# Recent Wedding...Meg and Ben (12 pics)



## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

These are some photos from my second practice wedding. They hired a pro to do the ceremony, as well as the formals before and after the ceremony. I took a few shots at the church, but not many. I didn't want to get in the way. I did the reception and dance photos for free. I was nervous about this, especially with the lighting (or lack of) at the dance. As I have mentioned to some of you, the lighting at the dance really threw me for a loop, and I didnt know if any of them were going to turn out. I hope these are okay. C&C always welcome. Thanks for looking! 

1. 50mm, no flash, sitting in the 4th row.






2. same as above





3.





4. Some of the groomsmen relaxing while the B&G were preparing for shots.





5. A fun shot. 





6. Now, the groom's turn. 





7.





8.





9. They wanted a high contrast soft touch with somewhat of a sharp edge.





10. I wanted them to look somewhat realistic with the lighting the way it was. Tried to use the right amount of flash with the existing lighting (next 3 pics). 






11.





12. 





Thanks for looking! 

NJ


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## Big Mike (Jul 18, 2007)

Looks like  you did a nice job...and you were worried


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## Leo (Jul 18, 2007)

Nice job..#9 is my favorite


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## LaFoto (Jul 18, 2007)

Weeeell done! :thumbup:
Really!

But, *of course *you were nervous beforehand! Who wouldn't be!?!?!
And wow, weddings are such a BIG thing in America!

I really like the idea of the two fun shots!


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

Big Mike said:


> Looks like you did a nice job...and you were worried


 
Thanks Mike! Of course Im worried.  If I wasnt worried as least a little bit, I dont think I would perform at my best. ;-) And thanks for all the great info on FEC in my other post. 



Leo said:


> Nice job..#9 is my favorite


 
Thanks Leo. I sent you a PM about #9.



LaFoto said:


> Weeeell done! :thumbup:
> Really!
> 
> But, *of course *you were nervous beforehand! Who wouldn't be!?!?!
> ...


 
Thanks Corinna! I think I like the adrenalin rush right before I take the important shots. But it is also nerve racking. It was lots of fun, mainly because it was a family wedding, and I was not pressured by the B&G.


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## heip (Jul 18, 2007)

1 & 2 don't cut it IMO...but the rest of them rock!!  I love the conversion on #4 along with the soft feel you gave it. #8 & 9 have wonderful colours, almost pastel, and the overall softness lends itself to very romantic shots. well done!


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## The_Caper (Jul 18, 2007)

Fantastic shots NJ:

My favourite is #9 with the high contrast / sharp edge. However the others are great as well.

I am a little petrified about doing a wedding coming up on September 29th. I hope my shots turn out even half as good as yours.

I would sure like to know how you made that # 9 look so sharp, it really is amazing!


Paul.


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

heip said:


> 1 & 2 don't cut it IMO...but the rest of them rock!! I love the conversion on #4 along with the soft feel you gave it. #8 & 9 have wonderful colours, almost pastel, and the overall softness lends itself to very romantic shots. well done!


 
Thanks heip.  I'm sure the paid pro had much better shots in the church than I was able to get with a 50mm and no flash during the ceremony.  As for the others, thank you!  Your kind words are greatly appreciated. I prefer to do outdoor shots much more anyway.


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## heip (Jul 18, 2007)

NJMAN said:


> I prefer to do outdoor shots much more anyway.



Me Too.

BTW..I bet your #8&9 shot rival anything the pro shot


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

heip said:


> Me Too.
> 
> BTW..I bet your #8&9 shot rival anything the pro shot


 
That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about my work!  You made my day!!!


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## ANDS! (Jul 18, 2007)

#4, #8 and #9 belong in their keeper pile.  No questions asked.  #8 should be the cover of a "When Meg married Ben" book - absolutely  kicks me in the head. . .very very nice.  8 edges 9 simply because I'm not TOTALLY feeling the fence in the back, but it really doesn't take away from the teeth-kicking power of the overall image.  Oh man, if they were white fences - that would be sweet.


