Second photographer at a wedding

[photographedmemories]

So, I was a second photographer at a wedding. Here's a few of my favorite shots:

1. a candid shot of the bride and maid of honor.

2.

3.

4. the flower girl running

5.

6. the maid of honor and her adorable son

7. the bride and groom chose this photo for their thank you cards.

8. she was so adorable!!

9.

10. there were a bunch of kids in the wedding party, and this cute baby was wheeled down the aisle!! so cute!

11.

12.

C&C welcomed. Thanks for viewing.

 

[photographedmemories]

Any comments?

I'm still learning and would like any advice that would help me improve my photos.

Thanks.

 

[dEARlEADER]

they look good... sort of too many to crit.... i think some better cropping would help

image 4 flower girl running i'd pretty much scrap... you can't see running or flowers and the subjects back is too you... doesn't make for a very strong image imo

image 5 IMO i would crop a little closer to bring up some more subject detail

image 8 the flower girl is very cute but the background elements are distracting (ie the guy puffing a butt camera left, and other people camera right)... not sure what I would do about this... at first I though just crop it tighter.. but then you would lose the bed of pedals on the grass.... I dunno cloning would be tuff.... maybe add a vignette or crop it..


these are just small things and are a matter of opinion... good for you on your first wedding as a second shooter..

 

[darich]

I've been second photographer at a wedding and know how difficult it is so I almost feel bad saying this but I feel most of them are a bit over exposed.
Blacks have become grey and in a few images the white has lost detail and become a shape rather than the folds of a wedding dress.

I've found that when shooting with a DSLR it's sometimes a better image if you underexpose by 1/3 from what the camera says.

Some good ideas and compositions though

 

[tirediron]

Comments per req:

1. A really great shot; they'll both probably hate you forever, but it's a perfect candid capture!

2. Nice idea, however: You've got an exposure issue here in that the sun is coming from camera left, and that side of her dress is at least a full stop brighter than the other. Note the way the detail on her dress is almost grey toward image right. Ideally ask her to turn to her left and get the most even exposure, and, if necessary, use some fill flash. Also note the piece of wood in the background; that should be cloned out in post.

3. Nice but definitely over-exposed. Probably 2/3 of a stop or more. You're in a very difficult situation here, with black, white and a bright colour. Remember, expose for the highlights (in this case either the shirt or the brightest area of the rose). For scenese like this, carry a small grey card with you and meter that or use an incident meter.

4. Again, nice idea, but with some technical issues; this image is slightly under-exposed resulting in muted colours, and I think perhaps, the WB is off slightly. In this case a white card would have served you well. Also look at your DoF; there's too much of it.

5. Nice, but you've got some seriously bad perspective happening here. Notice the way the trees are leaning image left, but the behind the brid is vertical. Always make sure your camera is level and square to the subject plane.

6. Nice, but a little over-exposed (note the blown highlights in the child's sleeve), and excessive DoF. Also be cognizant of things like hte brown area at neck level; this could easily be cloned out in post.

7. This is where you as the photographer have to take charge. The groom is looking at something, but it's not the camera, as well, the bride seems to be squinting and has blown highlights on the lower, left area of her dress. Also be careful of your positioning. "Things" growing out of people's heads (In this case the white post) are never a good look.

8. Cute, but WB seems a little off to me, and cropping the people on the periphery might not hurt.

9. A classic, again WB and exposure issues, however there's not much you can do about it in this case; there's no do-overs for 'The Kiss'.

10. Excellent idea, good exposure on this one, but your WB is now too cold (blue). You definitely need to keep a white card handy and reference it every few frames.

11. Nice, good exposure, good expressions, but try and distance the subjects from the background in order to make a softer, less distracting background.

12. As per 11, and again, refer to comments for 7; in this case the 'Y' of the tree is behind both their heads.

Overall, they're good pictures. I've made a lot of points, many of which are fairly nit-picky, but posted with the aim of helping you improve next time. In general, be more careful with your exposure and WB; a grey/white card is very useful, and well worth having in your pocket. Also work on improving your 'background eye', that is, being able to see those little things that the average person doesn't notice, but become glaringly apparent in photographs.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.

~John

 

[photographedmemories]

7. This is where you as the photographer have to take charge. The groom is looking at something, but it's not the camera, as well, the bride seems to be squinting and has blown highlights on the lower, left area of her dress. Also be careful of your positioning. "Things" growing out of people's heads (In this case the white post) are never a good look.

I was the second photographer for this wedding, so there a lot of photos with the bride and groom looking elsewhere, because they're looking at the main photographer. I didn't want to take their eyes off her since it was her gig. The bride has very squinty eyes, in and out of the sun, so there's nothing that can be fixed there.

Thanks so much for your input. I really appreciate the time you took to critique each photo. I'll take your advice and use it.

 

[tirediron]

I was the second photographer for this wedding, so there a lot of photos with the bride and groom looking elsewhere, because they're looking at the main photographer. I didn't want to take their eyes off her since it was her gig. The bride has very squinty eyes, in and out of the sun, so there's nothing that can be fixed there.

Thanks so much for your input. I really appreciate the time you took to critique each photo. I'll take your advice and use it.

Oops, yes you mentioned that didn't you; sorry. You're right, wouldn't do to upstage the primary shooter.

 

[hedonia]

As far as #1 goes, I think the adorable expression on the bride's face, and the sweetness of the moment, overshadow any technical problems. Have you thought about a tighter crop? Little of what's going out outside the faces is of interest, or terribly flattering. This might be a photo where a vignette makes a lot of sense, to draw the eye in.