friend's engagement pix

choudhrysaab · Jul 13, 2009

musicaleCA said:
Getting to know the client before hand with the camera might help.

the guy in the picture is my friend/co-worker and i've met his fiance many times so i didn't think they're uncomfortable because of me (or at least thats what they told me) they just said they themselves are not comfortable with their pictures being taken while they're being affectionate towards each other.

but thank you for your input =)

musicaleCA · Jul 13, 2009

The point is that they're comfortable with you + camera. They might be your best friend, but if they don't see you with your camera all the time, then they still might be uncomfortable because of it, whether they know it or not.

Or, you could set them loose and shoot at 1000mm. :greenpbl:

Sirashley · Jul 13, 2009

Well I can tell you that when my wife and I had our engagement pictures, the photographers (who were excellent by the way) told us before we even started that the better we listened and the more natural we were, the better our shots would come out. They were totally right.

Being a photographer myself, I spent allot of time talking with these guys and they were funny. They were saying that many times, they have to struggle just to get people to smile, or to look a certain direction. The fact is many people need coaching, you know, (put your hand in your pocket, put your weight on your back foot, push your chest out, tilt your head, and so on...)

as far as the photos go, #1 the background is just wicked distracting #2 looks as if you photoshopped the groom out of the photo

, there is just allot of empty space #3 is by far the best shot. It is an excellent candid shot, although I do think it could be sharper (I know you said you were going for the soft look, but I think the bride is alittle too soft, especially her teeth.) #4 the bottle is distracting and the color seems a tad off #5 Truthfully, I like the lines, but I think that the weather wasn't helping you that day, I think it may have worked alittle better had you been alittle closer to the bride to create alittle more depth of field. #6 The photo itself is technically good, the brides expression is lovely as well. The groom however is leaning in with his neck. This is the hard part because its difficult to control peoples body language. I think maybe if he stood up straighter, and brought his chest out alittle that would make all the difference in the world. Also, someone else said this, but this shot would be much better in portrait. Just my two cents and I'm no pro. Good shooting and post future results.

Ron Evers · Jul 13, 2009

I do not think #2 & 5 have a place in the "engagement". #1 & 4 show the most intimacy with #1 being best. However, # 1 has very much distraction in the background that you might consider cropping out.

choudhrysaab · Jul 13, 2009

Thanx a lot everyone ... really appreciate it a lot.

inTempus · Jul 13, 2009

Well, I personally don't like the "soft" look. If you selectively soften things like skin or background, that's one thing. But when you soften the whole image it just looks out of focus.

#2 I like the least. I don't know what you're trying to get a picture of there... her or the bush/tree/plant.

#3 is probably the best.

The others are somewhere in between.

I would sharpen things up, give them a little more color and contrast (selectively apply the contrast to the mid-tones) and maybe bump the exposure a tad on #3. I would also fix the out of whack white balance in #4. Hopefully you have these as RAW's.