Someone suggested me to use this forum. Hello everyone. I used Canon 500D with either 70-200mm f/2.8 IS or 50mm f/1.4. I bought a 5D mk1 a couple of weeks later. I wish I had the 5D back then . Very small wedding thats why they used me knowingly Ive never done wedding before
Thank you! They are supper happy especially with how ridiculously low they paid for it. I am happy with the results especially because ive only been shooting for 6 months.
Welcome to the forum! I suggest you read the stickies, there's some good advice and food for thought.
Please tell us about your interest in photography, how long you've been involved and why you decided to do wedding photography for money. You stated this is your first wedding, have you done any assisting?
Unfortunately, your images exhibit numerous problems caused by your lack of experience. I'll point out some things of which you need to be aware.
White balance. Your white balance is inconsistent. How do you post process? Have you calibrated your monitor?
Backgrounds. Several photos have problems with #11 being the most egregious. They have and enormous light fixture growing out of their head. Less serious but still distracting is the telephone pole in #13. By shifting your position slightly, you could have eliminated it. This leads to the next problem,
Attention to detail. His hair is unkempt in #12. There are also some wardrobe issues in many of the photos. You were fighting an uphill battle because the groom's clothes are ill fitting. #14 has an example of another attention to detail issue. There's a big weed right in front of her dress. It would have taken ten seconds to remove it.
Posing. There are many posing problems. She's got a broken neck in #8 and his posing in #15 only accentuates his wardrobe problems. There's also all sorts of little things to consider, down to the posing of her hands when she holds her bouquet.
I encourage you to buy some books or even attend some workshops to sharpen your wedding photo skills. Assisting jobs are hard to find now, but if at all possible I think you should assist a while before you shoot any more weddings solo.
schwettylens wrote:
I am happy with the results especially because ive only been shooting for 6 months.
That's what I suspected. Unfortunately, you haven't been shooting long enough to recognize your shortcomings.
I'm sorry, but I'm bewildered by people who have been engaged in photography for such a short period of time that think they are ready to charge money for photography services.
Yes, that's true, however the couple knew that he had no experience. He wasn't pretending to be something he is not. I think his results are better than average and the couple lucked out.
If you are looking for critique, I would suggest doing away with on camera flash directed at the couple in situations where you certainly had enough light to do without it.
dmacmillan wrote:
That's what I suspected. Unfortunately, you haven't been shooting long enough to recognize your shortcomings.
I'm sorry, but I'm bewildered by people who have been engaged in photography for such a short period of time that think they are ready to charge money for photography services.
I'm bewildered by photographers who don't realize there are people out there who don't want to pay the prices demanded by professional photographers. They were happy, they paid less. They win.
look man, how many times have you seen an ad looking for photographer who is building their portfolio? Yes I realized my work isnt super good but I do think the couple are very lucky they got me to do their photos. I have invested some $$ on 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, 50mm f/1.4. Yes I do need more lenses, I know that. They could have had someone with kit lens and 55-250mm kit lens. I have spent $$ on Adobe CS4, LR3, Topaz. I recently bought a 5D. Also, I only had maybe 30 minutes to do posed shot before it got too dark.
Also, I do work for cheap to build up my portfolio but I dont work for free. I do agree with your CCs though but my WB is not that far off. They only had 9 guests so that is 11 including the couple! Please tell me who should have shot this wedding? A $2000 photographer? Thats more than their budget probably!
loosh wrote:
I'm bewildered by photographers who don't realize there are people out there who don't want to pay the prices demanded by professional photographers. They were happy, they paid less. They win.
I understand those who can't/won't pay for a reputable professional photographer, but that doesn't have anything to do with my concern.
I don't know how to express it without using emotionally charged words. When I started in photography, I was self aware enough to know I didn't have the knowledge or skill set to solicit jobs shooting weddings. That lead me to obtain the needed knowledge and skills. I read a lot and ended up assisting two local photographers. I assisted an entire season at several weddings before I soloed the following year. In retrospect I probably wasn't ready then. I've taught continuing education photo courses off and on for 30 years. I've seen plenty of students chomping at the bit to make money who didn't know enough to even realize they didn't know enough. At least they signed up for a photo course.
