Photos from a wedding day

nico

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Hi all,
this summer I've been asked to take some photos, as "official" photographer, during a wedding cerimony.
At first I was going to refuse because I'm not a pro and then because photography it's an hobby for me so I don't want any responsability for the results I get. I don't like people to have expectations from my photos. Anyway, they were friends so I accepted and those are the results I got.
What do you think? (I used a Pentax K100 digital ... I should have been using a flash for shadows correction...).
Thanks for any tip, critique and opinion,
ciao
Nico

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... to be continued ...
 
Nice shots nico, it's easy to see your style in these (4 and 7, for example). One thing, number 3 - the faces look very strange, like there has been some peculiar post-processing done on them?

BTW The setting looks absolutely astounding!
 
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Thanks guys for your replies,
it's my first experience as a wedding photographer and I quite enjoyed it, a nice experience to do once in a while. Not being a pro, nor a digicamera user, I find the whole matter interesting but a little difficult for me.
Anyway, Kully, the n. 3 was overexposed (maily on the head of best man and the shoulder of the lady) and I tried to correct it in PS adjusting levels and saturation.
I'll try to post some shot more later,
Ciao
N.
 
Nice pictures! I especially liked 1, 2, 5 and the last one (especially 5 with the catch light and the bride's expression).
 
From the first batch, I really must admire the exposure of the one where the bride is having her hair done by the window. The rest are very good too (couple with hankies, nice touch). You have done a very good work! :)
 
Your style is clearly visible in many pictures, specially N° 4 and 7.
well done, bravo, come sempre.
robert
 
Thanks Francisco and Rob,
the photos I had more fun to shoot were the indoor ones (the hair dressing of the bride); the light outside was very harsh and I found very difficult to control the shadows (mainly on the faces) and the highlights (the ceremony was round noon :rolleyes:); maybe I should have been using a flash.
 
Your photos are way better than the ones I see in the windows at local wedding photographers.

You have photographed real people and show the feeling of that day.

It is far too easy to follow a script and then photograph people acting to your direction.

Well done.

Never mind the technical stuff, such as exposure, we can all see Marco and Teresa looking delighted. That's what really counts.
 
Thanks a lot Jon,
your comment is very encouraging :). I'll probably shoot again at wedding because I have a few friends going to merry soon and they already asked me to take some photos, I just hope they allow me to shoot only b/w with my rf cameras!
Ciao,
 
Nico:


Could you ask your friends to hire a wedding photographer for the photos the dotty aunts and mad cousins will like, and have you along to do your slice of life thing in B&W with a film camera?

The professional does the groups, and you do the moments.


[And by the way, I hope you don't mind, perhaps you mean 'marry' rather than 'merry']

[And again. I saw Chapa last week, the photographer you already know with all the cameras on display but none for sale.

He had a weird Bronica medium format adapted for 35mm.

I cannot imagine why anybody would have done that but he said he had it adapted for just one wedding where the bride wanted a big camera and he wanted 35mm.)
 
Nico:


Could you ask your friends to hire a wedding photographer for the photos the dotty aunts and mad cousins will like, and have you along to do your slice of life thing in B&W with a film camera?

The professional does the groups, and you do the moments.

Yes, I'll suggest them to let me share the "job" with some other invited friend who shoot digital so I can shoot only b/w.



[And by the way, I hope you don't mind, perhaps you mean 'marry' rather than 'merry']
No, I don't mind at all :), I can do even worse with my english! :D


[And again. I saw Chapa last week, the photographer you already know with all the cameras on display but none for sale.

He had a weird Bronica medium format adapted for 35mm.

I cannot imagine why anybody would have done that but he said he had it adapted for just one wedding where the bride wanted a big camera and he wanted 35mm.)

:D Freudian bride's desire?

Ciao,
 
Freudian bride's desire?

She must have wanted it a lot because it clearly was a very expensive camera conversion, but Chapa says that one off wedding paid for it.

It's a bit of a walk to his shop, although worth it to drop off a film and look at his cameras.

He'd be good at RFF as he loves cameras but never has any of his photos on show.
 
Voice of dissent

Voice of dissent

So, here's the thing, my wife thinks I'm an ass sometimes. Usually its because I "tell it like it is." My point of view is this: I didn't start getting better until people hated my photos. The problem with online critique is that rarely does somebody post a photo that receives honest and constructive feedback. Second, I've taken tons of crappy photos, even crappy wedding photos when I first started shooting and found myself in the same situation.

Since you posted this in the "critique" forum, I would like to offer my completely subjective, though grounded in experience, critique.

Photo 1: The bright background is distracting and the highlights have been blown. In this instance I would have backgrounded the subject with the tree on the left. Also, the tree splits the frame and half, and the highlight area on the right takes away from the overall photo.

Photo 2: Detail shot, required, but crappy light (2 in the afternoon?). While it'll be nice for their scrapbook, not sure why it's here.

Photo 3: Again, unavoidable crappy light, I might have pulled them aside to stand in a shadow or something, also would have cropped WAY tighter and maybe done some edge burning as the guy holding out his arms seems to be the subject and I want to use everything in my power to draw eyes to him.

Photo 4: I really like what you're going for here, but smudges on the mirror or bad focus hurt the overall impact as the brides(?) face is blurry.

Photo 5: Classic window light shot, although the background is a little cluttered. I would crop much tighter on this as well, so much so as to cut out the corner from the window.

Photo 6: Another tight crop to remove the lady on the left and focus attention on the bride rather than the window - as I assume the subject is in fact the bride.

Photo 7: Nice. Highlights blown, but probably unavoidable. Would be nice to have detail in the highlights though.

