Lauren + Rick... my first wedding post on TPF

[jamesbjenkins]

Hey all, I've been an active member here for a bit, but this is my first time posting wedding shots here. This was my third wedding ever, and the first with my new D700. I'd love some feedback! I was really pleased with several of them. I'm beginning to figure out my signature look. Enjoy...

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7. One of my favorites! The groom's parents are on the right, the bride's on the left...


8.


9.


10. They love these high contrast, sharp b&w's. This is another favorite...


11.


12.


13.


14.


15. Special request of the bride. Terrible lighting forced ISO 3200...


16.


17.


18.


19.


I tried to show some diversity with my selections. I'd love to hear what you think! Thanks.

 

[Kerbouchard]

Holy Watermark, Batman!

 

[Robin Usagani]

ditto on the watermark.


Here are some of my thoughts. I think you really need to be consistent with your processing. It is all over the place. Different tints of B&W, different processing for color. A few are processed too much almost like faux HDR. You also need to work on your flash bouncing skill. If I am not mistaken, a lot of this are shot with bounced flash + stoffen. Telling you... loose the stoffen. Learn to bounce without one. You will yield much better result without one. Perhaps you didnt show enough of the formal ones but I dont see full body shots. I am very critical when it comes to wedding photography though .

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Thanks for the opinion Schwetty! I do use the stoffen with the hot shoe flash, but I'm considering several options. How would you suggest I bounce without one to get appropriate fill? It's been my experience that a naked hot shoe flash always gives a lot of specular nasties and hot points.

As far as the processing goes, I try to give my clients lots of "flavors" in their pictures, lots of high contrast BW, some vintagey processing, most just standard balanced color processing. Honestly, I'm still trying to settle on my signature look. This is the first wedding I've been really happy with the B&W results. I get what you mean about consistency though...

Thanks for sharing.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Holy new watermark, Batman! Thoughts?

 

[paigew]

I think they are nice. I love the photo with bride and groom kissing along with their parents? on each side. So cute! I don't think I have seen that before

 

[o hey tyler]

Okay man, I'll open a studio that charges exorbitant rates with you and everything... But you really need to loose all compositional technique if you want this to work. I'm talking like, really bad compositions is what we're going for... You also used flash? WTF? Natural light, dude. Get with the program.

 

[Kerbouchard]

My favorite is #17, but I am a sucker for shots like this.

Just noticed you are in Nacogdoches...small world. I grew up in Lufkin.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

I think they are nice. I love the photo with bride and groom kissing along with their parents? on each side. So cute! I don't think I have seen that before

Glad you like them. Feel free to steal the "triple kiss" idea!

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Okay man, I'll open a studio that charges exorbitant rates with you and everything... But you really need to loose all compositional technique if you want this to work. I'm talking like, really bad compositions is what we're going for... You also used flash? WTF? Natural light, dude. Get with the program.

OK. I'm on board with that, but there's only one problem. If we're only using natural light, we can't use our cool pop-up flashes on our entry level bodies. AND that will make it harder to get really bad pictures out of the mode on my camera with the little green box. I'm not sure what AUTO means, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I mean, the only website I read is Ken Rockwell, and he doesn't have a problem with it...

So, we're gonna charge at least $5000 for our basic package, right? Because obviously, if we're the most expensive photographers around, we're definitely the best, right?

I'll start looking for the right place for a studio...

 

[Robin Usagani]

When you bounce, you don't want any light goes directly from flash head to your subject. All stoffen does, it sends the light all over the place and a lot of it will go directly to subject. Bouncing the flash is like making your light source bigger. Don't use a stoffen and bounce the flash to the ceiling and wall behind you or sometimes on the side. It is the most important thing to learn in event photography. There is a reason I knew you used a stoffen.... It just doesn't yield good result. The only time it does, is when you do direct flash with no bounce. It will produce somewhat better result than direct flash.

 

[AnnMo]

#7 and 12 are my favs!!

7 is definitely a signature piece! I would highlight this one in your portfolio! Thanks for sharing.

 

[g-fi]

#15 is one of my MOST HATED WEDDING SHOTS EVAR! Why do clients request this?? Good job all around, but man, I wouldn't be putting #15 in my portfolio lol.