A couple shots from 2 engagement sessions

bham · August 24, 2008

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

C&C always welcome.

bham · August 26, 2008

50+ views and no comments. Are they that bad. I am looking for some feedback. Positive is always nice and constructive critiques are always useful.

heatherfeather · August 26, 2008

No, they are not that bad. I have noticed that with the new wedding forum, there are just not as many comments as when we were lumped in with people. Also, a lot of people are turned off by blaring watermarks, and that might be the case with these- though I totally understand the need for them. Yours is just a little more obtrusive than usual.

Now as to your photos, here is some specific opinions:

#1 Nice photo- needs some more work in PP. Their teeth specifically look quite yellow because of the background looking so bright. The eyes could also be spiced up a bit.

#2 very pretty light- but the chopped hands at the wrists is not so good. Might be a bit magenta-ish. (didn't measure, just guessing)

#3 is the best of the three with this couple- because there are no chopped off hands. However she does have a post coming out of her head. I also notice that she has the exact same smile in all of three- try to coax out a different expression than the say "cheese" one. I bet she practiced that smile in the mirror before she came!

So, how was that for comments?
Keep on posting and don't get frustrated with the small number of comments. It is just the way it is until the wedding forum gets going a little more.

david_h · August 26, 2008

There are some issues with these images - some of which Heather has pointed out.

The biggest problem I have is that there is very little interaction between the couples. When we do engagements, we always want the couple to be having fun and interacting with each other, rather than posing and looking at the camera.

We usually try and go to three locations and (if the couple is choosing them) I tell them to make one romantic, one urban and one wacky. By going to different places you can have more fun, step back and get more of the environment in your shots and have the couple enjoying each others company.

A lot of people (especially us guys) really don't like to have their photo taken and it takes them a while to relax. We usually allow at least a couple of hours for an e-session and I'll usually act like a complete idiot to lighten things up. I tell them to just hang out, talk together laugh and generally forget I'm there. It takes a while sometimes, but they all relax in the end.

If the couple are having a laugh and enjoying the session, it's much easier to make images that they are going to really like.

Of course, everything is very subjective and your style might be 100% different to mine.

bham · August 27, 2008

heatherfeather wrote:

No, they are not that bad. I have noticed that with the new wedding forum, there are just not as many comments as when we were lumped in with people. Also, a lot of people are turned off by blaring watermarks, and that might be the case with these- though I totally understand the need for them. Yours is just a little more obtrusive than usual.

Now as to your photos, here is some specific opinions:

#1 Nice photo- needs some more work in PP. Their teeth specifically look quite yellow because of the background looking so bright. The eyes could also be spiced up a bit.

#2 very pretty light- but the chopped hands at the wrists is not so good. Might be a bit magenta-ish. (didn't measure, just guessing)

#3 is the best of the three with this couple- because there are no chopped off hands. However she does have a post coming out of her head. I also notice that she has the exact same smile in all of three- try to coax out a different expression than the say "cheese" one. I bet she practiced that smile in the mirror before she came!

So, how was that for comments?
Keep on posting and don't get frustrated with the small number of comments. It is just the way it is until the wedding forum gets going a little more.

Thanks that was helpful.

As far as the watermarks, it takes long enough to create a post and link some photos without having to copy them to another gallery, then remove watermarks, etc. I sorry I am just usually won't take all the additional time to do that.

bham · August 27, 2008

david_h wrote:

There are some issues with these images - some of which Heather has pointed out.

The biggest problem I have is that there is very little interaction between the couples. When we do engagements, we always want the couple to be having fun and interacting with each other, rather than posing and looking at the camera.

We usually try and go to three locations and (if the couple is choosing them) I tell them to make one romantic, one urban and one wacky. By going to different places you can have more fun, step back and get more of the environment in your shots and have the couple enjoying each others company.

A lot of people (especially us guys) really don't like to have their photo taken and it takes them a while to relax. We usually allow at least a couple of hours for an e-session and I'll usually act like a complete idiot to lighten things up. I tell them to just hang out, talk together laugh and generally forget I'm there. It takes a while sometimes, but they all relax in the end.

If the couple are having a laugh and enjoying the session, it's much easier to make images that they are going to really like.

Of course, everything is very subjective and your style might be 100% different to mine.

Thank you for the feedback.

With the first couple I actually did quite a few different locations, and not all of them of straight at the camera type stuff, a little more of what you are describing. But that is a good idea for 3 locations. I like it.