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

ANDS! said:


> #4, #8 and #9 belong in their keeper pile. No questions asked. #8 should be the cover of a "When Meg married Ben" book - absolutely kicks me in the head. . .very very nice. 8 edges 9 simply because I'm not TOTALLY feeling the fence in the back, but it really doesn't take away from the teeth-kicking power of the overall image. Oh man, if they were white fences - that would be sweet.


 
Thank you ANDS!  Kicks in the head and teeth are a good thing in this case, I assume.   Seriously though, thanks for your nice comments!


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

The_Caper said:


> Fantastic shots NJ:
> 
> My favourite is #9 with the high contrast / sharp edge. However the others are great as well.
> 
> ...


 
Thanks Paul!  Good luck with your wedding in September.  I'm sure you will do fine.  Just take the good advice of people here on the forum regarding equipment, backup, and general do's and don'ts.  I have a lot to learn yet myself. ;-)  Thanks for the compliment on #9.


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## ERS1121 (Jul 18, 2007)

They all look great, really love the soft look of 8 & 9


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## jemmy (Jul 18, 2007)

3 4 8 and 9 for me! just beautiful... bet they are thrilled.  well done x


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

ERS1121 said:


> They all look great, really love the soft look of 8 & 9


 
Thanks Ed!



jemmy said:


> 3 4 8 and 9 for me! just beautiful... bet they are thrilled. well done x


 
Thanks jemmy!  well, they haven't seen them yet, but I hope they will be thrilled when they do.


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## chrisb2794 (Jul 18, 2007)

This may be a noob question, but I'm curious how you get the soft look in #8 and #9. Is this a lens trick or post production trick in PS?


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

chrisb2794 said:


> This may be a noob question, but I'm curious how you get the soft look in #8 and #9. Is this a lens trick or post production trick in PS?


 
Hey chris,
No lens trick. Its all in the post processing.  The procedure for both #8 and #9 are different.  They are a mixture of things that I learned from seeing other posts in the forum over time, and also just playing around on my own to see what looks good to me, and what other people like.  

#8 was done by duplicating the layer, applying a gaussian blur of 4 (4 would be for a web size image, and something like 14 for the original size image). Then select the eraser tool at 50% opacity, and erase the blur layer.  Then flatten the image. Sharpen last using USM settings 150, 0.3, 0.  You may or may not want to do some selective brightening on the couple's faces using the lasso tool and Levels, and also some slight saturation on the flowers, but dont overdo it. 

#9 is a different procedure altogether and much more involved. I got your PM on that one, and will reply to that.  Thanks for asking!


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## oldnavy170 (Jul 18, 2007)

NJ, I really love #8 the most. I love the soft glow you have going on with it. You also captured the beads on her dress which I know is hard to do with a white dress. Very excellent work.

Oh, my other favorite is of the girls holding the groom. Too funny!!


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## chrisb2794 (Jul 18, 2007)

Looks like you have some slight vignetting in 8 and 9 also. Is it, or is it part of the gaussian technique you described.


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## dostagamom (Jul 18, 2007)

I love #8 and #9 also.  They look so great.  I am always excited to see your work.  It inspires me.  I also like you explanations on how you edit in photoshop.  Very clear and easy to understand.
Keep up the GREAT work!!!


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## NJMAN (Jul 18, 2007)

oldnavy170 said:


> NJ, I really love #8 the most. I love the soft glow you have going on with it. You also captured the beads on her dress which I know is hard to do with a white dress. Very excellent work.
> 
> Oh, my other favorite is of the girls holding the groom. Too funny!!


 
Thanks as always oldnavy. I really appreciate your comments. 



chrisb2794 said:


> Looks like you have some slight vignetting in 8 and 9 also. Is it, or is it part of the gaussian technique you described.


