Wow we have had a great season. A season which will be wrapping up here shortly. I think we may have one more engagement session and are completely done with weddings for the year. Now that I have some time not only will I be wrapped up in the Fred Miranda forums a LOT more but also wanted to share some of our favorite images from some recent work. Comments and critique on these are always appreciated. I think it so awesome to get real honest feedback from such a talented group, I know it helps me to grow!
This first set is from a bridal session we did in Basin, WY
Seriously nice work. The only one I don't really like is number 9, just for fun I copied, cropped, viewed and immediately deleted the image after focusing in on the couples on the balconies. Works much better IMO if it is not a picture of a house but that's just one guys opinion. Well done.
One critique on your e-session pics, you might want to think about adding a ND grad filter to your kit or using a strobe to light the couple to the same exposure level as the background. I know that many people don't mind blown out skies and mountains but in my mind, it makes the shot look amateurish.
@ Chris_Crawley & phatnev - Thank you for commenting. I like 10 as well though I am disappointed I didn't take more time to place the chandelier more center in the frame.
@Victor S - Thanks! My husband and I were just talking about how awesome it is to be able to travel and see some of the places we do. Don't wedding photographers seriously have the best job in the world? I commented on the set you posted from your most recent wedding. Very solid, I envy what you do to work the ambient light in your reception shots.
@rtoip - Those three are some of my absolute favorites from this post. Thank you for taking the time to let me know which photos you enjoyed.
@davenfl - You know I am not BIG on wide angles. That photo started as a request from the bride. She thought maybe we could do something using the balconies and the bridal party. Since I also try to get each couple a shot that showcases the venue I thought maybe I would roll them all into one. I did take a few closer in but for some reason I ended up liking this one best. Thank you for the comment.
@ClaireinME - Awww thanks I see you are a wide angle fan... with such an elegant venue it was hard to shoot tight and lose all the lovely scenery!
@Aron Goss - Thanks Aron... I see you have been posting quite a bit more work on FM. Looks like you staying busy. Thanks for commenting.
@jcolman - Thanks for the comment. I will have to look into the filter. I have been trying to learn a bit more about fill flash and strobe work outside. Still haven't mastered it I am afraid. I too am a fan of keeping those blue skies blue, both of these days happened to be a bit overcast though. I very much appreciate you not only commenting but making a suggestion on how to improve. That being said "amatuerish" got my goat, probably the last thing any of us pros want to hear lol.
@izanaki - The mountains/valleys were a beautiful change of pace for us. I bet you have some beautiful scenes there in Canada though. Thanks for the comment.
@bryanlindsey - That is such a great compliment. We wanted to end the season with a bang... I am very happy with our recent work and I think I can see a lot of improvement. Nice to know other people can see it to however. Thanks!
@belldandy13 - You know I loved those locations too... BUT sometimes it can be hard shooting is such majestic locations. Its very tempting to shoot wide and capture that 'tourist' photo that everyone else gets there. Harder to bring yourself to focus and isolate the couple and their interaction lol. Doesn't hurt the portfolio however!
@brandonwong - The location is basically a mansion that was built just for weddings. They have about 3-4 weddings a weekend there. Its funny my couple was slated to arrive and start getting ready at 3:45 for their ceremony. The venue scheduled a rehearsal for 3:00. Talk about trying to milk every single hour of the busy season! Thanks for the comment on 7 and 10.
ARDENT wrote:
I very much appreciate you not only commenting but making a suggestion on how to improve. That being said "amatuerish" got my goat, probably the last thing any of us pros want to hear lol.
As long as I got you thinking about how to make a good shot even better it's worth two goats!
WOWZERS Steph... these are all OUTSTANDING.. this is a clear sign of a significant growth over the last year.... how fun is that. You've really made some headway. I started to have some individual comments on the first couple.... all compliments.. and then they were all outstanding so it moved my comments and compliments to the entire album of work.
You will be more in demand this next year then you were in 2009. Good job gal.
