1st wedding

[sarahm]

I shot my first wedding and the priest was really strict....
So I got everything mostly from the balcony in the back of the church.

Tell me what you think....

(Also, can I only post one picture per thread?)

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum,

Yes, you can post more than one image per post but if you want serious critique, it's easier with one image at a time.

As for this one, I don't like the frame. Maybe a simple black like would suffice but this is distracting attention away from the image. Did you apply selective blur? Some parts look pretty soft and to me, it does not look like shallow DOF. I like the idea that the outsides of the image need to be toned down to focus attention on the important part...but I think cropping may be a better option here. Showing empty pews is usually not very good for this type of thing.

Also, the image needs to be straightened...it's tilted to the right.

I don't mean to sound harsh, it's a nice image. I like the soft tones and the view from the balcony.

 

[sarahm]

Thanks for your input. I know this image needs a lot of work....
I was playing with the borders, I know that is way too distracting!

I applied a soft focus in Photoshop.

Thanks for your advice....

 

[Alison]

I really like the angle of this shot! I agree with all that Mike pointed out. I like the tones, but the softness is a bit too much for me. I'd love to see others from your shoot!

 

[sarahm]

Ok, here's more....

And another...

 

[sarahm]

The cake...

 

[sarahm]

Any suggestions on how I could of shot this better?
I did use flash in this picture with my Canon 20D - 580EX.

I know the picture is leaning to the right a little too.

 

[Big Mike]

This last one is tough...it looks a little under exposed but too much more and the highlights would blow out.

Do you use Photoshop? Maybe try the shadow/highlight adjustment and bring up the shadow areas.

Another idea, there is not much color here, maybe see how it looks when converted to black & white with a bump up in the contrast. Just a thought.

 

[sarahm]

Ok, I will give that a try. I do have photoshop.

 

[Vmann]

I like the wedding cake shot. Minus the file cabint in the background. A simple trick Ive used for shots like this is get a couple groomsmen/bridesmaids to stand 5 to 10 feet back so there outfits blur but you still capture the essance of a wedding atmosphere while eliminating the background.

I agree with Mike that shadows/highlights might help eliminate some of the shadows while not blowing out the whites and I would also go with BW on that one.


Good shots