First Engagement Shoot

[MichaelHenson]

A good buddy of mine recently got engaged and I offered to do their engagement photos for them...Learned some things, there are definitely some things that I would do differently and I'm sure that all you pros on here will give me plenty to work on/remember/fix for the next time I'm out.

Things I know I need to work on: tack sharp focus, watching "hotspots" on the faces, engagement ring straight, etc.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites!









Thanks!

 

[sscarmack]

Love the expressions in number 2....

Natural light can be really hard sometimes, I think you did well for what you were given.

The only thing that could of made it better was a reflector or off camera flash.

I like them.

 

[MichaelHenson]

Well, I am ecstatic that you like them! I love the work I've seen you post so your opinion is valuable to me. Thanks!

I used a reflector on some...but, again, it was my first time using a reflector and I could have done a lot, LOT, better.

I was admiring D-B-J's engagement post and there's one where they're on a wall and he used flash...I would assume that if I were to use some off camera flash, it would really help sharpen them up, right?

Also, I stuck to my 55-300 in Aperture priority for the whole shoot. I've noticed that my backgrounds aren't as blurred as D-B-J's and I really like the way his are. I'm thinking I'll do some practice runs with my 50mm 1.8 (should = 85mm since I'm using the D5200) to see how much separation I'm able to get. I wasn't able to get below 4.5 on this shoot and I think that the combination of a wider aperture, faster shutter speeds, and an OCF should get me a bit closer to the things that I like in other engagement shoots I've seen posted on here...

Right?

This is one of my favorites with the gold side of my reflector. I need to work on ensuring the reflector isn't too strong...Practice will make perfect...eventually!

 

[sscarmack]

Yes, this shot is much much better! I appreciate the kind words too.

Correct. The longer your focal and larger (smaller number) your aperture (f stop) the more depth you will get, which is usually referred to as 'bokeh'.

The more separation you have from the background the more focus you get on your subject.

Thats why I love using my 70-200 2.8 for portraits. If you can shoot at 200mm at 2.8, the background is just completely blown out.

 

[Braineack]

I want added vibrancy and the skin/teeth/eyes are all approaching gray dead zombie status how you currently have processed them.

 

[tirediron]

Not bad at all for your first go, and I think you produced well given your gear! A couple of thoughts for improvements in the future. Engagements and weddings are about the bride. The groom is incidental, and engagement shoots are especially about the bride-to-be's ring. The guitar shot is a great idea, so much nicer than the usual bleah 'here's my ring' shot we've seen a million of, BUT... her hand should be more prominent than his, and with the less than aesthetically pleasing condition of his fingernails, I would have asked him to curl them in a bit. Your last shot is nice, the gold is a little strong for my taste; I think a white/gold might have been more appropriate, but the big thing is that you cropped off bits of her fingers. Two main things in any sort of portrait work: Backgrounds (which you've dealt with nicely) and cropped bits, be they fingers, toes, elbows, etc. Always avoid doing that if at all possible.

 

[tirediron]

I want added vibrancy and the skin/teeth/eyes are all approaching gray dead zombie status how you currently have processed them.

I disagree; I think they look real and natural, NOT the brilliant 'Crest commercial' white that so many people, especially young women, seem to have.

 

[MichaelHenson]

Thats why I love using my 70-200 2.8 for portraits. If you can shoot at 200mm at 2.8, the background is just completely blown out.

I'd love to have one! I don't have a spare vehicle laying around to sell in order to afford one right now though... I'll just work to make do with that I have. I worked the telephoto with less than stellar aperture, next I'll give the old fast prime lens a workout and see what I come up with.

Not bad at all for your first go, and I think you produced well given your gear! A couple of thoughts for improvements in the future. Engagements and weddings are about the bride. The groom is incidental, and engagement shoots are especially about the bride-to-be's ring. The guitar shot is a great idea, so much nicer than the usual bleah 'here's my ring' shot we've seen a million of, BUT... her hand should be more prominent than his, and with the less than aesthetically pleasing condition of his fingernails, I would have asked him to curl them in a bit. Your last shot is nice, the gold is a little strong for my taste; I think a white/gold might have been more appropriate, but the big thing is that you cropped off bits of her fingers. Two main things in any sort of portrait work: Backgrounds (which you've dealt with nicely) and cropped bits, be they fingers, toes, elbows, etc. Always avoid doing that if at all possible.

Thanks! I don't have the highest quality setup so I'm trying to take to heart all the lessons about "it's the photographer, not the camera/lens,etc." that I've heard and really learn to make great photos with what I have...

I agree about the guitar shot. I love the concept and it was kind of difficult to find a happy medium between a natural, "he's really showing her how to create a chord" look and showcasing the ring.

Regarding the "gold shot," I agree. The gold is a bit strong. It was my first time breaking out the reflector so I have a long way to go before I have the nuances of that down...Silver was too silver, white didn't seem to help much, and without it the shadows were way too strong. Since everything was so new to me I didn't want to introduce the OCF quite yet. I may be taking a baby doll or something from by daughter's room and spending some time outside working with the flash/reflector to get a better understanding of how to make them work for me.