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06/13/2007 11:14:33 AM · #1 |
ok, i've been doing portraiture for a while now, but i'm really getting into wedding / engagement / bridal photography. i love it! but i really am limited by posing ideas for couples. i am searching for possible resources that have helped you all in the industry, and also to take a look if you get a chance to look at my most recent shoot.
i will say, don't judge my quality by these, these are all low-res, not sharp at all conversions. this couple was slightly not open (mainly the male ;) ) with public affection, especially w/ a camera in their face, so i'm just curious as to what you all might think of these. they get very repetitive. i know the couple, so it was good to experiment with, and asked ideas from them, since it was their pictures :P
i'm open to any critique, no matter how harsh, and also any resources you might have found helpful.
thanks so much in advance, you people are wonderful
//www.jrowephotography.com/bobbyashley/
**edit** also, the time of day SUCKED. they were only available for pictures at 4:30 in the afternoon, and the sun seemed directly on top of us the entire time. he plays baseball semi-professionally, and just has been a nightmare getting a good time, so the lighting was pretty harsh. :S
Message edited by author 2007-06-13 11:15:58.
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06/13/2007 11:27:01 AM · #2 |
Hey Jon, it looks like you've already identified the biggest weakness in the shots.... the lighting is very harsh in a lot of them. It also looks like the groom-to-be (I'll call him GTB) was a little less than enthusiastic about the shoot (which is pretty typical).
The shots with the GTB's back turned seem a bit overexposed. In the future, you may want to expose for your brightest areas and then fill flash when the sun is harsh like that. Many of the poses are very similar and a very large percentage have them looking straight into the camera. That's not always a bad thing, but engagement photos should also convey a sense of "love" and attachment between the GTB and BTB (bride-to-be). I tend to get a lot of shots where the two are interacting and gazing into each others eyes to try to emphasize that connection.
When working with people who are not experienced in front of a camera, often it's best if you just point them in a good general direction and then capture shots of the two of them interacting with each other. Your shots will look a lot more genuine and less posed (hence more natural).
As often happens, the shots improve drastically throughout the shoot which isn't very surprising. I told my wife that from now on, I was just going to spend the first 15-20 minutes shooting without a memory card because those images are usually the worst shots anyway. As the shoot progresses, everyone becomes more relaxed and the shots benefit as a result. All in all, it looks like a productive shoot and I'm sure they'll be happy with the results. If you're interested, here's my first attempt at engagement photos that kind of show what I was talking about.
I'm certainly no pro, but it's a direction I am trying to move in. Please feel free to disregard any of my advice... after all it's only worth $0.02 USD.
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06/13/2007 11:32:15 AM · #3 |
The guy looks a little sick in some of those! |
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06/13/2007 11:38:32 AM · #4 |
DowseDesigns: thank you so much, a lot of that clears up a few things that if i would have stopped and thought about it...rather than rushing into it (seems to be my problem), i could have been more successful. i was nervous, this is a paying client, doing their wedding soon, and i freaked. if i would have shot them more like i do my single portraiture, it would have been more of a "spur of the moment" rather than "pose, and smile fake" as i did in this one. i really appreciate you opening my eyes on that, and from now on, the camera will never leave my eye while out, and that "moment" will be caught next time. thanks so much:D
ragamuffingirl: he was sick of the camera being in his face, hah. very "macho" guy, but he was a trooper. i think he said "i'm hungry, let's go" about 15 times ;) he did well...better than some others i've seen
thanks, and any other comments are greatly appreciated as well
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06/13/2007 12:04:50 PM · #5 |
One thing I do for engagement shots, is that I will often take my boy with me. I give him a long lens on a 20D and tell him to stay off to one side or the other (about 45 degrees) and shoot candids.
So often the couple is going to look at me. And even when I tell them to look somewhere else, it just looks "staged" and unnatural. But while they are looking at me, they completely forget about my boy, and he can pick off shots that look completely candid.
I often envy him. I would much rather work as a 2nd shooter! More fun, less stress, often much better images.
I do agree with Lee's recommendation. I pose the couple every now and then, but the rest of the time, I tell them I want to see them interacting with each other. I want to see love for each other in their eyes and in their actions.
So my posing probably isn't the greatest, but I get some really nice "candid moments between lovers" and that's what I want. :-)
Message edited by author 2007-06-13 12:07:25.
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06/13/2007 12:05:31 PM · #6 |
Jon,
I generally like shooting the engagements - the rest of the wedding gig is what I like to avoid!
Before a shoot I generally Google wedding photographers and run through their portfolios just to get into the "groove". That is to say, just to get the idea of how the faces and composition might work.
Then I have "material" that I do - I really try to keep my energy up, laughing, having fun (at least acting like it, having fun depends on what the meter and histogram are saying).
I keep it moving - only 5 or 6 shots in one "location" and then we're on to the next. If the groom starts zoning out on me (watch his eyes) then I talk to him directly about what his favorite things are about her - or ask her to talk about him asking her to marry, those kinds of subject get them all happy and glowing again.
Then I only show the customer 6-12 shots total. I generally process the 6 - 8 favorites of mine, and show them. I tell them there are more if they want to see a few more - but generally they buy one out of the initial set.
Loading them up with 180 shots is sensory overload for most people. Fewer choices makes their life easier - they appreciate that in a stressful time like a wedding.
The last thing I've thought about while looking is this - Most people are so bad at taking a photo that if you can give them bright color and in focus they are pretty happy (depending on what you charge). I was always really hard on myself after a shoot, and they'd love them, and I wouldn't believe them, thought they were being nice.
So it's one thing to impress your client, and another to impress your photog friends. I ALWAYS shoot to make my photog friends say "cool" - but you can have satisfied clients without that.
ETA - an assistant with a bounce card always helps :-)
Message edited by author 2007-06-13 12:06:42. |
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