This summer, I was contacted by one of my former wedding clients and asked if they could gift purchase an engagement session for one of their friends. I remembered the bridesmaid from her wedding, and we set up the engagement session. The engagement session went really well, and during it I learned that they had hired this shady "low-cost" studio to photograph their wedding. I don't like this studio because they're not really open to their clients on how they do business. They send some inexperienced photographer out to shoot their for $595, and then when they deliver their images, they remind their clients that these are all low-res and watermarked, and not even edited. They then encourage them to purchase the edited full-res JPGs for an extra $1,000. It's a total rip-off since most B&G's think they're getting the full-res JPGs for the $595 price, and then they're hosed.
When I told them all this, they were really put off, and I told not to rely on me for this info but to call the company and clarify what they're getting for $595, and how much more it will cost to get the edited full-res JPGs. They reported back to me that it was exactly as I had told them, and they were pissed because that was beyond their budget.
Their wedding by now was just a couple months off and I had that Saturday off, so I slashed my normal price by more than 50% and made them an offer that was a bit of a stretch for them, but yet reasonable. They accepted, knowing they would be happy with my images. That's giving you the long story on how I ended up shooting a wedding at a dive Irish pub in Chicago.
2. The bride in the back of the bar just after her makeup session. It's a sunny day outside and the door is open, providing the ambient light for this shot. I normally shoot this shot from a higher position, but liked what I saw here. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15574589007_351dffc533_b.jpg
4. And here's the reason for the picture of the building setting. I wanted to get a shot of them in the outdoor patio, which had some plants and flowers. It also had these lights. But it was all located on this sidewalk next to a street and cars. But as soon as I saw those lights, I saw a visual path that gave me some foliage in the background. If you look at the bar and follow the sidewalk down the street, you can see some trees in the sun on the far left in the deep background. That became my background for this shot. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3940/15574948240_ef37de1308_b.jpg
5. I know some will disagree with me on the wires being in this shot, but that's okay. This was shot in Chicago in an urban setting, and the wires help represent that, along with the plane flying by overhead. Sometimes I want to remove the urban elements, such as with the patio shot with the lights, and other times I want them included, such as this one. No rhyme or reason. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7572/15575145530_864c09ea2d_b.jpg
Ron, you are a good man. It isn't always about the money, sometimes it is about doing what is right! Not only did you do right, you also got them a great photo package. Congratulations to you on all counts! Herb
Great shots, Ron! His expression in #4 is priceless. I also really like the "upscale" garage in #3, it provides a nice backdrop. I enjoyed your back-story and applaud you being so helpful.
I agree with you on the urban setting, the wires and the plane keep you in the "there" rather than transporting them to some non-urban wedding location.
These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing. And I agree with you about keeping the wires, but perhaps I'd clone out the hardware and fuses on the lower left corner of the wires. Might look cleaner if it wires just terminated cleanly, while still keeping the urban feel.
Thanks, guys, really appreciate it. Holly and Luke are really good people, so I was happy to be able to do it for them. The really nice thing is how much they appreciated my being there. I mean, B&G's are always appreciative, but they were doubly so.
haleym77 wrote:
These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing. And I agree with you about keeping the wires, but perhaps I'd clone out the hardware and fuses on the lower left corner of the wires. Might look cleaner if it wires just terminated cleanly, while still keeping the urban feel.
Haley, I took a long hard look at the hardware/fuses or whatever that's called in the lower left. I've gone back and forth about cleaning it up and just going with wires like you suggested. I won't deliver for another month or so, so plenty of time to think it through. Thanks for commenting on that. And thanks for the compliment!
Looking at this repeatedly, I wouldn't have any issue with the extra hardware on the bottom left. With how the shot is, if those were cloned out to look like just power lines then the lines themselves become less clear as power lines since the only other reference to the power lines is a little bit of the pole peeking through in the background.
Also as the shot is framed, it looks like her foot is resting on the lines, an interesting side effect.
If I were to change anything about that shot, it would maybe be to remove the SUV in the bottom-left corner.
I agree with your choices, especially #5. I love #2, but I wonder if you could define her jaw and chin line just a smidge so that it doesn't blend into her neck. I realize that converting to web sometimes loses subtle gradations, so maybe the original is fine.
BTW, good on you to help them out so they weren't scammed by the other studio.
See, that's what I love about posting onto here. Wonderful exchange of ideas and thoughts and feedback. I really appreciate it, guys!
Squirrely Eyed, I think the SUV adds to the atmosphere of the shot. And look over on the right side, you'll see a windshield lit up a little bit.
Doug, really appreciate your feedback. I hadn't even noticed that I lost the definition of her jawline just past the chin. I'll have to see if I can recover that before I deliver.
friscoron wrote:
Squirrely Eyed, I think the SUV adds to the atmosphere of the shot. And look over on the right side, you'll see a windshield lit up a little bit.
Yeah, it definitely doesn't stand out and is not an eyesore. My eye just wonders whether it would benefit the scene by removing "dead weight" from the bottom-left and creating more of a slanted weight to the scene, drawing the eye closer to the subjects. I like the line of the trees and the line of the B&G + plane being at a similar angle.
Squirrely Eyed wrote:
Yeah, it definitely doesn't stand out and is not an eyesore. My eye just wonders whether it would benefit the scene by removing "dead weight" from the bottom-left and creating more of a slanted weight to the scene, drawing the eye closer to the subjects. I like the line of the trees and the line of the B&G + plane being at a similar angle.
Really appreciate your feedback. I'll be finalizing the editing for this wedding in a few weeks, and I'll definitely be working this image a little more, based on your and the others' feedback.
love all of them, you are a good man for helping people out not only with good information that prevented someone from going down a shady costly road but also helping them out with a price break.
My favorite would have to be the wire pic. I like how they are framed with elements from their native surroundings. great job!