 
Yes, I have some vignetting on #8 and #9, but I do that last in a separate layer. There a many ways you can do vignetting in PS. My way is not anything special. I create a new layer, then choose the elliptical marquee tool with a 50 px feather, and draw an oval covering just the inside of the frame. Then, I go to Select > Inverse and so that the outside of the oval is selected. Then, I use the black paint bucket at 25% opacity and start painting the selected area. I might use it once for a light vignette or 2 to 3 times for a stronger vignette. It depends on your individual taste. Thats just the way I do it. Like I said, there are many ways to do it.


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## NJMAN (Jul 19, 2007)

dostagamom said:


> I love #8 and #9 also. They look so great. I am always excited to see your work. It inspires me. I also like you explanations on how you edit in photoshop. Very clear and easy to understand.
> Keep up the GREAT work!!!


 
Thanks angela for the kind words!


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## JimmyJaceyMom (Jul 19, 2007)

Just great!  I think number 8 is one of my favoritest wedding shots ever! 
Hey I know I said I wouldnt do another wedding but I have my second coming up soon.  And I just did my first 'nsfw' pics too.  We seem to be diong the same things at the same timeline. LOL Except you're kicking my ass in the technical department!


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## Peniole (Jul 19, 2007)

From #3 through #9 very nice work, as for the others you made the best of a bad lighting situation. #6 would be my favourite.


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## EOS_JD (Jul 19, 2007)

Here's my comments on each for what they are worth. I remember your great engagement shots of this couple. 

1. Both 1 & 2 look very dark. White dress looks ok but the rest of the surrounds are underexposed. Allow more ambient light when using your flash.

3. Very nice portrait of the couple.

4. Something odd with the soft focus effect and too much contrast for my liking. I'd also remove the beer can in front of the step.

5 & 6 are nice fun images.

7. Nice shot of the book. In the UK its normal for the guests to put in a small message rather than just sign the book though.... Thought that was odd 

8. I normally don't like the soft focus effect but it seems to work here. I also dont like the vignetting on all your images but again the slight vignette here seems to work.

9. Nice image although I must say I think it's overworked. If that's what they want then that's what you give but I'd tone down the soft focus and remove the vignette then it would be a cracker. 

10. Set the camera to AV and try that or better still shoot in manual (using a metered exposure) when using your flash. The camera will expose the scene as normal and the flash will provide fill. Try varying degrees of FEC to get the right exposure. Practice and you'll learn what's needed and when. 

11. Looks just like a snap shot and is not your best here (I'd have left it out).

12. Beautiful moment but I'd say you need to work on your use of flash. I'd also crop out the lights as they are a big distraction. Your eyes are immediately drawn to them. A different angle might have worked better.

Great series and after seeing your wonderful engagement shots I expected exactly what you provided.

The couple will I'm sure be delighted.

JD


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## NJMAN (Jul 19, 2007)

EOS_JD said:


> Here's my comments on each for what they are worth. I remember your great engagement shots of this couple.
> 
> 1. Both 1 & 2 look very dark. White dress looks ok but the rest of the surrounds are underexposed. Allow more ambient light when using your flash.
> 
> ...


 
First off, let me say that I really appreciate the detailed analysis and critique!  In reply,

1 and 2. This was from a 50mm f/1.8 with no flash.  It was during the ceremony when they were announced as husband and wife, so I never intended to get many shots during the ceremony in the church, as I wanted to stay put in my seat and let the paid pro do his job.  But I can see exactly what you are saying.  

3. Thanks.

4. I kinda like it myself.  

5, 6, 7, and 8.  Thanks.

9. Good idea, I may try that. 

10, 11, and 12. I will definitely work on that for next time, since I know I need more improvement in this area.

Thanks for the good advice and nice words.  Very much appreciated.  I certainly hope they will be delighted when they see them.


