# First Wedding....



## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

I did it. I shot the dreaded friends wedding......I learned a couple things along the way.

1.Weddings move fast....blazingly FAST
2. I am out of shape
3. My arms hurt in places they have never hurt before
4. Everything I was worried about I should not have been worried about
5. Everything I was NOT worried about I should of been worried about
6. People who pay pennies for photography do NOT care about photography
7. Family formals are a disaster....
8. There is always a family member with a camera (or in this case a tripod and parks himself right in front of me in the aisle.)
9. Did I mention weddings move fast???
10. Finally church restrictions are dumb.


With that being said yes this was my first wedding, it was paid but I made less than minimum wage when all said and done. Here is just a couple so far I have opened trying to sort before I have to go into the other job tonight


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## mishele (Mar 24, 2013)

Congrats on making it through your first big day!! Will you do another? lol


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 24, 2013)

I like the first shot very much.


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

mishele said:


> Congrats on making it through your first big day!! Will you do another? lol



I had a lot of fun but man it is WORK!


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## tirediron (Mar 24, 2013)

Lmphotos said:


> mishele said:
> 
> 
> > Congrats on making it through your first big day!! Will you do another? lol
> ...




Great emotion in the first shot. I think the second could stand a little less brick wall.


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

tirediron said:


> Lmphotos said:
> 
> 
> > mishele said:
> ...




It is a lot I did it in B&W too. They wanted "Urban" in a little country town but did not want to drive anywhere this is the side of the parish center it was about the most urban thing I could find lol


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## SCraig (Mar 24, 2013)

Lmphotos said:


> It is a lot I did it in B&W too. They wanted "Urban" in a little country town but did not want to drive anywhere this is the side of the parish center it was about the most urban thing I could find lol



Crop it in portrait mode and lose a lot of the brick on the right side.


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## Mully (Mar 24, 2013)

Work ..... Who said photography was easy?


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## tirediron (Mar 24, 2013)

Mully said:


> Work ..... Who said photography was easy?



Me!




But I lie a lot!


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

Mully said:


> Work ..... Who said photography was easy?




Well to put it in my thought processes I am a nurse in the ICU where I am on my feet for 12 hours straight, lifting sometimes 300 + pound people, mentally exhausting job.......so yes I thought it would not be as physically as demanding as it was. Plus when I say "work" it is just an expression we say around here.


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

Adding to the above list as I shift through more of these photos I shoot entirely too tight.....


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## pixmedic (Mar 24, 2013)

Can you expand on what you should vs shouldnt have worried about that got switched around?


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

pixmedic said:


> Can you expand on what you should vs shouldnt have worried about that got switched around?



I was extremely worried about lighting, using all my flashes at once, the ceremony grabbing shots I thought I would miss being in a dark church etc. I practiced these things over and over and over again because I was so worried about it. These things went flawlessly. 

I was not worried about the formals or posing the bridal party.....This was an epic disaster. The bride/groom/party did not want anything to do with pictures!! They all just wanted to go to the reception and party I talked to them into about 30 minutes worth of pictures and most of the time they were so uncooperative I was not ready to deal with that. But, today when I talked to her and showed her a sneak peek (the brick wall one) she said she loved it and glad they did them! (now I am thinking I should of talked them into more :S) In a nut shell I just thought they would care about their "posed" photography a bit more than they did it was hard for me to be put on the spot and do them all in 30 minutes.


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## o hey tyler (Mar 24, 2013)

Not bad for your first rodeo. 2 is a little underexposed though.


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## Robin_Usagani (Mar 24, 2013)

Good job. From the 3 I see, I think you did a good job.


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## Robin_Usagani (Mar 24, 2013)

Lmphotos said:


> Adding to the above list as I shift through more of these photos I shoot entirely too tight.....



LOL..  Some people really shut me down when I give them this advice when I CC their wedding set.  I am glad you notice it on your set.  That is a good thing.  I didnt notice it very much on the 3 you posted though.


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## pixmedic (Mar 24, 2013)

Lmphotos said:


> Adding to the above list as I shift through more of these photos I shoot entirely too tight.....



We try to shoot a little wide so we have wiggle room for cropping. Its great if you CAN get it framed perfect, but it never hurts to give yourself a little room to play.
You can always crop IN,  you cant add room.


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## cgipson1 (Mar 24, 2013)

Nice... you did good! #2 should have been shot vertically.... make them the focus of the image.

#1 and #3... well done!


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

I think it's a focal length thing I have always loved the way an 85mm looks ever since I started the look just looks "off" when I shoot wide even though I love others wide shots something I def need more practice on


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## Lmphotos (Mar 24, 2013)

Also does anyone think #1 and #3 are a little too orange? My editing skills are not that great yet :S


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## kathyt (Mar 24, 2013)

These three look really good for your first go round. You caught some really nice connections. Posed shots are the worst. I also find family portraits and bridal party shots to be a big pain in the butt. I always have a second shooter with me, but we have a pretty good system down. I try to have as much done before the ceremony as possible, because that will give you a little extra time after the ceremony.


