS wide zoon lens in Jan's lens post. I could tell that you used it in many of the shots, and they really show how versitile it is not neccessarily for portraits, but for events. Very, very nice work. The last was also my fave, and I had wondered how you lit it.....but you answered that already. Natural light still rules!!! BTW when you use flash, are you using a bracket and diffuser? The flash shots look nice and softly lit. Just curious.

I generally chalk up selective BW/Color to someone who just discovered layers in PS. Most look pretty cheesy. Youe example seems like a pretty good one. I think it works pretty well because the flowers span nearly the whole width. A stripe of color across the frame. It is much much better than if you had done it with say the shot of two bouqets/ girls. In other words, I think you picked a pretty good candidate for this treatment, and she should be happy with it.

Very inspiring Lynn.....keep em coming!!!

urbanaries

evoryware wrote:

I like 8 because the selective color isn't typical black & white w/ red.

Judging by number 7 I would think this was the perfect venue!
#12 is sweet!

Great series!

I can't wait to see who shoots pictures of YOUR WEDDING!

Ha, now THAT is funny....the thought of me getting remarried. If Shay's still alive and kicking by then....maybe I'll let him.

Zanotti

How can you look at her and not fall in love!

A classic - and I think one of the best here......

Thanks for inviting us to the wedding...

Z

urbanaries

Swartzy wrote:

What great work and selection. BTW...I'm stealing your poses....these are great! Love your conversions too. My goodness you do fantastic!

Thanks David, steal away. I prefer to say I "borrow" plenty of ideas myself. Besides that I'm just throwing a lot of shots at the wall, some stick more than others

urbanaries

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I saw a few of these yesterday on your blog.

Aside from photography, playing guitar and writing a song now and then is my other love. It is often frustrating, and exciting at the same time, when someone who can REALLY play guitar borrows mine and brings it to life. I felt the same way looking at these yesterday.....excited, frustrated, but definitely inspired. These are the shots that I was thinking of when I mentioned the IS wide zoon lens in Jan's lens post. I could tell that you used it in many of the shots, and they really show how versitile it is not neccessarily for portraits, but for events. Very, very nice work. The last was also my fave, and I had wondered how you lit it.....but you answered that already. Natural light still rules!!! BTW when you use flash, are you using a bracket and diffuser? The flash shots look nice and softly lit. Just curious.

I generally chalk up selective BW/Color to someone who just discovered layers in PS. Most look pretty cheesy. Youe example seems like a pretty good one. I think it works pretty well because the flowers span nearly the whole width. A stripe of color across the frame. It is much much better than if you had done it with say the shot of two bouqets/ girls. In other words, I think you picked a pretty good candidate for this treatment, and she should be happy with it.

Very inspiring Lynn.....keep em coming!!!

Oh come now Jeff, you give me far too much credit! You did a phenomenal job on your first wedding. I can assure you my first (i think this recent one is my 10th?) was far, far FAR inferior to the shots you just posted. you're doing amazing work. (And, I can't play *one* note of guitar even though I can spot a Paul Reed Smith from 100 yards.)

I'm really flattered by your comments, thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad the selective color passes the arbitrary/tacky test. It was a tricky one, I hope they like it.

The 17-55 is indeed a versatile lens for weddings (from the sharpness to the fastness to the ISness), and I have to thank Scott Quier for that one... He busted it out of his bulletproof camera case over breakfast, slapped it on the table and said, "Sell the kid. Get the lens." I ended up faking the drop, Big Lebowski-style, but it was worth the risk.

Oh and I use a Newton camera rotating bracket (also credit SQ, just start calling him "The Caddy"), no diffuser. I hate the light loss/battery chew for minimal benefit. If necessary, I bounce.

(now you all see why I'm not married? )

urbanaries

Zanotti wrote:

How can you look at her and not fall in love!

A classic - and I think one of the best here......

Thanks for inviting us to the wedding...

Z

Awwww, thank YOU for commenting! I have a soft spot for that shot, too. Gotta love Center focus point wide open. I think I need to PS out that light in the upper RH corner, though.

Awais Yaqub

Great photos loved them

DavidS

Wow! Those are awesome. Great expressions, poses, composition and pp to name a few things. I am inspired.

thegridrunner

Looking at all these wonderful pictures really does inspire me to become a better photographer...you folks are the best!!!

Great wedding pictures

Scott_Quier

Wow - that's all I have to say!
Well not quite.

I've been so busy that I just found this thread. And I look for your stuff first!

#2 - is that a black bra the bride is holding. Aside from that, I think this is a wonderful shot.

#4 - Very nice look at how the guys can kill time. So different from what the ladies generally do - go nuts that is...

#5 - The blurring and/or camera shake is not doing it for me.

#6 and #7 - No improvement possible here. Did you have a gorgeous location or what!!! No, well you hid the ugliness quite well.

#8 - OK, I detest selective color as well. When I do it any more (it is so time intensive!!), I generally set the opacity of the colored layer quite low so the colors are mostly de-saturated as well. Subtle is better then in your face. That having been said, this one is quite nice. The sepia/brown look blends in with the color of the flowers very nicely, so the flowers are not quite so "in your face!"

#16 - That is a very sweet photograph.

I think the B&G are going to be thrilled with your results. Very nice!

Oh, and about that crack you attribute to me, "Sell the kid and buy the lens" - well, that does sound like something I might say! And look at what's happened since. That lens has worked so well for you! I'll bet it's paid for itself a couple of times over since April (or whenever it was you came through here!).

urbanaries

Thanks Scott for your awesome feedback as always!~ I know #5 was a little "out there", tried to mix things up a little. I think the black bra only adds to the photojournalistic aspect. She was taking off the black bra, laughing that she didn't even think about how inappropriate that would have been as her "wedding" bra with the strapless dress and all. The funny thing is, #3 and 4 had not an ounce of direction from me, they truly gathered around her like that for the dressing, that hasn't ever happened before.

SO, I got an email from the bride and she says she's very excited and very pleased and she can't decide what she wants one 8x10 of? One? and just 8x10? I think this is where I'm starting to get frustrated. I'm working really hard, getting great reviews on my progress from my peers, and yet my clients order a few tiny prints, and don't yet see the work as "wall-worthy." I'm kinda bummed.

CIBM

Beautiful images!!

saurora

Lynne, if you hadn't pre-warned us about the challenges you were faced with, I would never have suspected this was anything but a very successful shoot and a classy wedding! First of all, I agree with Pathfinder that color is overrated and black and whites like these I personally much prefer. You did a splendid job, and I think the black and white works wonderfully here. I would not guess the groom was unhappy, I like the crinkle in is eye in #1. The color is really pretty in #3 and I just like the shot in general. Love the color of the church shot #7, too. You did a great job with the selective color, though in general I can't stand them! The flower girl shot is adorable, of course. The shot of the father and the bride #13 is one of my favorites along with #16. A really great selection and I think your work is improving tremendously! Way to go!