Been a while but a few digital previews from a recent wedding...

[Christie Photo]

Another aspect about wedding photography which we all realize...

No matter how much planning we do, we are not in complete control. We don't chose the day or the time. The location is pretty much locked in... so is the wardrobe. And time is certainly limited.

No of us likes keeping a couple from getting to their celebration.

Getting the most out of our allotted time while dealing with all of the above is perhaps the biggest part of our task. Judgements must be made on the fly.

-Pete

 

[bulldurham]

I don't need to go any farther or further, I am content where I am. I have stood steadfastly by my words and by those words, it is never good to intentionally blow highlights when it is exposure possible not to, which is what I said from the start. It's his style and I don't like it...c'est la vie. We're stomping a dead horse into the ground.

so in a scene with a sun behind the subject, it's always best for everything to be a silhouette so long as the sun is exposed not to clip?

So, maybe he turns them in a manner or moves them over a bit so he can still get the shot and a correct exposure without blowing the highlight, or uses reflectors, or a carefully hidden fill flash.... Novel ideas, eh? Or, maybe he underexposes and reveals the mid tones and highlights in Photoshop. There are always alternatives to not having blown highlights, but as I said earlier, if that floats your boat, by all means go for it.

 

[Vtec44]

I don't need to go any farther or further, I am content where I am. I have stood steadfastly by my words and by those words, it is never good to intentionally blow highlights when it is exposure possible not to, which is what I said from the start. It's his style and I don't like it...c'est la vie. We're stomping a dead horse into the ground.

so in a scene with a sun behind the subject, it's always best for everything to be a silhouette so long as the sun is exposed not to clip?

So, maybe he turns them in a manner or moves them over a bit so he can still get the shot and a correct exposure without blowing the highlight, or uses reflectors, or a carefully hidden fill flash.... Novel ideas, eh? Or, maybe he underexposes and reveals the mid tones and highlights in Photoshop. There are always alternatives to not having blown highlights, but as I said earlier, if that floats your boat, by all means go for it.

Then you allows a bit of blown highlights dictate your creativity. There is a really good thread about technical perfection vs creativity. Btw, you talk a lot. I'd love to see some of your creative portrait work.

 

[birdbonkers84]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

 

[Vtec44]

I never ramble. I am if nothing else, pretty direct. Not necessarily incompetent, but not adhering to good photographic ideals. I've looked through his wedding portfolios and I'll stand by my original assessment of his shooting style: blown highlights and not as Tim Tucker would describe in such a lovely technical way (though I can't find one image of his where he's done this intentionally), but in such a manner as to take away from the stars of the show, the B&G. For me, it is always about the primary subject being in the forefront. Listen, if you guys like this style, hey, more power to you. I'm a purist and I learned the old fashion way and learned from many of its masters and it is not my style, so don't expect I am going to jump in line with the rest of you who want James to mentor you. Happy trails.

Actually, my style combines wide angle landscape shots, environmental portrait shots, close up intimate shots, and detail shots to give the viewers the whole story of the day. This approach is clearly stated in my about page on my website. My weddings aren't just about the B&G. It's about the place, time, and people (everyone). My approach isn't just about the B&G and my clients are fully aware of this, in both written explanation and visual presentation. My manner doesn't take away the star of the show but it enhances the story of the day. I don't just snap a few pretty photos of the B&G, I tell a story.

I don't expect anyone to jump on anything. I personally hate dark and moody hipster Instagram photo filter style, but I never tell those photographers they're wrong. I actually understand their approach even though it's different than mine. A good artist should always keep an open mind so you can evolve.

Here's a perfect example, wide angle shot for the clients to remember the beautiful place where they took the engagement photos and a close up shot to maintain focus on them. Both were shot on my Pentax 67ii medium format film camera with Portra 800 pushed 1 stop, blown highlights and all.

 

[Vtec44]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

Make that 7.



I'm totally KIDDING!!

 

[bulldurham]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

Perhaps, but my likes to posts are two to one over both of yours and to me, that speaks volumes...however, that also gets into name calling and you may disagree with my assessment but if you want to contribute to the thread, I suggest you do it with something other than words.

James, I do understand your style; I just don't like it and despite contraindications by others in their shared disagreement, I will continue to promote proper exposing and each person can take it or leave it. We probably could be friends despite the difference...LOL

 

[birdbonkers84]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

Perhaps, but my likes to posts are two to one over both of yours and to me, that speaks volumes...however, that also gets into name calling and you may disagree with my assessment but if you want to contribute to the thread, I suggest you do it with something other than words.

James, I do understand your style; I just don't like it and despite contraindications by others in their shared disagreement, I will continue to promote proper exposing and each person can take it or leave it. We probably could be friends despite the difference...LOL

Bulldurham, I suggest you take a step back man and breath, I was trying to make light of a potential volatile situation I wasn't having a dig, I don't particularly care about internet likes or dislikes as it has no reflection on a person when they log out of this website...

 

[Vtec44]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

Perhaps, but my likes to posts are two to one over both of yours and to me, that speaks volumes...however, that also gets into name calling and you may disagree with my assessment but if you want to contribute to the thread, I suggest you do it with something other than words.

James, I do understand your style; I just don't like it and despite contraindications by others in their shared disagreement, I will continue to promote proper exposing and each person can take it or leave it. We probably could be friends despite the difference...LOL

... oh don't get me started with proper exposure. That's a whole new can of worms! LOL But yeah, we will agree to disagree, friend.

 

[bulldurham]

 

[bulldurham]

Poor Bulldurham, since 2014 he's had 11 disagrees and 6 of them have been in this thread >.<

Perhaps, but my likes to posts are two to one over both of yours and to me, that speaks volumes...however, that also gets into name calling and you may disagree with my assessment but if you want to contribute to the thread, I suggest you do it with something other than words.

James, I do understand your style; I just don't like it and despite contraindications by others in their shared disagreement, I will continue to promote proper exposing and each person can take it or leave it. We probably could be friends despite the difference...LOL

Bulldurham, I suggest you take a step back man and breath, I was trying to make light of a potential volatile situation I wasn't having a dig, I don't particularly care about internet likes or dislikes as it has no reflection on a person when they log out of this website...

Then my apologies for a misconception of what you were saying. I think it's time to close this thread and everyone get back to shooting what they like.

 

[Streets]

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[crimbfighter]

Man am I late to the game here! I really like the set! On a philosophical level, I have to imagine that if Ansel Adams or other original "greats" of the photography world were still around, what would their shooting style look like now? Especially in the digital era where photographs can be manipulated so much. They pushed the boundaries when little was known back then to set the standard and I'm sure they would still be pushing boundaries today as technology changes. Who knows, they may be like "we were wrong, blow the highlights! Blow them like your life depended on it!"

On a technical note, do you adjust your greens with any specific treatment using individual color channels? I always struggle with my greens, especially in environmental portraits and balancing them with skin tone. They often are too light and yellow, and when I try to adjust them the color either goes nuclear green or they become obviously altered. Yours are a little dark for how I would edit, but they're much better than I am able to get.

 

[JustJazzie]

*swoon* The framing. The lighting. The posing. The setting. Number 1 and 4. *swoon*

Straight our of a story book, once again. <3<3<3

 

[Vtec44]

*swoon* The framing. The lighting. The posing. The setting. Number 1 and 4. *swoon*

Straight our of a story book, once again. <3<3<3

Swoon is a very common word in the wedding industry