# First wedding - Whew...



## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

Hey guys!

It's been a while since I posted anything for C&C, so I figured I would share a few from my very first wedding. I am a little hesitant to share here in the professional gallery since I am FAR from considering myself as such. The first wedding is tough, and I am glad I have it under my belt.

Please let me know what you think and thank you for stopping by!

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## iAstonish (Feb 25, 2010)

Looks like a good start to me. I love the picture with the roses and the couple in the bokeh. Would like to see them a little more in focus, but none the less that was a great shot and a cool perspective.


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## jvillaire (Feb 25, 2010)

I really like 12. At first I thought it was too overexposed but after looking at it some more I like it. Beautiful photos.


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## dzfoto (Feb 25, 2010)

Hi and welcome to entering wedding photogaphy!

As my notices about your photos, that they are mostly underexposed. Also some white balance seems to be not acurate. Dont panic, its just the settings of you camera  
Overall croping, composing seems quite good for me.

Good look in futher experience of wedding photography 

P.S. Sorry of my english


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## bigtwinky (Feb 25, 2010)

You sure this is your first wedding?  Honestly, I saw the title and rolled my eyes, but decided to click anyways.

I think you did a damn good job for your first wedding.  It shows that you took the time to prepare and practice prior to shooting instead of just jumping on in and shooting a friend's wedding when asked.

Generally, I like your choice of compositions on the images and found they are mostly well exposed and interesting.

Just some general CC on random images:

3- Like the DOF on the bouquet, but her eyes seem a bit odd.  Overprocessed?  Odd reflection in them?  Looks like a window, not sure.

4- Cute as hell, love it.  Not sure if the chair adds or removes from the image.  I guess if you didn't have it, then you'd see alot more of the kid in the image and you wouldn't have the same impact and focus on the shoes

5-  Fun stalker style picture.  Not a negative thing, I'm just saying thats what it reminded me of.  I like the idea, but dont like your choice of where to do this.  I find the fruit on top of the guy's head on the upper right odd, but yet funny as I'm hoping it would fall on him.

9- Similar feel to #4, but I feel you pulled off #4 a bit better.  I'm thinking being slightly lower down might be nice as well or maybe being a bit closer in.  Nice job though

10- Nice capture, but under exposed

12- Not my style at all, but it looks well done.

14- Nice moment captured.  Maybe moving a bit to you side so that the clock is a little bit away from her head?

Looking forward to seeing more of your work!


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## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

iAstonish said:


> Looks like a good start to me. I love the picture with the roses and the couple in the bokeh. Would like to see them a little more in focus, but none the less that was a great shot and a cool perspective.


Thank you for your input.  I also would have liked the couple to be more in focus in this shot, as it stands, you feel they were not supposed to be part of the image at all.  

One thing to note though, these pics were imported to Flickr, resized in Picnic (which is garbage) and posted here.  For some reason, they lost a lot of their sharpness (you can click on my Flickr for the 'sharp' versions).


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## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

bigtwinky / dzfoto / jvillaire,

Thank you for your comments!  Regarding *image 3* (which was my personal fave from the day), the eyes were not really overprocessed.  In that image, I did your typical skin retouching and sharpened and slightly lightened her eyes.  She does have naturally beautiful eyes though.  It was indeed taken by a window, camera left.

*With 14*, I decided to include the clock in the image exactly where it appears (without any hands showing) because it frames her face nicely and just has a "timeless" quality.

*** With all of these images, I think it's important to mention that this was a backyard wedding.  This is the reason I got pretty tight and tried to keep the distracting, not-so-attractive backgrounds out.  It was a painfully difficult first wedding for this reason alone, but I am glad I decided to tackle it, because it made me really think hard about how to still get pleasing looking images w/o the 'budget wedding' feel.  My 50mm was my best friend that day  ***


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## bigtwinky (Feb 25, 2010)

Considering your lack of experience, I think you did a great job and I'm sure the B&G are very pleased with the photos.


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## bennielou (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow, those are really good.  I'm gonna disagree with Pierre, in that I really love the processing on the bride and bouquet.  Really pretty!


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## CoRNDoG R6 (Feb 25, 2010)

Very nice job! They all look great...of course, there are some minor details that need correcting, but overall, great job!!!


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Feb 25, 2010)

2,3,4,5,6 , and 7 are my favorites! definitely 3 and 4!! This does not look like your first wedding! These pictures are absolutely wonderful! I bet they are very pleased with the results. Good job~ :thumbup:


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## Geaux (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow, this wedding looks very similar to mine!  From the chuck taylors, the black shirt with tux, to his ring lol.  The only difference is that I had a black vest instead of the white.  CRAZY!!

I would show proof, but I don't want to distract away from your thread.

-For your first wedding, I'm very impressed and love your ideas.  Especially the bride behind bouquet and the kid on the chair with only feet.


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Feb 25, 2010)

What lens did you shoot with?


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## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

PerfectlyFlawed said:


> What lens did you shoot with?


