# My first wedding



## The Empress (Jan 11, 2011)

So my childhood best friend asked me to do her wedding. I normally don't do people photography but she was very trusting and really wanted me to do it. I know that i still have a lot to work on, but here are a some for C&C. 

Getting ready...
1.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






2.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




3.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




4.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




5.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Wedding...
6. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




7.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




8.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




9.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




10.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Reception...

11.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




12.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




13.


----------



## sierramister (Jan 11, 2011)

I would recommend an off-camera flash pointed at the ceiling with a bounce card in the future.  I like 9 and 10.  On 13, it looks like the steering wheel was caught in focus instead of the faces.  Picture 1 might be recycle-bin worthy just because of the motion blur of the hand.


----------



## Edsport (Jan 12, 2011)

They all look soft to me...


----------



## Robin Usagani (Jan 12, 2011)

You need to bounce the flash.  They all have bad shadows from the flash.


----------



## cliffy13 (Jan 12, 2011)

Well they are a record of the day but as others have said they all look soft and they are all repaortage style shots,did you do any posed shots other thanh the one in the tree where sadly the bouquet reall dominates the shot


----------



## RauschPhotography (Jan 12, 2011)

Pretty soft.. Especially the one in the car.


----------



## burgo (Jan 12, 2011)

let me say that for a first wedding you made a pretty good fist of it.  Well done. It's a tough gig and stretches your skill loads. My favourite pictures are 7 to 10. There are a couple of posing issues like the hair in no 5 and the blurry hand in no 1. Did you use auto focus or manual focus on the day as some of them do look out of focus?? 

I hope the B&G liked the photos because that is all that counts in the end.  But good on you for having a crack at it.  What I suggest you do is go to the stock sites and look at some wedding shots there and do a comparison.  That way you can see the difference clearly and learn from it.


----------



## ringokid (Jan 12, 2011)

Did you use auto focus ? Because the flowers look to be in focus and the steering wheel looks like it was in focus...


----------



## Syco (Jan 12, 2011)

Shows it can be done!


----------



## Robin Usagani (Jan 12, 2011)

Anybody would have a hard time focusing that truck shot.  Doesnt look like there was much light.  You need AF light assist.


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

I am only on my phone from work so I can't fully reply to everyone's comments, but thank you so much for the help. I was using autofocus and I don't have an alternate flash to bounce off. Here is an alternate version to the first one with the blurred hand...




Keep the comments coming I really appreciate it!


----------



## gsgary (Jan 12, 2011)

Not sure why they are in the pro gallery would have been better in beginner


----------



## Robin Usagani (Jan 12, 2011)

gsgary said:


> Not sure why they are in the pro gallery would have been better in beginner


 
I knew you were going to say it gary, thats why  I didnt .  I let you do the dirty work  :lmao:.

OP, seriously though.. external flash is a must unless you are super good with no flash photography.  In some cases, you have to have it.


----------



## RauschPhotography (Jan 12, 2011)

Schwettylens said:


> gsgary said:
> 
> 
> > Not sure why they are in the pro gallery would have been better in beginner
> ...



I would never want to do a wedding without my external flash! Weddings are a learning process, and you'll definitely get better with time


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

gsgary said:


> Not sure why they are in the pro gallery would have been better in beginner



Then someone can move it... Posted it here since the description is latest wedding etc


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

Just as a side note let me just say this was the smallest church I have ever seen in my life lol it only holds 50 people max and only has a center aisle! Very beautiful place and ceremony, but not the best place for a variety of pictures during lol


----------



## waynegz1 (Jan 12, 2011)

Where in Texas was the wedding? 

I agree that an external flash, can be used off camera too, is a must. At least to provide some fill light. #5 would've been awesome if her hair was out of her face and maybe a little bit of fill light.


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

It was in Kendalia...very cute tiny church


----------



## waynegz1 (Jan 12, 2011)

Sweet! 

looks like the truck has a 9 yr old expired sticker lol


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

sierramister said:


> I would recommend an off-camera flash pointed at the ceiling with a bounce card in the future.  I like 9 and 10.  On 13, it looks like the steering wheel was caught in focus instead of the faces.  Picture 1 might be recycle-bin worthy just because of the motion blur of the hand.


Thanks for the tips! Better with the other version of the first one?


Edsport said:


> They all look soft to me...


Have any tips as to how to fix that problem?


cliffy13 said:


> Well they are a record of the day but as others have said they all look soft and they are all repaortage style shots,did you do any posed shots other thanh the one in the tree where sadly the bouquet reall dominates the shot


There were some other posed shots but not many at all since it was very cold outside and the bride was very over taking pictures. And the flowers were intended to be the focus of the shot


burgo said:


> let me say that for a first wedding you made a pretty good fist of it.  Well done. It's a tough gig and stretches your skill loads. My favourite pictures are 7 to 10. There are a couple of posing issues like the hair in no 5 and the blurry hand in no 1. Did you use auto focus or manual focus on the day as some of them do look out of focus??
> 
> I hope the B&G liked the photos because that is all that counts in the end.  But good on you for having a crack at it.  What I suggest you do is go to the stock sites and look at some wedding shots there and do a comparison.  That way you can see the difference clearly and learn from it.


