Wedding Reception CC

[Golfcart]

Good Evening!

I recently Photographed a Wedding for some friends, please let me know what you think. This was a Job done for free, I did not charge them anything, however I shot the event as if it was a paid job. The little girl that is in a few of the photos is their daughter. I'd like to know what you guys think about these shots: Good and Bad. I only shot the reception because the venue they had their wedding included a photographer. Thanks for your time!

1.


RCR_3175 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

2.


RCR_3172 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

3.


RCR_3156 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

4.


RCR_3145 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

5.


RCR_3127 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

6.


RCR_3086 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

7.


RCR_3081 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

8.


RCR_3061 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

9.


RCR_3047 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

10.


RCR_3037 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

11.


RCR_3017 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

12.


RCR_3007-3 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

13.


RCR_2982 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

14.


RCR_2975 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

15.


RCR_2964 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

16.


RCR_2962 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

17.


RCR_2951-2 by Golfcart25, on Flickr

 

[manaheim]

I'm no wedding god, but I have a bit of experience. Here's my take for what it's worth.

Mostly snapshots, but a few genuine attempts at some artistic stuff in there. The wine one at the end and 2, 11, and 13.

From a technical perspective, I'd say your biggest issue is that flash. Bouncing flash right off stuff is bad bad bad. I assume it's on-camera. You want an external flash you can bounce or diffuse or both.

Compositions aren't great, but it was evidently also a very small area, which I assume was challenging. Probably getting in more up close and personal might have worked for that.

 

[SCraig]

I haven't shot a wedding in decades, but the one thing that really stood out to me is that many of the photographs have pieces of people in them. Pieces of arms, pieces of heads, limbs cut off in awkward places, etc. Number 5, for example. Either crop the girl on the right side out entirely or put here in entirely. Slicing the crop right down the middle of her head doesn't work. Number 6, piece of a head in the lower left corner. Number 7, disconnected fingers coming in the right side. Number 8, a shoulder and an ear. Number 13, part of a head. Number 14, part of a head. Number 15, piece of an arm.

You can't always pick your place or your background in events like that but you can pick your crop and work on cloning the parts that shouldn't be there. A lot of them could have been improved by taking a step to one side or the other, or just moving the camera left or right slightly.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Yeah.. sorry golfcart. Not a fan.

You probably have heard people saying.. if you have a bright background, use a flash so you can underexpose and the flash will lit up the subject? You did not even accomplish that. The background is still blown.

Most pros will probably do it the other way around. They would have shot #12, 13, 14 without flash and get pure white in the background.

#2, if you want a silhouette shot, then do a silhouette shot! Expose for the background and make the subject almost black. This one just look like a photoshoped silhouette shot.

 

[Golfcart]

Thanks guys for your time and comments! This room was insanely small as you could tell. I honestly had a hard time composing in such a tight room. No matter where I moved there was always someone in my shot. I know a professional could have came out with better results, however I'm not there. Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't silhouette them in the camera, I know how I guess when the pressure is on me, I just lost it. Again, thanks for your comments. I know what I can work on in the future.