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## paigew (Mar 24, 2013)

These three are nice!


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## Steve5D (Mar 24, 2013)

#3 is my favorite, and by a ridiculously wide margin. There's nothing wrong with the first two, it's just that #3 is _that _good...


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## Lmphotos (Mar 25, 2013)

Steve5D said:


> #3 is my favorite, and by a ridiculously wide margin. There's nothing wrong with the first two, it's just that #3 is _that _good...



I wish I could take credit for that but that little guy made it quite easy for me


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## TheoGraphics (Mar 25, 2013)

great job for your first wedding! i understand how tough it can be when the couple doesn't want to get shots of just them after the ceremony. that's when you pretty much just have to take the wheel and tell them how it's going to be. because when the party's over and they're looking through their photos a few months from now, they'll be disappointed there aren't more of just them. good work!

i feel your pain on the family photos too. i dont think ANY wedding photographer looks forward to those, haha.


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## DiskoJoe (Mar 25, 2013)

I like the one of the little man. 

AS for family photogs, tell them to get out of the way. You have to show them that you are in charge because you were paid to take these photos. And, yeah, formals are horrible. Someone is always blinking or looking off the wrong way. 

Also....

#2 has a slight distortion. If you look at the lines on the brick you can see where it bows down in the middle. Fix that. Always look for this when you are shooting with a symmetrical background and they may want to print that one out big. Easy fix though.


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## Lmphotos (Mar 25, 2013)

Even though that part was ridiculously chaotic I still had a ton of fun! I loved capturing the ceremony and reception and getting all those looks and moments it was so exciting  I am looking forward to doing more!


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## bunny99123 (Mar 25, 2013)

You did very good. I like #2. 

I coordinate small weddings, and it overwhelms me how fast they move.

IMO, it seems like it is easier to get photos before the ceremony then after.  I have told couples to allow time for shooting afterwards, because it is their money, and they are paying for it and if they don't they can only blame themselves. It has worked a few times.


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## JacaRanda (Mar 25, 2013)

Congrats Lmphotos!  What a relief you must feel.  A waiting to exhale moment?  I really like #1.  It will be fun looking back at a shot like that and pointing out folks and their emotions.


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## SD4 (Mar 31, 2013)

Of course a lot of photography is subjective, but I really like #2 to include the crop and framing. I think it kind of tells a story. It looks like the couple snuck away from the party for a quick moment to themselves.


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## Memorylanephotos (Apr 3, 2013)

The first image is my favorite. It shows the true emotion. I remember shooting my first wedding. Boy have I learned since then. Every wedding is unique. Congrats on your future in wedding photography!


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## Stolarczyk (Apr 3, 2013)

Looks like you did a pretty solid job from the three images you posted.  My first wedding job will be in August, so I will know what you went through soon enough.


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## jowensphoto (Apr 4, 2013)

DiskoJoe said:


> I like the one of the little man.
> 
> AS for family photogs, tell them to get out of the way. *You have to show them that you are in charge because you were paid to take these photos.* And, yeah, formals are horrible. Someone is always blinking or looking off the wrong way.
> 
> ...



You can also put stipulations in your contract about others taking photos. You have a contract, right? 

Aren't weddings stressful? These shots are not bad, not bad at all for your first go-round. The last is my favorite


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## manaheim (Jul 22, 2013)

I've seen worse!  Little guy is great.

Brick wall is the tool of the devil.  Just say no.


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## krystalynnephoto (Jul 22, 2013)

I like them! Very impressed!


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## tirediron (Jul 22, 2013)

Let four month old zombie thread sleep in peace!


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## Rakusia (Jul 27, 2013)

The first session, wow, for me extra. Congratulations.


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## kim_kennedy (Feb 15, 2014)

Loved the way, everything is being captured. So, welcome to the world of professional photography


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## IByte (Feb 15, 2014)

tirediron said:


> Let four month old zombie thread sleep in peace!



Nope zombie threads forever!!!


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## marie1128 (Feb 18, 2014)

What church restrictions are you talking about? I'm just curious....lol. I love all of them, and I want to see more! Great job!


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## Brinr (Feb 23, 2014)

I want to see more, anyone can pick out three images. Give us 15 to 20. I am with everyone else, the three you posed are definitely great but to post 20 or 30 excellent images from a wedding is "professional". I'm not trying to be a turd but I think you have to give your peers something to critique. Let's see some more...


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## billydoo73 (Feb 23, 2014)

Shooting your first wedding as a primary shooter is like doing a first solo in a plane.  You made it!


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