I shot with two lenses.  I had a 50mm f/1.8 on my 450D, and had my 24-70mm f/2.8 L attached to my 40D.  I did not need to go too wide (as this was a backyard wedding, and I wanted to leave certain details out - if you know what I mean).

I really appreciate the good feedback, I was pretty terrified (even during the shoot) that I would never shoot another wedding.  First, I felt like I was completely out of my element.  It's amazing that as a wedding photographer, all of your planning kind of goes out the window as the days events unfold in ways you would have NEVER expected.


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## bigtwinky (Feb 25, 2010)

Clawed said:


> It's amazing that as a wedding photographer, all of your planning kind of goes out the window as the days events unfold in ways you would have NEVER expected.


 
LOL... this is soooo true.  From weather, to bossy people, uncooperative kids (and adults too), bad light, equipment failure, traffic,... so much is out of your control.


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## Foxman (Feb 25, 2010)

One thing not mentioned that was a nice subtle touch is how you managed to keep the heavier set folks framed so that they really didn't come off as being that heavy. I see that from time to time when a photo really highlights some really unflattering aspects of someone's weight.

Great job IMO.:thumbup:


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## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

Foxman said:


> One thing not mentioned that was a nice subtle touch is how you managed to keep the heavier set folks framed so that they really didn't come off as being that heavy. I see that from time to time when a photo really highlights some really unflattering aspects of someone's weight.
> 
> Great job IMO.:thumbup:


Thank you for that!

You are absolutely right. It was a high priority for me to highlight the great moments of the wedding day and the beautiful bride, and to shoot from different perspectives to eliminate this issue. It's an interesting balancing act to do that while trying to shoot tight and be original in execution in the process. I figure, hey, it can only get easier from here!

Whoever said that wedding photography is the hardest photo job has got to be right. It's all about adapting... to different personalities, shooting situations and unexpected occurrences, and you have to say completely cool and collected for the duration (or at least appear so).

It's satisfying in a completey twisted sort of way


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## Missdaisy (Feb 25, 2010)

Clawed said:


> I really appreciate the good feedback, I was pretty terrified (even during the shoot) that I would never shoot another wedding. First, I felt like I was completely out of my element. It's amazing that as a wedding photographer, all of your planning kind of goes out the window as the days events unfold in ways you would have NEVER expected.


 
I've checked out your Flikr and you really have some talent.  Just be confident in yourself, you are doing a great job!


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## bell (Feb 25, 2010)

You have an eye for composition. Great shots for a first wedding. Technical things will come along. Keep on clicking. You have got a future.

Wedding industry is the least regulated when it comes to photography. There are some very bad wedding photographers out there making money. I am suprised how many people don't know the difference between good or bad.


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## Clawed (Feb 25, 2010)

Missdaisy said:


> Clawed said:
> 
> 
> > I really appreciate the good feedback, I was pretty terrified (even during the shoot) that I would never shoot another wedding. First, I felt like I was completely out of my element. It's amazing that as a wedding photographer, all of your planning kind of goes out the window as the days events unfold in ways you would have NEVER expected.
> ...


Haha, thank you for the (timely) kind words. 

I would be lying if I said I was not getting a bit down on myself lately as not having enough talent. I've been spending a bit of time just perusing some of the work on Flickr for inspiration, and it can be a bit discouraging. There are those with ridiculous amounts of talent, and it's tough to look at where I'm at and be content. I'm trying to use that as motivation to get better.


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## Renol (Feb 25, 2010)

Wow I am quite impressed. I'm not a pro by any means but had I been in your shoes...well lets just say I wouldn't be showing off the shots lol. I don't foresee myself shooting professionally anytime soon, but your photos are an inspiration to ME. Keep up the great work. I hope to catch the next wedding set you do!


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## bennielou (Feb 26, 2010)

bigtwinky said:


> Clawed said:
> 
> 
> > It's amazing that as a wedding photographer, all of your planning kind of goes out the window as the days events unfold in ways you would have NEVER expected.
> ...


 
I totally hear you guys.  I used to plan for this and that.  Where I would take the shots, how I would do it.

LOL.  No way.  Weddings are crazytown.  You might get some ideas, but be ready to throw them out the window.

No one is on time.  Your outdoor location is rained out.  Everyone is stressed out.  The other half have been drinking all day.   You just can't plan for this stuff.

That's why on the weding day, I just kind of roll with it.  The fave shots are always the candid stuff anyways.


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## bennielou (Feb 26, 2010)

Clawed said:


> Missdaisy said:
> 
> 
> > Clawed said:
> ...


 
I wouldn't spend too much time looking at other stuff.  Yes, some, just to get your bearings, but don't let it affect your style, which is really good naturally.  You have an eye, and you can't really learn that.
You might be different from others, but you don't want to look like the masses.  Embrace that.  Brand that.
You are really really good.  I look forward to seeing more of your photos.
Good job mate!


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## bigtwinky (Feb 26, 2010)

bennielou said:


> You might be different from others, but you don't want to look like the masses. Embrace that. Brand that.


 
Awesome words right there.


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