Perhaps this couple won, but it was luck of the draw. They could have just as easily ended up, as many have, with no wedding photos because they hire someone who was also inexperienced and not as lucky.
dmacmillan wrote:
Perhaps this couple won, but it was luck of the draw. They could have just as easily ended up, as many have, with no wedding photos because they hire someone who was also inexperienced and not as lucky.
Wow.. you really think I got lucky with my images? That hurts!
schwettylens wrote:
I have invested some $$ on 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, 50mm f/1.4. Yes I do need more lenses, I know that. They could have had someone with kit lens and 55-250mm kit lens. I have spent $$ on Adobe CS4, LR3, Topaz. I recently bought a 5D.
They only had 9 guests so that is 11 including the couple! Please tell me who should have shot this wedding? A $2000 photographer? Thats more than their budget probably!
I think it's admirable that you are buying the needed tools to do this. There's more to wedding photography than having a professional kit, though. It's the skills, like knowing how to pose hands, that concern me.
I'm sure their entire budget was less than $2,000 and I understand the argument that this provides them with photos they probably wouldn't have otherwise. My point is that there's more to wedding photography the perhaps you are aware. I encourage you continue to study and grow. Along with your investment in gear, invest in improving your skills.
schwettylens wrote:
Wow.. you really think I got lucky with my images? That hurts!
I'm sorry. I was speaking in generic terms, which is a mistake. I don't think you got lucky with your images. I think you're a little early out of the gate, but that's because of my approach to photography. That's why I obtained a degree, I guess I'm anal.
I meant no disrespect to you personally, but I see how you could have taken it that way. I apologize.
You should be happy with these results, as should they. I think theyre great for only having shot for 6 months - and it being your first wedding.
I dont think i could have produced such images after 6 months - even if i had the same gear you do.
Goes without saying really: keep on studying and soaking up as much as possible. This board will provide you with lots and lots of good info.
Lastly: welcome. Dont let bad critique get you down. Of course you have a lot to learn, so youre definitely going to get more negative critiques in the beginning but take it as earnest lessons (mostly at least). There are some very wise, intelligent, experienced photogs on this board, so soak it ALL up. Even the negative grumpy old farts (NOT reffering to any previous posts in this thread) can be right, so listen to them too, just try to overlook the 'grumpy old fart' part of their posts
Jacob Fjelsten wrote:
Even the negative grumpy old farts (NOT reffering to any previous posts in this thread) can be right, so listen to them too, just try to overlook the 'grumpy old fart' part of their posts
Hey, I resemble that remark!
I know I'm like that sometimes. I'm trying to fight the negativity. I want to lift up, not put down.
#14 is my favourite, I only wish you had not cropped the bottom of her dress. But that's just me. I'm sure you already noticed, but in #7 the woman's eyes are closed, which throws the picture off for me.
Other than that, very nice set for having only shot for 6 months.
If the couple who got married was happy, then that's all that matters, despite what anyone on this forum says. Just remember that when posting pictures. It's only your customers who need to like your pictures. Use the rest of the comments as learning tools to improve.
dmacmillan wrote:
I understand those who can't/won't pay for a reputable professional photographer, but that doesn't have anything to do with my concern.
I don't know how to express it without using emotionally charged words. When I started in photography, I was self aware enough to know I didn't have the knowledge or skill set to solicit jobs shooting weddings. That lead me to obtain the needed knowledge and skills. I read a lot and ended up assisting two local photographers. I assisted an entire season at several weddings before I soloed the following year. In retrospect I probably wasn't ready then. I've taught continuing education photo courses off and on for 30 years. I've seen plenty of students chomping at the bit to make money who didn't know enough to even realize they didn't know enough. At least they signed up for a photo course.
Perhaps this couple won, but it was luck of the draw. They could have just as easily ended up, as many have, with no wedding photos because they hire someone who was also inexperienced and not as lucky....Show more →
You're asking him to acquire professional skills before he's allowed to shoot. How much does a professional photographer cost? What do you suggest for a couple who aren't interested in paying a lot for a photographer?
. Very small wedding thats why they used me knowingly Ive never done wedding before 