Thanks! I made sure that she knew that people really isn't my strong suit, but she really wanted me to be a part of the day since the bridal party was all family. I will be much better prepared if I ever do another one. The B&G were pleased with them and at least told me they loved them (and she would tell me if she didn't lol)


ringokid said:


> Did you use auto focus ? Because the flowers look to be in focus and the steering wheel looks like it was in focus...


I did use an autofocus, the steering wheel one was just a mishap but i loved her expression, and on 10 the flowers were intended to be the focal point (if that is the one you were talking about)


Schwettylens said:


> Anybody would have a hard time focusing that truck shot.  Doesnt look like there was much light.  You need AF light assist.


Yes that was at 11pm with only one light on the outside so it was very dark.


waynegz1 said:


> Sweet!
> 
> looks like the truck has a 9 yr old expired sticker lol


Yeah lol it was his grandma's that never gets driven


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

erose86 said:


> The shadows are pretty harsh and distracting in a lot of them.  You also had issues with a *lot* of blown out areas.
> 
> My favorite is #11, but even still you have that kid in the way that just sort of kills the shot.
> 
> Keep on practicing. :thumbup:



Thanks. What do you mean by blown out areas? Also what would you suggest to do about someone else's child in the way at a critical shot moment?


----------



## burgo (Jan 12, 2011)

There are photographers that don't use a flash these days at weddings but they are extremely good photographers with pro Kit.  Empress you should really have some external flashes for this kind of work. Get the safety shots first then use your no flash approach.  

Don't let the negative nellies in this forum get you down.


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

erose86 said:


> The Empress said:
> 
> 
> > erose86 said:
> ...


Oh gotcha, thanks I will keep that in mind 



burgo said:


> There are photographers that don't use a flash these days at weddings but they are extremely good photographers with pro Kit.  Empress you should really have some external flashes for this kind of work. Get the safety shots first then use your no flash approach.
> 
> Don't let the negative nellies in this forum get you down.



Thanks so much!! After all the comments, I will definitely be investing in an external flash if i ever do another wedding. Any suggestions for a good one? I know that they aren't amazing or anything, but I think that I did good for my very first wedding  Even the best had to start somewhere right? lol


----------



## The Empress (Jan 12, 2011)

RauschPhotography said:


> I would never want to do a wedding without my external flash! Weddings are a learning process, and you'll definitely get better with time



Sorry didn't see your post until just now, thanks for the comment. don't know that i will ever do another one, but it will be good to learn as much as i can from this one just in case


----------



## burgo (Jan 12, 2011)

The Empress said:


> erose86 said:
> 
> 
> > ]
> ...


----------



## Photogger (Jan 12, 2011)

Empress, weddings are super tough, even more so when shooting for a friend! For your first wedding shoot, you did a good job, I've seen much worse for a first wedding! As others have said, an external flash is a must and that will make a big difference. Glad your friend was happy and glad that you had the experience, that's what counts!


----------



## safeshot (Jan 13, 2011)

Photogger is right your first wedding pics are much better then my first wedding pics, mine were a disaster, but I also had a friend come in that was much more experienced to back me up and his turned out really good, if unsure of your capability of capturing good photos at a wedding is a good time to have backup, you could lose a friend real quick, some editing on your pics and they will have a decent album, I think you done well for a first time, keep up the good work


----------



## gsgary (Jan 13, 2011)

The Empress said:


> Just as a side note let me just say this was the smallest church I have ever seen in my life lol it only holds 50 people max and only has a center aisle! Very beautiful place and ceremony, but not the best place for a variety of pictures during lol



This is why all top wedding photographers alway check the place out way before the big day and also scout good places for photographs


----------



## The Empress (Jan 13, 2011)

gsgary said:


> The Empress said:
> 
> 
> > Just as a side note let me just say this was the smallest church I have ever seen in my life lol it only holds 50 people max and only has a center aisle! Very beautiful place and ceremony, but not the best place for a variety of pictures during lol
> ...



I did visit the church prior to the wedding, I was at the rehersal, there just weren't many options at all as far as where I would be able to stand. There is no front of the chruch, as you can see from the pictures they were up against the front wall, and the wedding party barley fit from wall to wall. The grooms side wad completely full and the brides was about half way, so any shots had to be from either the center isle or the back side of the brides side


----------



## H2photographers (Jan 15, 2011)

For your first one I think you did good. The moments you captured a great!


----------



## ethan09 (Jan 21, 2011)

#1 is much better after you edited. There's still much more improvement to go. You need to have better lightings. The colours are not as vibrant enough. The photos look soft and not very sharp.

Continue to work on it.


----------

