1st wedding - really want critiques & comments !!

06/24/2008 05:47:03 PM · #1

I just photographed my first wedding on Saturday, and I'll be very grateful for any feedback you can provide!

It was a very simple wedding & reception. The bride was as relaxed & happy as one would wish, so it was more fun than I had hoped. I was surprised at how difficult wedding photography is, and how fast it goes!

I'll post a little more later about what I learned; hopefully I'll learn something from your feedback as well!

sillygoat

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

06/24/2008 05:54:22 PM · #2

The black and white group shot is definitely my favourite :)
I would recommend playing around with various depths of field.

06/24/2008 06:16:27 PM · #3

Originally posted by sillygoat:

The black and white group shot is definitely my favourite :)
I would recommend playing around with various depths of field.

Thank you! I had planned on doing that, but then ended up a little nervous & frazzled & all the "perfect images" I had planned on never got done at all. The advice is well taken, however. That would have helped me hide the less than great backgrounds.

toddhead

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

06/24/2008 07:05:50 PM · #4

I think your shots are solid, but the background on the 1st shot is rough and I think I see some sensor dust on her arm. I love the b&w shot and think the 2nd shot would be great in b&w as well. I know my real issue when taking pictures is that I worry so much about getting the subject in focus that I don't really pay attention to the other things... I think for the most part you did that, so I would say it was a success. You got some good shots from a very simple wedding, so you did good! I can tell by your shots that you will only get better with each wedding...

I have a desire to do a wedding and I would love to have done a simple one like this first. I'm sure it was a good way to get your feet wet and should help you with your next one.

I guess the really important question is have you shown the couple any shots? If so, what do they think?

06/24/2008 09:21:32 PM · #5

Originally posted by toddhead:

Thank you! I haven't shown the couple the shots yet; I was hoping for feedback like yours & sillygoats to get the shots better first. For example, I hadn't noticed the sensor dust, which makes me wonder if I have an eye for this at all. Many thanks - I'll go back through & check for that on all the shots and fix it.

If you really want a simple wedding like this, I'll tell you my story: I did it for free. I made up a flyer that showed other portraits & events, and went to churches where I spoke to either the pastor/priest/rabbi/reverend or the wedding coordinator if there was one, and offered to do a free wedding for anyone who really wouldn't otherwise have a photographer. (BTW, I had also sought out doing free second shooting or equipment hauling for the local professionals, but didn't have any bites on that.)

Anyway, this cute couple did their entire wedding for what I bet would be under $500, maybe $1000 max. The premises & pastor were probably free (Mom works in the church); church ladies provided the reception food as their wedding gift; no music but for 2 songs from a DVD: the father / daughter -> first dance for the couple, and the chicken dance. The bride & her family were lovely & excited & had a lot of fun. The bride was so relaxed & mature it was hard to believe she was just 18, and her mom reassured me that any shots I missed would be caught by the family shutterbugs. I couldn't ask for a better no-pressure experience. I can only hope that they like some of what I can give them.

Again, many thanks!