First wedding photos

I helped you insert the pics so they're easier to see.

OK onto some comments.

Pretty good for a 1st wedding to be honest. I've see WAY worse from people with more "experience".

The following is some tips/opinions from me:
1. Don't add that harsh vignetting (black border thing) it look unprofessional.
2. Never use direct flash (unless you really need to) at least bounce the flash off the ceiling (walls are even better).

Not bad overall.

Maria21 wrote:

butterflygirl921 wrote: I don't like them at all. Your ideas are great but the ones of the people look like snap shots and the one of the hands are out of focus. I would do second shooter for weddings to get practice. Sorry for the harsh opinion but if these were my wedding photos I wouldn't pay you for these.

Why so harsh? She said it was her first wedding. People come to this site for help in becoming better photographers, not to be put down by harsh comments. Why not just tell her how to make these images better next time. What makes these images look like snapshots to you? Your comment does not help her in anyway to do better next time.

If you would have read I did say she had great ideas but the people look like they are snapshots. They aren't possed in that wow breathtaking pose you would expect from a wedding photographer. and I also told her the hands were blurry. If thats not helpful I don't know what is. And like I said in the first post if you would have read it fully that she should do second shoot to someone who has done weddings who can teach her what she is missing. To help her be a better wedding photographer. I also apologized for being so harsh, but sometimes the only way to learn is to get some possitive when a photograph or an idea is good and then the negative ones. That's how I learned and it has made my photographs better. I'm not going to lie to her and tell her They look great with a when they don't that won't help her much. So I'm sorry if you feel this way. I was only trying to help.

Yeh let 'em have it Butterflygirl!

Yea, that's fine I can take it. But nothing was said in the original post as to why she thought the image looked like a snapshot until I posted what I did & the return response generated a comment that will help the OP to better understand what they need to do to help better their images (ie: the posing & vingetting). So I'm ok with taking a little heat to get another photog the help they need.

I asked the couple what they were looking for in the photos, what they wanted. They wanted photos that reflected the fun of the day, the photos clearly reflect this couple, so I think I've done ok with that although I have some formal poses also. I posted just a few of the 100 I processed and of the nearly 1,000 that I took. So what I've posted here is only a very small sample.

I appreciate a lot of the input I've recieved, I'll ease up on the vignette (an effect I love and apparentely got a little carried away with
I also appreciate those who took the time to write out thoughful constructive critisim. I'll soak it up like a sponge and see what improvments I can make in the future.

Thanks for embedding the photos.

Thanks to you Maria for your insistance on clarification, Butterflygirl, when I read your post initially, I didn't really see anything constructive that made me feel as though I could impove my photos with your comments. I did, however, suddenly feel like sh*t about them and doubt myself all the more after having done this. Just so you know however you heard it in your head, it read differently. Or maybe it didn't. I don't know.

itsmerenee wrote: I asked the couple what they were looking for in the photos, what they wanted. They wanted photos that reflected the fun of the day, the photos clearly reflect this couple, so I think I've done ok with that although I have some formal poses also. I posted just a few of the 100 I processed and of the nearly 1,000 that I took. So what I've posted here is only a very small sample.

I appreciate a lot of the input I've recieved, I'll ease up on the vignette (an effect I love and apparentely got a little carried away with
I also appreciate those who took the time to write out thoughful constructive critisim. I'll soak it up like a sponge and see what improvments I can make in the future.

Thanks for embedding the photos.

Thanks to you Maria for your insistance on clarification, Butterflygirl, when I read your post initially, I didn't really see anything constructive that made me feel as though I could impove my photos with your comments. I did, however, suddenly feel like sh*t about them and doubt myself all the more after having done this. Just so you know however you heard it in your head, it read differently. Or maybe it didn't. I don't know.

I'm sorry for the way it came across. Re reading it today I was a little too harsh. I didn't mean to upset you. Sometimes I forget how it feels to be so proud of something and get harsh criticism.

Bingo! I was really pretty proud that I even did this, and then felt pretty deflated and almost apologetic after sharing them with a group I respect and was excited to share with.

Thank you butterflygirl, no worries (Should we hug, or shake hands or something? LOL)

itsmerenee wrote: Bingo! I was really pretty proud that I even did this, and then felt pretty deflated and almost apologetic after sharing them with a group I respect and was excited to share with.

Thank you butterflygirl, no worries (Should we hug, or shake hands or something? LOL)

hug lol

Helps to know that this was done as a favor for a friend and an opportunity to give it a try; I wondered at first because they don't look like photos that typically would be done by a professional. You might look at photos done by studios to see what to work toward, here's a local one I'm familiar with (I don't do weddings) - www.easywindstudio.com .

I think in general you're right, you need to work on techniques; overall the images could be sharper and some composed better. Once you can do that then you can use the special effects with more skill to get some creative images. You seem to be able to envision some interesting photos, it's more a matter of improving the skill level so you can show in your photos what you envision.

I don't think I've ever witnessed such a cool making amends thread on the internet! Kudos to you both for how this was handled. It confims why this is such a great forum to come to.

We're all adults here, right? I was trying to remain as objective as I possibly could, which I realize, wasn't very and I think we all know that it's difficult in text and without tone of voice or mannerisms to really know how it is that someone intends rather than the way it's read.
My primary goal was to try not to be too hyper-sensitive with whatever feedback I happend to get.

icepics wrote: Helps to know that this was done as a favor for a friend and an opportunity to give it a try; I wondered at first because they don't look like photos that typically would be done by a professional. You might look at photos done by studios to see what to work toward, here's a local one I'm familiar with (I don't do weddings) - www.easywindstudio.com .

I think in general you're right, you need to work on techniques; overall the images could be sharper and some composed better. Once you can do that then you can use the special effects with more skill to get some creative images. You seem to be able to envision some interesting photos, it's more a matter of improving the skill level so you can show in your photos what you envision.

I love the photos in the link.
I can totally do that, pfft.

I'm not necessarily "trying" to be a wedding photographer, but I definitely would like to hone in on some things that will make me a good one, should the desire be there in the future.

Sounds like a good way to approach it.