Engagement photos

[Buckster]

I love the guitar shot and can see what you are showing. These where taken mid day and in a rush. I had to drive over 200 miles to take two different shoots. I am not familiar with the area, so had to depend upon my cousin to choose the places. They wanted railroad tracks and fields. The couple loves nature. I am going to rework the photos, and try some crops as you all suggested. I have a problem I can't customers to get past that a person looks better not focused in the middle of the frame. Most photo experience from years ago portrait shots. I crop all different ways and the middle age on will mostly insist on the person being in the middle. Thanks everyone for your comments.

Personally speaking, while I recognise good advice about cropping, if the customer really wants to be in the middle of the photo, they can be in the middle of the photo. At the end of the day, clichés are in the eye of the beholder and if they really want train tracks they can have train tracks. Customers pay the bills and the customer is always right... Just thought I'd run that up the flagpole and see who salutes.

I salute it. Give the customer what they want. Absolutely. I've been wrangled into using ugly backgrounds because, "that's what the other photographer used for the rest of our corporate headshots, and we want this new one to match them" or because it's a composite and I let the folks choose from literally scores of backgrounds available. Que sera. I'm getting paid to deliver. But those have been rather specific cases that aren't like location shoots the way this one is.

That said, on the other hand, and specifically for stuff like location shoots, unless they tell me up front or during the shoot that they want some specific look, like placing them in the middle of the photo when I know that's a compositionally bad idea, it's not going to happen. It's not like I give them the choice or the creative control - I normally retain that. I don't call out to them, "would you like me to place you in the middle of this photo, even though it's a really bad idea compositionally for reasons that go beyond your understanding?"

They're not looking through the viewfinder. They're not composing and framing the shot. So, they don't know what's going on in the first place. I've never had a client call out to me, "make sure I'm in the middle of the picture, camera guy!" By the time they get the finished product, it's sort of too late, and I've never had a client say, "Gee, could we go back and get one of me in the middle of the picture?" If they're in the middle of the frame, it's not because they insisted, but because that's what I chose for them.

Moreover, I make sure that we establish the roles we each play in the shoot: I am the professional photographer, director and producer with the knowledge, skill, and ability to make the technical and creative choices that produce the final results. They are the talent to be molded and positioned per my direction for the best outcome. I work on my side of the camera, and they work on theirs.

In other words, "that's what they wanted" in this case is a little hard for me to grasp, quite honestly.

 

[bunny99123]

I shoot from all different angles: lying on the ground, ladders, around corners, probably on my head if I could, but many people will ask me If I can crop it so they are centered. So, many years of family shots where clients where center posed. I do not push it...it is there pictures, because they are paying for them and spend many years on their walls for others to view. Many of my younger customers love the different angles and unique backgrounds. Some also, like the pose, but want a center shot to place in a newspaper. I have one customer, who insist before I even shoot that each photo be centered. Her wish is my command...her money pays my bills. I have never had anyone ask for a center shot during a shoot. But, during the viewing, I have had several ask if I can center it. Additonally, my clients look at the photos on my laptop before I leave a site, to see if they like the shoot or want to add another pose. A few have asked me to re-shoot them in a certain pose as a center shot. When the customer is happy, I am happy. I so appreciate everyone C&C. I have learned so much from viewing photos and reading comments.