Pottstown - grew up in Schwenksville & Norristown area; grandfather was big AAA (sticker on rearview mirror?) agent in Pottstown - East Greenville, Pennsburg, Upper Perkiomen etc. area.
Nits: Something about the light (interior) bothers me but I cannot say why; remove inspection sticker; remove top of house above car roof; maybe straighten antenna; lighter area bleeding through along passenger side - fender (looks like cloud of oil smoke/exhaust which it likely is not); front wheels being turned does not bother me.
Took a stab at a few things ... most notably the house, some of the blue and the lower set of reflections (rather crudely). Also, some desaturation to go for a bit more vintage vibe.
Since this was a staged shot, I can't help but wonder if you tried taking one where he was leaning over a little more so they were more framed in the window pane on the left. Maybe it would have made him look too stretched or contorted but I think I would have tried a shot that way.
This also breaks the normal wedding photography "rule" that says to put the bride in front with the kiss but that might have messed up her light a little bit.
I noticed the house and the apparent exhaust, too. I'm not sure the house necessarily needs to be cloned out; perhaps just reducing the saturation and contrast of the roof along with the background trees would be enough.
That said, it's a nice image and I think most couples would be thrilled to have it. I like the processing in the original with the exceptions I noted above.
Thanks guys! I didn't (and usually don't) do much post processing with my wedding photos. I do everything in Lightroom. I think the feedback is spot on and now see that those adjustments would make for a more solid image. @eyeball I did do a variety of positioning for them, but having them a little more centered was more appealing to me. I felt it balanced the composition more. It was lit with a speedlite in the backseat and triggered with radio poppers. I agree with Bob that the light inside the car is off, and I couldn't put my finger on it either.
Thanks for the responses! It encourages me to take things into Photoshop a little more and really make it clean.
A really good image!! The 1st thing that caught my eye was the saturation... notably the grass(left side) which appears to be fluorescent. I really like Rustybugs version.
Posed or not, this is a great image. Classy, timeless, beautiful.
I think Kent's version improves for several reasons.
I. the peaked house distracts. If left in I would desaturate it significantly.
2. the exhaust (?) along the side of the car adds nothing.
3. just too much purple/bluish tones, seen easily in the exhaust, asphalt especially on the left side of the image.
Scott
Took another stab at it with a full mono version. Played with some "apply image" between channels and some selective sharpening, as well as a trim off the left & bottom.
I can see why this is your favorite picture of 2012! I agree that removing the house and a few other small things would make this a stronger image. I actually love the color saturation of the original from the low light (less saturation if you want a nostalgia feel). I adjusted the white balance a bit and like the other edits a center crop would also make this stronger. I like Kent's B&W version as well!
Nits: Something about the light (interior) bothers me but I cannot say why; This is a nice shot. I think the main issue I see is that the light overfills the car interior. Most of the faces are in relative shadow. If you can tone down the rest of the flashed interior light, leaving the light on the faces as it is, as well as the rear window, you'll have a much more focused shot.
