First wedding--please critique

Mulder32 · July 8, 2008

Let me know the goods and bads!

Mulder32 · July 8, 2008

number 2
#2

Mulder32 · July 8, 2008

number 3
#3

Mulder32 · July 8, 2008

lastly
#4

dangin · July 9, 2008

i think this post belongs in the people section? i think the composition is alright overall. there seems to be some exposure issues as they lack consistency. the last two seem overly warm while the first couple look underexposed and have flat contrast. was the clouds rolling in and out that day? if so, that could account for some of it.

Icebear · July 9, 2008

If you shot RAW, the underexposure and color balance issues should be easy to fix. They're very sweet shots.

chrisjlee · July 10, 2008

Mulder32 wrote:

#4

Good collection of photos for your first! the color looks a bit funny.

dogwood · July 10, 2008

My critique is a bit harsh-- but it's honest. The wedding market is very competitve and your photos look like snaps done by a guest.

They all look underexposed and a couple of them look like you tried to save them with the fill slider in ACR.

In #3, you've missed the moment. The bride's eyes are not open or closed and they don't look "right".

On #4, again, I think you missed the moment. The groom's hand is in mid-motion, and their mouths aren't quite touching, leaving that distracting white gap between them.

Just my two-cents, but I think you were focused on the obvious-- the kissing shots and the flower girl (and the flowers, for that matter). Take a look at some big-name wedding photogs though-- their work almost always nails it because they feature the less obvious shots-- the groom looking nervous or the bride and groom rocking out at the reception or the reaction of the wedding party... that kind of thing.

If you're gonna shoot snaps, go for the less obvious. Here are some samples of what I mean (and I'm NOT a wedding photog-- just happened to have my G9 P&S at a friends wedding recently).

Mulder32 · July 10, 2008

Thanks everyone for your comments. My weakest link as a photographer is PP, but I'm learning slowly. I've already corrected this and made these photos "snap" more.

To answer the previous poster about the kissing shot--Glen Johnson, well-known wedding photographer and author said to avoid getting the picture of the couple actually kissing. He suggested the moment right before they kiss. He said it was more romantic and leads to more anticipation.

I do have some pics of the type you posted, but don't consider them great enough shots to say, "It's my first wedding, look at these," when they lack emotion or storytelling qualities.

dangin · July 11, 2008

Mulder32 wrote:

Thanks everyone for your comments. My weakest link as a photographer is PP, but I'm learning slowly. I've already corrected this and made these photos "snap" more.

To answer the previous poster about the kissing shot--Glen Johnson, well-known wedding photographer and author said to avoid getting the picture of the couple actually kissing. He suggested the moment right before they kiss. He said it was more romantic and leads to more anticipation.

I do have some pics of the type you posted, but don't consider them great enough shots to say, "It's my first wedding, look at these," when they lack emotion or storytelling qualities.

IMO as a wedding photographer, the only "perfect" shot is the one that the client goes "WOW" at. no one single photographer i've ever met from the local guys i know to bob davis (celeb shooter: eva longoria and tony parker, oprah, etc.) has a shoot where ever single image is WOW. i totally disagree on the avoid getting kissing shots. some couples love them. i'm a fan of having the couple getting some shots of them nose-to-nose before they kiss. you talk about wanting to build some anticipation, easy way of doing just that.

i'm no master wedding photographer, but check out my wedding blog to see some highlight images from some of my more recent weddings. maybe there's a few shots that catch your eye and you can use. with all things, practice makes better.

keep at it!

MichaelKirk · July 11, 2008

Question.
Were you shooting this wedding for unknow clients and charging a realistic full wedding billing? Or Did you shoot this wedding for friends at a substantial discount for practice and they understood that?

Just curious?

Michael

Mulder32 · July 11, 2008

MichaelKirk wrote:

Were you shooting this wedding for unknow clients and charging a realistic full wedding billing? Or Did you shoot this wedding for friends at a substantial discount for practice and they understood that?

Just curious?

Michael

These were unknown clients who hired me for 5.5 hours of wedding coverage.

MichaelKirk · July 14, 2008

hate to say it

Mulder32 wrote:

These were unknown clients who hired me for 5.5 hours of wedding coverage.

...you may want to consider polishing up your skills before you do weddings.
I assume weddings are tough - I still do not consider my photo talents polished enough to do weddings yet (not that I want to do weddings).

Don't take this as a personal attack, but when people ask for C&C, I really think that is what they should get - C&C to help them improve....and not the standard - oh your pictures are nice, great, cute, etc. I have not looked at your website to see any other images you have taken, but I assume that the images you posted in this thread would be some of your better work.

Your images are flat, underexposed, white balance is off (pretty bad green cast) - My wife would have killed you if you shot our wedding - seriously! In all seriousness you should not really be shooting weddings - Yet!

You really need to get some of the basics down as I mentioned above that are off with this images. Start using some flash for fill light and learn about flash, ambient light and how it all works together. Learn to shoot using natural light and how to use it to your advantage - where to and not to shoot. Keep at it and soon you could be a premier wedding photographer.
My personal opinion is stick to shooting family portrait type work to hone your skills - shooting some bad images for a family portrait is not all that terrible - easy to do a reshoot. Mess up a wedding or have a couple sue you because your images are subpar - no ability to reshoot and.....well I hope you do have liability insurance.

...again, not a personal attack, but in this day of easy to afford decent digital photography equipment - there are just too many people buying some equipment, shooting a few family shots and all of a sudden think they are wedding photographers....or sports photographers (in my case).

Hope to see some additional work from you in the future
Michael

Sam · July 14, 2008

Mike,

The c&c you asked for has been a little harsh, but pretty accurate. It's a tough pill to swallow but, if you go back to the drawing board, and apply yourself, I know you can do better.

Here is a real quick fix on two of your photos as an example of what they could look like.

Sam

Sam · July 14, 2008

The second

Xoote · July 14, 2008

some nice shots

urbanaries · July 14, 2008

Hey, it was your first wedding. I remember being elated at the shots from mine and I now cringe when I look through them. The first thing you need to realize and admit is that this will (and should) be your WORST work, meaning, you should be getting much much better every wedding from now on. You have no excuses now.

Now that we got that out of the way, it seems as though these are being posted pretty much straight out of camera. If there's anything wedding photgraphy demands, its shooting RAW and have a workable post-processing solution (Lightroom, Aperture, Bridge?) so you can fix exposure and WB problems, which seem to be your main issues.

I shoot with the same camera and almost same lens lineup so I don't think camera or lens can be blamed for these shots. Conversely, you can't say "I have the same equipment as established wedding photographers so my shots are as good."

That said, you do need a more powerful flash, and LEARN HOW TO USE IT.

Some rhetorical questions for you to ponder moving forward: Do you look at other wedding photographers' work? Who do you admire? What do *you* think is the difference between their images and yours? What do your clients do if they want albums?

Mulder32 · July 14, 2008

Thanks for your comments. I have worked on these and they do "snap" much better. If you have not been to my website, please do so. The feedback I have gotten from others after I worked on these more was more positive.

I'll be the first to admit, my weak link is post processing. I have shot a few film weddings in the past with good results (hey the clients loved them and that's my main concern). To say I shouldn't be shooting weddings yet is a bit laughable. I have seen a lot worse from people charging more than I do. My newspaper work as a photojournalist may not be that extensive, but it has served me well so far. Post processing will continue to be a learning experience.

Thanks again for your comments.

First wedding--please critique

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