I think after having a relative (an aunt of no significance if I recall) of a customer sending me a nasty email complaining about no romantic shots of a couple I did, I maybe tending to overcompensate that way. She (the aunt) wanted romantic, the couple wanted fun (I did fun). And she said, that most shots had to much of the scene/background, etc. (I told her I had heard of a crop tool, but wasn't really sure what it was

, not really) I did what the couple wanted and they were very happy with the results.

Maybe I need to just do a better job in selecting which photos to post.

Scott_Quier · August 27, 2008

E-Sessions should be about the relationship between the couple. Number 2 does a good job. The rest look a bit stiff. Learning how to loosen up a couple will make the shots a lot nicer.

To get them to loosen up and interact with each other, you must first build up some trust/credibility with them. Sure, they've seen that you can photograph someone in a flattering manner, but they are different. So, you may need to prove to them that you can photograph THEM. So, fire off a bunch of shots so they can get used to the camera popping, all the while giving them quite direction or commenting about how good the shots look. Then, just as soon as you get one that is even close to being a keeper - show it to them; show them that they aren't ugly (or whatever may be their concern) and that you really can capture THEM in a flattering manner. As you get a few more of these keepers, let them see them. That should get them over the stiffness.

As you move from one pose/location to another, you may have to repeat the above just a bit to get them settled again.

And now, for the C&C:

Nice. They are looking in the same direction. Bring her ring hand a little more forward. Hair is very, very hot (blown?) and the background is way toooo bright.
This is a cute shot, I really like the closeness between them. Oh, and it's nicely exposed. But, you cut off his hands! Really like the glow on her face and shoulder.
You have a little light fall-off on his face. Some off-camera lighting (flash or reflector) to camera left would solve that problem nicely. Skin tones look a little read on this POS monitor I have at work. But, the skin tones are warmer than the rest of the set.
Not liking this one for a number of reasons:
- The branch comes between them,
- I see his thumb and wrist of his left hand - just distracting
- The sky is blown bad (could have balanced that with appropriate use of fill),
- Her top is blown a bit on her right side,
- You have tree trunk growing out of both her head and his head, 6
- Thumb and fingers of his right hand
Nicely exposed, though skin tones seem a bit warm (especially his face). Cut off his hands again. Maybe have his hands a bit higher and embracing her a bit more?

bham · August 28, 2008

Scott_Quier wrote:

E-Sessions should be about the relationship between the couple. Number 2 does a good job. The rest look a bit stiff. Learning how to loosen up a couple will make the shots a lot nicer.

To get them to loosen up and interact with each other, you must first build up some trust/credibility with them. Sure, they've seen that you can photograph someone in a flattering manner, but they are different. So, you may need to prove to them that you can photograph THEM. So, fire off a bunch of shots so they can get used to the camera popping, all the while giving them quite direction or commenting about how good the shots look. Then, just as soon as you get one that is even close to being a keeper - show it to them; show them that they aren't ugly (or whatever may be their concern) and that you really can capture THEM in a flattering manner. As you get a few more of these keepers, let them see them. That should get them over the stiffness.

As you move from one pose/location to another, you may have to repeat the above just a bit to get them settled again.

And now, for the C&C:
Nice. They are looking in the same direction. Bring her ring hand a little more forward. Hair is very, very hot (blown?) and the background is way toooo bright.

This is a cute shot, I really like the closeness between them. Oh, and it's nicely exposed. But, you cut off his hands! Really like the glow on her face and shoulder.

You have a little light fall-off on his face. Some off-camera lighting (flash or reflector) to camera left would solve that problem nicely. Skin tones look a little read on this POS monitor I have at work. But, the skin tones are warmer than the rest of the set.

Not liking this one for a number of reasons:
The branch comes between them,

I see his thumb and wrist of his left hand - just distracting

The sky is blown bad (could have balanced that with appropriate use of fill),

Her top is blown a bit on her right side,

You have tree trunk growing out of both her head and his head, 6

Thumb and fingers of his right hand

Nicely exposed, though skin tones seem a bit warm (especially his face). Cut off his hands again. Maybe have his hands a bit higher and embracing her a bit more?

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes the guy in the second group, its pretty conservative and reserved. I was actually suprised that I caught as many smiles from him as I did. I did get them laughing a few times.

#1 The sun was in and out behind clouds and was giving me and my settings fits.

A couple shots from 2 engagement sessions

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