My first wedding try...

jeffreaux2 · August 7, 2007

I am still sorting through all of the photos I took at my first wedding on Saturday. I guess it would be worse if I had nothing to sort through! Here are a few that I have worked on so far.....C&C is always welcomed.....so I guess it is also welcomed now, even though my confidence is waivering a bit right now. I have a whole new respect for those of you who do this week in and week out. Taking the photos is one thing, sorting through them, and doing all the PP is inundating. I have so far whittled down to 700 keepers, and am just now starting to play around with my favorites of these. The toughest thing other than the PP work, was the ceremony lighting. They wanted small and intimate, but chose Jimmy Swaggart Ministries which is a VERY VERY large building. To be small and intimate, they turned out all but 6 or so lights. It was barely light enough to walk in some places. OK I will stop sniveling and post the samples.

1. On the phone during make-up.

2.Painting the bride

3. On with the garter

4. Girls being girls

5. Pink duotone

6. Shoes....almost ready!!

7.All the girls ready to go!!

8. The ring bearer......what a stinker!

9.Preparations in the sanctuary

10. Dad gives her away......I know it is grainy.....I have a plan for that, but I need to get rid of noise before I convert to BW next time!!!

11. Leaving the sanctuary.......I at first thought of tossing this one, because someone else fired a flash at the same time I clicked the shutter, but I decided to keep it for the PJ look of it.....it is definately different!!

12. Another parting shot......also noisy, but it isn't so bad in sepia if I can control the banding.

13. Signing on the dotted line!!

14.Whew!!!

15.She had some of my work on display!!

16. My absolute favorite

17. No words required

18. Last one. sorry so long......this little guy is waiting in the food line at the reception. I will post the color version sometime later. It looks better in color because he has a lipstick smooch on his cheek. Very very cute!

kini62 · August 7, 2007

I'm dizzy! Too much angle shots/crops IMO.

Other than that I think they are very nice.

Gene

photodoug · August 7, 2007

I'm sure they loved your shots. I like what you captured, and the fact that these were not typical shots made it all work. Congrats. Let us know what the bride and groom thought!

ShepsMom · August 7, 2007

I like some of the compositions that you produced, pretty good for the first time. I especially like #6 and 17

jeffreaux2 · August 8, 2007

kini62 wrote:

I'm dizzy! Too much angle shots/crops IMO.

Other than that I think they are very nice.

Gene

I was surprised that I brought home as many angled shots as I did. On a normal photo shoot I will rarely do that...sometimes force myself to take one or two. I used every lens in my bag on the wedding day, but tried mostly to play the fly on the wall and grab shots of anything of interest I saw happening. Sometimes I was in a good position for this, sometimes I was caught with a prime lens in my hand and no room to run. Anyhow rather than not get a shot at all, I shot angles....to fit in what needed to get in. I know it breaks the rule (all the more reason to try it), but if I shot 700 straight on, perfectly horizon aligned photos....wel what fun would that be?

Jeff Fillmore · August 8, 2007

Very nice- I know what you mean on the whole new respect thing- I also shot my first wedding last weekend (been the 2nd a few times before that...) Tuff work indeed and I have been up until midnight every night since sorting thru 1700 shots taken over the two days.

I really like #15 btw-

Clickr_Grl · August 8, 2007

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I was surprised that I brought home as many angled shots as I did. On a normal photo shoot I will rarely do that...sometimes force myself to take one or two. I used every lens in my bag on the wedding day, but tried mostly to play the fly on the wall and grab shots of anything of interest I saw happening. Sometimes I was in a good position for this, sometimes I was caught with a prime lens in my hand and no room to run. Anyhow rather than not get a shot at all, I shot angles....to fit in what needed to get in. I know it breaks the rule (all the more reason to try it), but if I shot 700 straight on, perfectly horizon aligned photos....wel what fun would that be?

I love them! The tilting makes them more interesting! I'm a tilter myself so don't feel bad. Especially for candids like these, tilting gives such a feeling of a "spur of the moment" capture.
I'm getting married on August 25th and I'd definately hire you to take the shots! Great job for your first wedding! thanx for sharing!

Seneca · August 8, 2007

kini62 wrote:

I'm dizzy! Too much angle shots/crops IMO.

Other than that I think they are very nice.

