Slightly Frustrated - What am I doing wrong?

[Espike]

I don't know the first thing about wedding photography, and I am still learning the basics. I can however, see that that image is pretty crooked. I know that you said it has only been exported so I would expect to see it level in a final edit. That being said, your website features a lot of images with similar tilts leading me to think that maybe you're not aware of it. If you post a link to a raw, would you allow us to edit it? Would you allow us to edit this jpg for that matter?

 

[60D]

Good for you for reaching out in the first place. It shows that you really want to improve and become a great photographer. Don't get frustrated. I have had two years of technical training at a university in photography and I still hit walls every day and have to seek advice or look up a solution or just experiment until I get it. The key is taking critique with notepad in hand and make use of it. You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. So my advice to you is this. Go to lynda.com and watch all of the videos on photography you can possibly watch before your eyes pop out. It is an instructional site that caters to any level photographer so start where you really need improvement.

 

[suzzie_stretch]

Good for you for reaching out in the first place. It shows that you really want to improve and become a great photographer. Don't get frustrated. I have had two years of technical training at a university in photography and I still hit walls every day and have to seek advice or look up a solution or just experiment until I get it. The key is taking critique with notepad in hand and make use of it. You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. So my advice to you is this. Go to lynda.com and watch all of the videos on photography you can possibly watch before your eyes pop out. It is an instructional site that caters to any level photographer so start where you really need improvement.

Thank you sooooo very much, I really appreciate it, you have no idea

Yes the 2 images I posted I am ok with them being edited, if you dont mind adding the steps of what you've done to it, that would be really great Thank you!

 

[Ysarex]

this one is essentially straight from camera, it was processed from raw to jpeg, but if I've uploaded it correctly, it should be full image size.

When I did my schooling for photography, it was all still film, and that to me was so simple, so manual and easy to get, theres soo many possibilties with my digital now, that perhaps its overwhelming.

MY portfolio is online, as well as printed for clients to see, so they know fully ahead of time the type of product I can offer them for the price they are paying. I've only ever had happy clients, but I KNOW I can do better, I may just need to update my skill set to stay with the new equipment and everything.

I appreciate the helpful insight so far, I want to be a sponge and take all this on, I will look into the provided links as well, thank you

Film/digital -- basics remain the same. Get the light right! In this photo in the mall you got the light wrong. Your subjects are placed in front of a bright backlight. Your exposure for the subjects is under and yet the exposure for the background is way over. There is only one fix for this: You fix the light or you fail -- pick one. Film would have failed here. There are no tricks in the digital bag that turn bad lighting in good lighting. You can't shoot against a backlight like that and not blow out the highlights. Adverse lighting is a common condition. Fix it or avoid it. Taking the photo anyway is like trying to knock down a foot thick concrete wall with your head.

Joe

 

[Noxire]

Im going to take a stab at editing your image.

Although i have to agree with earlier sentiments that the image seems soft, It's more soft than my samyang 85mm wide open :S

 

[Noxire]

Aaaaand here we go.

Now, the picture has more "pop".

I added local contrast, reduced green saturation, reduced over all saturation, sharpened, added vignette, dodge & burned the bride/groom, decreased exposure in the background, darkened the store windows, selective sharpening on bride/groom.

Now, this still isn't a good image :/
The biggest problem is the location, big differences in exposure, coupled with a very messy background.

You could have solved this by; Using a wide prime opened up and placing the couple closer to camera thus blurring the background.

You could also have used a ND filter on the lens and used the highest sync-speed for flash to cut out as much ambient as possible (giving you the possibility of using a wide aperture without overexposing.).

You could then have underexposed the background with ~1 stop

And then lit up the now underexposed couple with an above camera light-source and making them really pop.

 

[Robin Usagani]

The composition of that photo is not very good IMO. I dont understand why:

1. you dont try your best and blur the background. It is too busy.
2. you told the wedding party to stand there. You are making the background even busier.
3. the party was not posed very well. Some are visible, some are not.

Blur it! That will require you to fill the frame with your subject more.

 

[imagemaker46]

I agree with everything that has been said on this thread and it seems the op really wants to learn and understand all the mistakes, I can't add anything that hasn't been said, only that this is a perfect example of an amateur using the right gear jumping into being a professional photographer without understanding the basics of shooting a good photo. The obvious lack of understanding light and how to use it is the first concern. Learning how to shoot film because everything is manual should have made it easier to shoot digital, not more difficult.

 

[suzzie_stretch]

Thank you everyone, I've ordered up a couple of books that have been suggested, they are on their way, and I'm going to look into seeing if I can find any classes that can get me back on my game again, appreciate the positive comments, and I've accepted all the negative ones, and I don't want to give up on this, I do hope I enjoy it here, and can learn something from everyone.
Thanks again!

 

[imagemaker46]

The base is there, you just have to keep building on it.

 

[Mike_E]

It might be to your advantage to interview and then hire a retoucher.

Not only will this save you a couple of years learning post production, if you are a good boss and will listen to what your retoucher would like you to do to make their life easier, it will in turn make you a better photographer.

If you have the money and the time I would also suggest your attending a workshop or three for some semi-personal instruction.