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## chrisb2794 (Jul 19, 2007)

BTW, I worked on some of the photoshop items we discussed earlier. I'm getting close to what I want. Thanks again.


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## NJMAN (Jul 19, 2007)

JimmyJaceyMom said:


> Just great! I think number 8 is one of my favoritest wedding shots ever!
> Hey I know I said I wouldnt do another wedding but I have my second coming up soon. And I just did my first 'nsfw' pics too. We seem to be diong the same things at the same timeline. LOL Except you're kicking my ass in the technical department!


 
Hey thanks Kathi for your great comments! aha, I knew you would eventually do another wedding! LOL. Good for you. I hope it goes great. Be sure to post your pics!   And are you going to post your nsfw pics?  I promise to be objective and professional! ;-)



Peniole said:


> From #3 through #9 very nice work, as for the others you made the best of a bad lighting situation. #6 would be my favourite.


 
Thank you peniole. Your comments are very much appreciated! 



chrisb2794 said:


> BTW, I worked on some of the photoshop items we discussed earlier. I'm getting close to what I want. Thanks again.


 
No problem chris!


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## EOS_JD (Jul 19, 2007)

NJMAN said:


> First off, let me say that I really appreciate the detailed analysis and critique! In reply,
> 
> 1 and 2. This was from a 50mm f/1.8 with no flash. It was during the ceremony when they were announced as husband and wife, so I never intended to get many shots during the ceremony in the church, as I wanted to stay put in my seat and let the paid pro do his job. But I can see exactly what you are saying.
> 
> ...


 
Regards 1 & 2, they just look under exposed. Did you shoot them in RAW as they are recoverable. I've had a play with the jpgs and they do brighten up a bit with some playing around. I'd remove the vignette from these as this adds to the dark look of the images.

Glad you like the comments. You've done a great job and I'm sure the couple will be delighted. Just remember sometimes less is more  I did a quick edit of No2 but then saw you don't want edits! I can PM you to show you how dark your image is..... or I can delete with no worries.

CHeers
Jim


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## NJMAN (Jul 19, 2007)

EOS_JD said:


> Regards 1 & 2, they just look under exposed. Did you shoot them in RAW as they are recoverable. I've had a play with the jpgs and they do brighten up a bit with some playing around. I'd remove the vignette from these as this adds to the dark look of the images.
> 
> Glad you like the comments. You've done a great job and I'm sure the couple will be delighted. Just remember sometimes less is more  I did a quick edit of No2 but then saw you don't want edits! I can PM you to show you how dark your image is..... or I can delete with no worries.
> 
> ...


 
Thats perfectly fine if you want to send me a PM.  Thanks Jim.


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## JimmyJaceyMom (Jul 19, 2007)

NJMAN said:


> Hey thanks Kathi for your great comments! aha, I knew you would eventually do another wedding! LOL. Good for you. I hope it goes great. Be sure to post your pics!  And are you going to post your nsfw pics? I promise to be objective and professional! ;-)
> 
> 
> Yes my moms friends daughter is getting married so.. I was asked to do the pics as they have no other option for pics I said yes. I'm a sucker like that! Oh well, more practice for me no matter what kind right?
> ...


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## EvansMomma (Jul 20, 2007)

I personally LOVE #7, 8 & 9. 8 is my absolute fave though. Great job!!!  I'm totally jealous!


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## elsaspet (Jul 20, 2007)

I haven't read the other posts, because I wanted this to be just off the top of my head.....
7,8,9 are beautiful.
You got totally boned on the "pros" poses though.....not your fault.
I love the lights in the last few.  Very well done.  You are a little on the "blue" side though as far as white balance.


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## NJMAN (Jul 20, 2007)

EvansMomma said:


> I personally LOVE #7, 8 & 9. 8 is my absolute fave though. Great job!!!  I'm totally jealous!


