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Kelly Phillips Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #1 · First Wedding....Help please =) Alright guys. I'm going to get over my fear and post some shots from my first wedding here. I want you to rip me apart, but be gentle about it. I had one friend look already and he let me have it pretty good about lighting my formals. I'm glad he did. I have alot of trouble with group shots. I'm always afraid of my light being too flat, so I put my key too far to the side. The wedding itself was supposed to happen with all of the lights on. We had that settled, at least until 10 minutes before it started. So the wedding was lit with candles and a few lights above the stage. I set one of my AB 800s up real quick bounced out of a back corner. I had no second shooter. The bride wanted me to be 4 places at one time. I realized very quickly that I lost my concentration and forgot fundamental photography and just startd shooting. Big mistake. My shots suffered. The reception was lit with candles and christmas lights. I bounced a camera mounted 580ex off of the ceiling in there at about iso 1250 I think. OK, that's most of the story of the event. (by the way, this was a small church and most of my shots included things that I either had to clone out or live with, like a giant tv hanging above the stage.) Stuff I used: Canon 1D3, 40D, 85mm f/1.8, tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, 580 ex, alien bees, octabox as key on formals Here they are: 1: I'll start with a formal 2: Formal of Bride. It was pointed out that I should have shot with less DOF and had her turn toward key. Anything else wrong that I should work on? 3: Formal of groom. This photo hasn't been popular so far. I don't know why, I like it. Please tell me what is wrong. Is it too "dark" for a happy day? 4: Reception: 5:Bad composition, cake stuff: 6: Kind of boring to me. What can I do to this? 7: Jump! I really didn't have any place better to do this shot. 8: "Here comes the bride, y'all!" 9: Preacher 10: During vows, the preacher said his line and she said...."what?" and we all laughed 11: I'm so sorry to someone. I got this image home and looked at it and realized that I have seen someone else do it before. I don't know who, but it looks familiar to me. It was not intentional. My favorite from the day: Thanks for your input. Kelly Dec 11, 2008 at 03:29 AM

David.G Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #2 · First Wedding....Help please =) Hi Kelly, For your first wedding, I’d say not too bad (you got to start somewhere). 1. Could have reduced some shadows by turning up your fill light. 2. Yeah, less DOF would have been better, but I like it the way it is. Not turning her towards your key light added some texture and depth to her and the dress. 3. Nice pic…for a funeral (dark, gloomy), not a wedding. A nice smile and a little light on the other side of his face would make a world of difference. 4. Good snap 5. Yeah, bad comp, but you got the moment. 6. What about a white vignette? 7-10 are okay. 11. So what if you copied someone’s idea (just don’t do it a lot). Dec 11, 2008 at 04:02 AM

Saad Syed Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #3 · First Wedding....Help please =) #11 is a shot that many have done before... rarely will you find something that has not been done by someone else. Dec 11, 2008 at 04:09 AM

dannyrod Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · First Wedding....Help please =) Kelly, I think you did a great job for your first wedding . . . the formals aren't bad at all, definitely not as terrible as you're describing your friend to think they are. I would agree that maybe moving the key more towards the camera would help light everyone a bit more evenly without anyone getting caught in shadows. 2 - I like this a lot actually, looks fine to me . . . good balance of key / rim light 3 - I don't think this is terrible or anything, but I agree that some extra light to fill in the right side of his face (or maybe even short lighting on the other side instead of broad lighting) would help 4 - Great lighting 5 - As David said, comp could be tighter (just give it a crop right now!) but you caught the moment 6 - Might try cropping grandma out on the right side? Keep the last lady standing on the right in and pull the crop tighter a bit on the top and bottom . . . 7 - 9 are all great captures 10 - I really really like the light and DOF on this one, great job! 11 - Awesomeness . . . Dec 11, 2008 at 05:53 AM

Sam Hassas Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #5 · First Wedding....Help please =) PENTECOSTALS! ~Sam Dec 11, 2008 at 06:03 AM

