Engagement set - East TX

jamesbjenkins · Apr 29, 2012

Hey all, I recently shot an engaged couple I've known for a while. I'll be shooting their wedding next March. Take a look at this sneak peek and let me know what you think! Thanks!

1. On the porch

2. Over the shoulder

3. Elizabethan clowning

4. In the road

5. By the sign

6. Model faces

marmots · Apr 29, 2012

the highlights in the first one are too bright for my taste, and i feel like #2 & #6 could have some darker shadows

other than that their pretty good

Kerbouchard · Apr 29, 2012

Honestly, the only one that looks like more than a snapshot is #2, and for it to be a standout, you would have had to tell him to tilt his head a bit to the right.

marmots · Apr 29, 2012

Kerbouchard said:
Honestly, the only one that looks like more than a snapshot is #2, and for it to be a standout, you would have had to tell him to tilt his head a bit to the right.

ok good! i wasn't sure if it as just me seeing that, so i didn't want to say it, i am seriously lacking in my portrait knowledge

cgipson1 · Apr 29, 2012

#1.. overexposed.. faces and hands way too bright! Those white posts are fried.... CS5 Color Sampler shows the left post at 253!
#2 best of the bunch.. but the framing is really "not good"... he is not even half a subject
#3 Not flattering to the male.. looks like he has a stick up his ***!

Dappled lighting doesn't look good.. fried highlights on his arm
#4... don't care for it....background is distracting... lighting is very harsh.. shadows are very harsh
#5 Lighting is harsh.... way harsh!
#6 not a flattering pose for either of them.. they look "WIDE"! Typically you want to "short" light heavy people.... and pose them to minimize "droop"! Her right arm is not flattering at all!

But I am sure they liked them.....

jamesbjenkins · Apr 29, 2012

Guess I'm 0 for 3 with this crowd.

Thankfully, none of you are paying me. ;-)

#6 is the only one I'm not happy with in the set I posted.

Gipson, I appreciate your feedback.

Kerbouchard, your snapshots must be a lot nicer than mine if you call any of these shots "snapshots"... maybe you should calibrate your monitor :lol:

Dominantly · Apr 29, 2012

I can see where the term snapshot could be used to describe the misses in posing/composition/exposure.

#2 and 6 aren't terrible, but they still lack a bit of refinement that I would expect for payment.
The rest have some serious lighting/clarity issues that I wouldn't be happy with.
For example in #5 you have that shot of the Austin sign with some people out of focus at the end of it, with some hot flat lighting, and other things that mildly take away like the pole and tuft of grass.

tirediron · Apr 29, 2012

C&C per req:

1. I like the pose and composition; this is one case where centering the subject works. As mentioned, the highlights? Ouch! His expression however doesn't really say "I'm happy to be here".

2. Great expression, walk the highlights back a hair. I wish though it wasn't so tight.

3. The perfect example of why you don't pose subjects immediately in front of a tree. He's got three antlers and she's got one big one! Between his expression and the processing and background, I'd bin this one.

4. Again a bit hot on the highlights, and a rather cliche pose. I think this would have been a lot stronger if you had placed them closer to the vanishing point of the lines. As-is, my eye goes right past them. It also seems to lean slightly right.

5. I'll assume that there is some significance to this. Not a bad shot, but doesn't really scream 'engagement' to me. I think I would have preferred to see more of their faces.

6. He looks like he wants to hit you! I would try and avoid quite such obvious attempts to show off the ring. I think you should have been telling jokes or something here; their exprssions really don't work, and watch your cropping and when possible avoid things like the disembodied knee.

I don't see these as 'snapshot-ish' as some of the others, but I definitely see where they could have been improved.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

jamesbjenkins · Apr 29, 2012

Let it never be said that I was above criticism. Per some of your suggestions, I have retouched the images that didn't suffer compositional issues. These were all shot yesterday, and the client hasn't received anything yet. Feedback on the edits is appreciated.

1. Over the shoulder - Different pose

2. On the porch

3. By the sign - cropped / toned down / cloned away grass, pole

More to come when I complete the set...

Dominantly · Apr 29, 2012

That first one is much better, good job on the sign shot (doesn't it just look cleaner?!?), and I like think the recovery on the poles of the second shot is much better, but I might explore a crop, or removal of that ?!chair?! in the bottom center. It's kind of awkward and might draw some unwanted attention.

cgipson1 · Apr 29, 2012

Edits / re-posts are much improved!

Kerbouchard · Apr 29, 2012

jamesbjenkins said:
Kerbouchard, your snapshots must be a lot nicer than mine if you call any of these shots "snapshots"... maybe you should calibrate your monitor

My monitor is calibrated, and yes, since you asked, my throwaways are nicer than these. I was being generous when I referred to them as snapshots.

Actually, before I hit the backspace key, I had said that I hope they get a chance to see these before the wedding. That would give them an opportunity to choose another photographer. You just aren't ready. With the gear you have, you should be producing better results. Just my opinion.

My parents and inlaws are in Lufkin...let me know the day of the shoot...I might be able to help you out.

Robin Usagani · Apr 30, 2012

LOL... wow.. just wow... Kerbouchard speaks like he is a master wedding photographer.

Kerbouchard said:
jamesbjenkins said:

Kerbouchard, your snapshots must be a lot nicer than mine if you call any of these shots "snapshots"... maybe you should calibrate your monitor

Click to expand...

My monitor is calibrated, and yes, since you asked, my throwaways are nicer than these. I was being generous when I referred to them as snapshots.

Actually, before I hit the backspace key, I had said that I hope they get a chance to see these before the wedding. That would give them an opportunity to choose another photographer. You just aren't ready. With the gear you have, you should be producing better results. Just my opinion.

My parents and inlaws are in Lufkin...let me know the day of the shoot...I might be able to help you out.

jamesbjenkins · Apr 30, 2012

Kerbouchard said:
My monitor is calibrated, and yes, since you asked, my throwaways are nicer than these. I was being generous when I referred to them as snapshots.

Actually, before I hit the backspace key, I had said that I hope they get a chance to see these before the wedding. That would give them an opportunity to choose another photographer. You just aren't ready. With the gear you have, you should be producing better results. Just my opinion.

My parents and inlaws are in Lufkin...let me know the day of the shoot...I might be able to help you out.

I'm going to assume that your dog died, or something terrible has happened to give you such a hostile attitude.

I wasn't aware my thread was a pissing contest. Especially seeing as how I've posted only 6 of the 32 images I'm going to deliver, and the first shots posted are practically SOOC!

And, if this is the tone you usually take when offering constructive criticism, your "just my opinion" might as well be floating in my toilet. If I'm doing something fundamentally wrong, then address it. All you've done is hijack my otherwise civil thread with your nonsense. There's absolutely no excuse for a grown man to be so rude.

Robin Usagani · Apr 30, 2012

James, try not to be too posey next time. Sometimes I like to tell them to go to a certain spot and do their thing unposed. I am a fan of #2. Take some shot of her with her eyes closed too so it doesnt feel as posed and you can feel the connection between them.