 
Thank you EvansMomma.  I am very grateful for your kind words. 



elsaspet said:


> I haven't read the other posts, because I wanted this to be just off the top of my head.....
> 7,8,9 are beautiful.
> You got totally boned on the "pros" poses though.....not your fault.
> I love the lights in the last few. Very well done. You are a little on the "blue" side though as far as white balance.


 
Thanks a ton Cindy. I certainly appreciate your reply.  I know I need more work on white balance, but you have definitely taught me a lot about that already.


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## geminigrl24 (Jul 24, 2007)

#6 is my favorite


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## schumionbike (Jul 24, 2007)

hey, nice job NJ, 4, 8, and 12 are my favorites!! Very well done.  My only critique is I wish the posing in number is a bit more sophisticated. That's all.


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## NJMAN (Jul 24, 2007)

geminigrl24 said:


> #6 is my favorite


 
Thanks geminigirl.  



schumionbike said:


> hey, nice job NJ, 4, 8, and 12 are my favorites!! Very well done. My only critique is I wish the posing in number is a bit more sophisticated. That's all.


 
Thank you schumion.  I appreciate the kind words.  But not sure what number pic you were referring to in your last comment.


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## glaston (Jul 25, 2007)

LaFoto said:


> And wow, weddings are such a BIG thing in America!


 Right!? It's kind of strange isn't it? And I'm from America.
Some people live their lives in wait of their wedding day, and place such importance on it that if it isn't perfect they'll spontaneously combust!

To live in America feels like living in a late night infommercial.
Everyone is so intent on selling the idea that they're as happy as can be, and any deviation from the script is looked at as sin.
It's like an intoxicating lie.
People try to act like real things matter in America, but in reality it's just a business oriented nation.

It doesn't even feel like it's real!


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## hudsonp (Jul 25, 2007)

Guest Book shot was a great idea, very creative and very well done


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## zendianah (Jul 25, 2007)

Good job love them all. This was your first wedding. WOW.. good job !


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## Southerngal (Jul 25, 2007)

#8 and #9 are my favs.  Great series!


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## NJMAN (Jul 25, 2007)

glaston said:


> Right!? It's kind of strange isn't it? And I'm from America.
> Some people live their lives in wait of their wedding day, and place such importance on it that if it isn't perfect they'll spontaneously combust!
> 
> To live in America feels like living in a late night infommercial.
> ...


 
Do I detect a hint of cyncism here? ;-) Fortunately for me, this couple and the families were very fun loving and relaxed, and seemed like they wouldnt really care if a few things didnt go exactly as planned. The way I see it, you will get clients in any profession who are just really perfectionistic and picky, and you will also get ones who are relaxed and more carefree. There are those of us who don't take all the negative things in life quite so seriously.  What better way to celebrate a deep commitment between 2 people than to have a ceremony and document it with good photos (not saying that I am any good though ;-)). Its all good if you love what you do. 



hudsonp said:


> Guest Book shot was a great idea, very creative and very well done


 
Thanks hudsonp! Really appreciate the nice comment.



zendianah said:


> Good job love them all. This was your first wedding. WOW.. good job !


 
Thanks Zen. Always, thank you for the kind remarks.



Southerngal said:


> #8 and #9 are my favs. Great series!


 
I appreciate your comments Kristi! Thank you.


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## yeldivea (Jul 26, 2007)

Love 4, 7, 8, and 12. ^^ What a fun looking wedding!


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## schumionbike (Jul 26, 2007)

NJMAN said:


> Thanks geminigirl.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you schumion. I appreciate the kind words. But not sure what number pic you were referring to in your last comment.


 
Oh sorry, I meant to say number 2.  I know it's not your posing but you know....


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## NJMAN (Jul 27, 2007)

yeldivea said:


> Love 4, 7, 8, and 12. ^^ What a fun looking wedding!


 
Thanks yeldivea!



schumionbike said:


> Oh sorry, I meant to say number 2. I know it's not your posing but you know....


 
Thanks for your reply schumion.  I understand.


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