Sam Hassas Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #6 · First Wedding....Help please =) Good set. First weddings are never supposed to be great. (mostly) Mine sucked anyway. I dig 3 as well but something tells me the clients wont understand it as much. Maybe a little too dark but still cool. The decore is kindy bad but not your fault. How was the weather outdoor? Could you have taken more outside? Did you take more outside? ~Sam Dec 11, 2008 at 06:07 AM

weeums Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #7 · First Wedding....Help please =) I'll second what Saad said.. rarely will you find something that someone hasn't already did... and last time I checked it wasn't against any law to steal poses! if so i'm in big trouble.. everything I do I either learned from Spencer or stole from SAM ! muahahhaha - ... no seriously it's true! tho I think I'm still the only one to shoot with a firetruck at a wedding! there's some good stuff in there for a first time... it's hard to make the cake cutting and bouquet toss "exciting" .... I bet if it's possible Sam could do it ! - Travis Dec 11, 2008 at 06:17 AM

Kelly Phillips Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #8 · First Wedding....Help please =) Thanks for all of the comments. Sam, you nailed it. They are pentecostals. I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing for a first wedding. They were the nicest people I have ever met and the kids were so respectful. I just wonder what kind of suprises that I am in for when I do my next one for a different crowd. (drunks maybe?) Sam, the weather outside was cold. The wedding was at night, so between the dark and cold, we passed. Nothing on the outside was very nice for photos anyway. It was a small church located next to an interstate on ramp. As for #3, I have one of him smiling also in this same pose. Maybe it will be more popular. Dec 11, 2008 at 02:06 PM

DB Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #9 · First Wedding....Help please =) 1. Let me say that your first formal shot is really creative -- think about it this way. Would they rather remember how fun that shot is? Or have perfect lighting and everyone be standing straight? I think you were very creative here. 2. It's better to have more DOF and have her face in focus, than less DOF and have it look more artistic but miss the focus. What was your aperture on this? I LOVE a good bokeh, but I'm learning to shoot with smaller aptertures so I don't miss those "money" shots. 3. Whatever everyone else said. Did you up the blacks too much? Do you use LR? Add some fill if you do - it might make it a bit happier. 5 is hilarious - use your crop tool. You can use it to make the focus more on the couple and less on the people around them. Maybe next time stand more to your right and get the cake in the foreground with the cake smashing right behind it. 6 is a good moment -- crop from the right and try to remove the tables and the bystanders and see if that looks better. Remove vignettes before doing that, though. Maybe even crop up the dress -- that little girl's face is priceless, so you can make it about the toss and that girl's face. 7 is great. One of the best. Keep it as is. 8, 9, 10 - I like these. Great moments. 11 is really nice. would have been just slightly better if their noses were far enough apart to get a tiny amount of separation - -just for future reference. The first is the hardest! Just keep plugging away! Dec 12, 2008 at 08:45 PM

mineymole Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #10 · First Wedding....Help please =) Jeez Kelly I think you did a swell job. I'm shooting my second wedding tomorrow and I hope it comes out as good as yours! I would crop of few of them differently... but otherwise I think they look pretty good. Dec 12, 2008 at 09:00 PM

Kelly Phillips Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #11 · First Wedding....Help please =) Thank you for stopping by. The aperture on #2 was probably f/9. I should have been around f/5.6 maybe for singles and I guess f/9 works well for groups. #5 is even more funny because it wasn't supposed to happen. I asked her a couple of days before if he was going to smash the cake in her face. She said that he "better not!" Well, she got him. He was a good sport, I wonder if SHE would have been.... Dec 12, 2008 at 09:05 PM

SAREBEL Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #12 · First Wedding....Help please =) Kelly, Overall I like these. Everyone has pointed out the technical and lighting stuff, I agree with everything said so far. I think you are off to a great start. Remember, you are your own worst critic!! Don't beat yourself up on any shot, just apply it as a lessson for next time. Best of luck. btw..do you have a good light meter? If not I recomend a Sekonic l-358 and a expo disc. Dec 13, 2008 at 03:57 PM

brandonwong Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #13 · First Wedding....Help please =) First of all, have a little faith in your pictures! Loving your work is a big part of art. If you don't appreciate them, it doesn't matter who else does. Keep shooting and find your style and when you get there stay put Ahh! I need to pack I'll say more in a bit Dec 14, 2008 at 02:10 AM

Kelly Phillips Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #14 · First Wedding....Help please =) Thanks guys. I think that the wedding went well. I worked my tail off. I didn't expect it to be so much work. I think that the customers will be happy when they see these. I have alot of practice ahead of me before I get it right. Dec 14, 2008 at 04:10 AM

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