 

[hopelaurenphotograph]

I recommend the ebook, Portrait Photography for Beginners (see here) just to go back to the basics and find a great foundation. You have a good creative eye but the technical aspect and processing could use some work. I have had issues in the past with uploading photos online and them looking a lot different (worse) than what they do on my computer, so I do give you a little credit there.

I have been doing paid photography for three years now and I have grown so much just in the last few months after going back and reading this book. taking a step backward helped me refocus.

Here is my site

 

[vtf]

Hi, do you sharpen your raw images? At what point do you sharpen?

 

[GreggorF]

[FONT=Arial Narrow, sans-serif]The Strobist is a great website, you can learn a lot there about the use of flash, particularly Off-Camera-Flash (OFC). Kelby Training is also very good, they have lots of lesson covering digital photography, Photoshop, workflow, post-production, retouching, and on and on, but it is not free.($25/mo or $200/yr.) There are quite a few free tutorials available online. Many of them are there to whet your appetite so you'll want to buy their full programs. Adobe TV has quite a few video tutorials covering various topics in Photoshop. NOTE: If you don't have the latest version of Photoshop you'll really have to hunt for topics related to your version. Learn by Video offer some relatively inexpensive introductory tutorials on DVD for Photoshop. YouTube has many videos covering Photoshop technique and procedures but very few that offer solid introductory information to give you a good foundation.

Some recommendations:
Try to avoid using automatic anything. Except maybe to get you in the ballpark for setting your camera manually.
Learn your camera manual by heart. There will be some things in there that may have very little meaning for you. Learn what they are. Check out the glossary at dpreview.com and do Google searches until you find answers. About.com is another good free place with information about digital photography and Photoshop.[/FONT]
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Don't just focus on your subject(s), be acutely aware of the background and surroundings. Use a tripod. You'll be amazed at the consistency with which you maintain the lines within your images as well as the increased sharpness.[/FONT]
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Join a photography group, preferably a professional one. Check to see if there is a local chapter of PP of A anywhere in your area. Advanced hobbyist can also be quite helpful. With the latter, however, just verify everything you're told through reference material, either online or at the library.[/FONT]
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Purchase Adobe Photoshop for Photographers by Martin Evening. Get the edition appropriate for the version of Photoshop that you have. It is one of the best reference text for Photoshop on the market.[/FONT]
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Invest in Nikon Speedlight 900 (before you get your wide angle lens). Then, learn how to use it for fill-flash on your outdoor portraits. When you can, invest in a second one to use for OCF in a two light set-up.[/FONT]
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Learn to see the light, especially natural light, how it effects your subjects and how it can be used to enhance your subjects. Learn about the golden hour. It is invaluable when shooting outdoor portraits, especially of families and romantic couples' portraits. Analyze the light in images that you admire, the direction, the quality, the source. Is a reflector used to subtly fill the shadow areas, or is a flash used to eliminate deep shadows, or neither.[/FONT]
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See if there is a local community college or continuing ed. program that offer courses in photography and/or Photoshop. Art history courses are also worthwhile. They can strengthen your composition and improve your perception and use of light.[/FONT]
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Take lots of pictures and make notes; what was the time of day, what were my settings, What and where was the light source. What worked, what didn't.[/FONT]
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Have someone outside your family, preferably an artist, graphic artist or another photographer, help you select your display images. More is not necessarily better. If you have two similar images, pick the best. There's only one best.[/FONT]
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If you intend to continue as a professional while you improve your skills, I believe you should concentrate on newborns and infants. That, to me, is where you are currently the strongest. Having said that, add some more extreme close-ups to your newborn repertoire. Show those little, tiny toes. Fill the frame with just the baby's toes or foot. Show baby's hand in dad's hand. People love that sense of scale. You did that nicely with the baby and the soccer ball. Show just the baby's ear and a close-up of the baby's closed eyes. Show a bare chested dad cradling the newborn. You can shoot it loose showing dad looking down at baby and again tight, showing just the baby with the arms cradling it using dad's chest as the background. From behind mom, show the baby's face as the baby is resting it's head on mom's bare shoulder, showing little else of mom. Maybe show a bit of mom's profile as background, but be sure to conceal any potential jowls with baby's head.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Narrow, sans-serif]Good Luck and Persevere!
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[Ysarex]

Aaaaand here we go.

Now, the picture has more "pop".

I added local contrast, reduced green saturation, reduced over all saturation, sharpened, added vignette, dodge & burned the bride/groom, decreased exposure in the background, darkened the store windows, selective sharpening on bride/groom.

Now, this still isn't a good image :/
The biggest problem is the location, big differences in exposure, coupled with a very messy background.

You could have solved this by; Using a wide prime opened up and placing the couple closer to camera thus blurring the background.

You could also have used a ND filter on the lens and used the highest sync-speed for flash to cut out as much ambient as possible (giving you the possibility of using a wide aperture without overexposing.).

You could then have underexposed the background with ~1 stop

And then lit up the now underexposed couple with an above camera light-source and making them really pop.

And if you put that much editing effort into 25% of your wedding photos you're out-of-business before I post this.

Joe