Next Set,

Photo 1: Don't be afraid to move around and get in peoples faces and way, in a polite manner of course. Remember, you have a mission to accomplish and need to use all the space you reasonably can to "get the shot" I understand what you're trying to do with all the cameras in the frame, but I'm not sure you pulled it off. Might be fixed with a tight crop of bride and groom.

Photo 2: I'd like to see all of the subjects face in this one. Get close and attention to detail.

Photo 3: The groom almost disappears into the black. This shot would have worked better with the bride against the shadow for great contrast.

Photo 4: Nice.

Photo 5: Crop tight or get closer, the subject appears to be the placing of the rings and the photo should have only enough info for me to understand that.

Photo 6: Nice. Fill flash would have helped the grooms face, but you've already acknowledged this.

Photo 7: I'm probably just an insensitive jerk, but I don't really feel the emotion in this one. Maybe its because I don't see tears, maybe its because it looks like the guy is picking his nose. Not sure.

Okay, I know it seems like I've been a total harshmellow and your photos aren't that bad. I hope you can take this as subjective constructive criticism and not some personnel attack.

Since you've opened yourself up to critique, I think it's only fair that I share a wedding that I recently shot:
http://beyondthenegative.com/gallery/RobertNatashaWedding/index.html

They aren't all favorites, but the photos are for the family, not me. Thank you.
 
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johnsonjj22,
thanks a lot for the time you dedicated this little gallery.
I want to assure you I highly appreciate your critique which is honest,
respectful and constructive. In no way it can be read as a personal attack.
For an easier reading I put my replies right after your comments in each photo.


Photo 1: The bright background is distracting and the highlights have been blown. In this instance I would have backgrounded the subject with the tree on the left. Also, the tree splits the frame and half, and the highlight area on the right takes away from the overall photo.
Well, you're right about light, the sun was shinying very hard and I had lots of difficulties to manage it as you clearly noted in many shots. You're right, placing the subject with only the tree on the background would have helped the exposure and the composition.

Photo 2: Detail shot, required, but crappy light (2 in the afternoon?). While it'll be nice for their scrapbook, not sure why it's here.
The photo is here right to know if it's ok to take shots like this for a wedding album. About the light you're right as above.

Photo 3: Again, unavoidable crappy light, I might have pulled them aside to stand in a shadow or something, also would have cropped WAY tighter and maybe done some edge burning as the guy holding out his arms seems to be the subject and I want to use everything in my power to draw eyes to him.
Impossible to move them (not kidding) they asked me to shoot without asking them to pose (except for a few family photos), so I had to take the photos of the celabration under that harsh light :bang:.

Photo 4: I really like what you're going for here, but smudges on the mirror or bad focus hurt the overall impact as the brides(?) face is blurry.
It's an ancient mirror with irregular and "dirty" glass (no focus problems here); I was looking for some sort of "dream like" effect but maybe it's not working...

Photo 5: Classic window light shot, although the background is a little cluttered. I would crop much tighter on this as well, so much so as to cut out the corner from the window.
I remeber I tried to crop tighter but it would have been too tight, in my opinion, anyway I could have been dusting off the corner of the window...

Photo 6: Another tight crop to remove the lady on the left and focus attention on the bride rather than the window - as I assume the subject is in fact the bride.
It's the bride hairfixing so i decided to leave the woman who's doing the job. I shot it as "environmetal portrait" that's why I left the window with an out of focus landscape...

Photo 7: Nice. Highlights blown, but probably unavoidable. Would be nice to have detail in the highlights though.
I agree about details in the highlights, I must check on the original file but I think it can be fixed...

Next Set,
Photo 1: Don't be afraid to move around and get in peoples faces and way, in a polite manner of course. Remember, you have a mission to accomplish and need to use all the space you reasonably can to "get the shot" I understand what you're trying to do with all the cameras in the frame, but I'm not sure you pulled it off. Might be fixed with a tight crop of bride and groom.
I see your point but if I crop I wonder if the smile of the bride has the same sense (now you can see why is smiling).

Photo 2: I'd like to see all of the subjects face in this one. Get close and attention to detail.
what really annoys me here are the shadows on the groom's face ...

Photo 3: The groom almost disappears into the black. This shot would have worked better with the bride against the shadow for great contrast./QUOTE]
I agree with you ...

Photo 4: Nice.
thanks :)

Photo 5: Crop tight or get closer, the subject appears to be the placing of the rings and the photo should have only enough info for me to understand that.
mmh ... yes, a tighter crop would work better...

Photo 6: Nice. Fill flash would have helped the grooms face, but you've already acknowledged this.
yes ...

Photo 7: I'm probably just an insensitive jerk, but I don't really feel the emotion in this one. Maybe its because I don't see tears, maybe its because it looks like the guy is picking his nose. Not sure.
:D I have the same idea with that guy...

Okay, I know it seems like I've been a total harshmellow and your photos aren't that bad. I hope you can take this as subjective constructive criticism and not some personnel attack.
I'm grateful to you for the time you spent writing helpful constructive criticism on my photos :)
All the best,
 
nico:


Could you walk around town and look in the windows of some wedding photographers?

Or take Gaia with you and go inside and look at some samples. Like make out you may be interested for 'your wedding'.

I guarantee that what you see won't be as good as these. Exposure and composition will be awful, and they will look like a photo for a group passport.

My favorite odd one is the local farming couple who got married, she was photographed on a haystack, and he was photographed with a horse. Next time a regular couple got married and wanted the same as before: so she was photographed on her bed, and was was photographed with his bicycle. I tried to buy the set of four but the photographer realised what I was up to and refused to sell me the photos.

For your next wedding let your friends chose the photographer and then perhaps pay him/her a visit and explain that you'll be the 'official' informal photographer.
 
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