Gene

I agree...I was tilting my head down to the left, then down to right. But all in all...I think these are really good. Good job

jeffreaux2 · August 8, 2007

Well, I have finished my PP and turned the proofs over to the wedding planner. She liked them and scheduled for portraits of her and her children. The newlyweds will see them tommorrow when they return from the Bahamas.

~Jan~ · August 9, 2007

I think you did a great job! I don't mind the tilts at all. I think you did a great job of capturing both candids and posed shots.

I have been asked to do two weddings and I'm scared to death. So far my response has been to NOT respond.

I really don't want to do them! I mean, I don't even have LIGHTS! Or a 2nd camera!

jeffreaux2 · August 9, 2007

~Jan~ wrote:

I think you did a great job! I don't mind the tilts at all. I think you did a great job of capturing both candids and posed shots.

I have been asked to do two weddings and I'm scared to death. So far my response has been to NOT respond. I really don't want to do them! I mean, I don't even have LIGHTS! Or a 2nd camera!

I was scared when my first customer was a two year old girl.

You should do what I did and shoot a wedding free of charge in tandem with another photographer. I think a second camera would be more neccessary than lights, but they can be rented or borrowed. Or....you could charge $$ for the wedding and it would pay for that second camera. You have to be very good at swapping glass in the dark if you think you would use more than one lens during the wedding. For the reception, a bracket mounted flash with a diffuser would be the ticket. These are my observations and opinions only....and we all have one.....but I think they are good for a start.

urbanaries · August 9, 2007

WOW Jeff! You did an amazing job. My favorites are 1, 3, and 9, and pretty much all of the shots of the BG together, although my favorite is #11, even though the light is uneven, it is a classic shot. They both look so happy and your BW conversion is very nice.

It is quite a challenge as you've found to shoot weddings with primes, and angling isn't terrible, you might want to try to pay attention that you're angling the same direction whenever a situation calls for it. It does help with the dizzy effect. But I'm not generally bothered by angles at all (as you well know) so I say, shoot on!

You did a fantastic job if this set is representative, you look like you had a great eye and responded quickly to the action.

Do you have a second body? Might want to rent one in the future, first as a backup in case the unthinkable happens, and secondly, it's really nice to have two lenses mounted at all times especially when you're the only shooter. Wide angle zoom plus flash on one, telephoto prime or zoom on another.

Well done and thanks for sharing.

evoryware · August 9, 2007

I like 3, 9, 15 and 17. I'm not against the tilt, although it would be easier to look at if they were tilted the same direction as I have a slight cold and headache now...

Jan, do em and take a deposit to buy the lights!

doesn't hurt to have two bodies either

jeffreaux2 · August 9, 2007

urbanaries wrote:

WOW Jeff! You did an amazing job. My favorites are 1, 3, and 9, and pretty much all of the shots of the BG together, although my favorite is #11, even though the light is uneven, it is a classic shot. They both look so happy and your BW conversion is very nice.

It is quite a challenge as you've found to shoot weddings with primes, and angling isn't terrible, you might want to try to pay attention that you're angling the same direction whenever a situation calls for it. It does help with the dizzy effect. But I'm not generally bothered by angles at all (as you well know) so I say, shoot on!

You did a fantastic job if this set is representative, you look like you had a great eye and responded quickly to the action.

Do you have a second body? Might want to rent one in the future, first as a backup in case the unthinkable happens, and secondly, it's really nice to have two lenses mounted at all times especially when you're the only shooter. Wide angle zoom plus flash on one, telephoto prime or zoom on another.

Well done and thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the confidence boost. No I only have one body. I had lent my 50mm prime to the other photographer who I was helping. She didn't have any glass that was fast enough for the aisle shots. I wanted us to take those from 2 different angles Because all the existing light fell behind anyone who walked the aisle. Anyway after everyone was there and the ceremony began. she went to the balcony and used a variety of lenses herself, including her 70-300mm. I have only so far seen her photos during make up so I am not sure what all she was able to get. I carried my 28-75mm in my hand during the ceremony, but never got a long enough break to swap it. I knew I wanted the 85mm on the camera during the exit because of its focusing speed. Right before they kissed, I switched to Aservo focus mode, and rapid burst, because I wasn't sure how fast they would be moving out of the church. It worked out ok, and I don't think I would do anything differently. I will have a second body for the next one. I see a 30D in my future!!!(actually I would like a 30D with a 10mp sensor so....40D?)

My first wedding try...

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