I just posted some spreads from my last album, and thought I'd share another I just finished. Luckily this one only took my 3 days (about 4 hours per day) and I can finally rest!
This couple was just a dream to work worth. The groom knew me from High School, so it was an honor to work with a good friend.
Engagement shots in Washington DC, wedding in Monterey / Oakland.
I am working on my first album ever right now and I should not have clicked on this link. I am ready to trash my album now. This work is so inspiring it is not even funny.
Fantastic. I really love the design work. At the risk of sounding like the guy who says "great pictures, what camera do you use?" can i ask how you went about the design process?
SingleMalt wrote:
Nice simple, clean, design - the way God meant it to be. Nice. This one has been added to my library of "strive to produce this quality."
I do have one little issue. (Yeah, like the last one, I'm the jackass..) When I look at 8, 9, 11, the positions of the B&G look a little repetitive.
I love how your design flourishes tie to the image elements. (Like the flowers in #14 or the rocks in #8.)
I noticed this as well, but the b&g commented that they loved all these pix, and I felt they were too strong to warrant a smaller position. I'll see if I can work it around, as yes, flip from page to page, would yield the same similar pose on the same position.
Brandon Mizar wrote:
Geez dude!!!! Those are amazing!!!!!!! For the poses in front of the temple are you using off camera lighting?
Yes, off camera lighting was an AcuteB strobe, with a large softbox (36"x48"). I'll generally switch between that SB or the Elinchrom Deep Octa (39"). Seniors I'll use a smaller one, like a Westcott 28". I need to get my beauty dish again, I liked it. Much less wind-prone for outdoors stuff.
Do you use a stand, or a well trained assistant for the softbox? I adore the lighting on these...
especially the DOF on page 17. what lens are you using, and what type of lighting are you using on that page?
really lke this book, layouts and all. the shots in the grass with the cars behind are the ONLY thing i noticed that caught my eye, but i think they are out of focus enough not to draw too much attention.
only other thing i can say is that i would have liked to have seen more of that gorgeous temple!
spencer these are fantastic. Also just had a look through to your main website all i can say is wow! your pics and lighting look very simple, but from experience i know that this kind of skill only comes with years of practice. Sorry I may have hammered your bandwidth a little bit but i had to show my wife the wedding albums too
really good consistent work throughout the album and throughout the engagement and wedding shoots
your lighting is especially clean and consistent
I really like spread 10... love the energy in this shot. strong compositionally as well...
If i can critique a few things as well...
i think the last page is a bit of an anti-climax. the lighting is not as consistent as the rest of the album. the burnt out light thing above the car is very distracting and the "mood & feel" of this page is totally different to the rest of the album.
page 2 is really fun and energetic, but be careful with your tilt. I feel it's a bit over used and gone to far with a couple of the shots, especially the far right one. also your cropping doesn't feel as tight and purposeful as the rest of your shots, particualrly the middle and right shots on the right side.
i really love the pose you have the bride and groom in on the cover and again on page 9. it's really full of energy and sets the tone for the album.
however, a critique have is that the majority of your shots have the couple looking at the camera and also in very much the same pose... standing together in an embrace, cheeks together, smiling (gorgeously mind you) at the camera.
for me it feels too repetitive... and after a while it tends to just wash over me. that's why shots like page 10 and 2 really stand out to me...
opportunities like page 6 look really good, but again although they are not looking directly at your camera, a lot of the shots look like they're looking and posing for another camera.
I would've liked to have seen more creative posing and positioning of the couple. they look like an awesome couple. clearly very attractive and very fun to work with. exploit their character and personality more... use their energy and their obvious love and emotions. don't stifle that by stiffening them up into straight camera shots.
create more intimate & personal moments like you've done so well in page 13. use more creative compositions and crops. i feel like there are too many full length or waist up shots. i'd like to see more shots like the top right one on page 4. close ups of intimate moments...
sorry to nit pick and tear it apart like i have...
i really like your work. you've got really good consistency running through the album.. try and make it a bit more edgy and less predictable. make each spread a surprise!
The horizon lines bug me in 14, especially with them lined up perfectly horizontally. Maybe breaking the up with a different middle shot would help.
I enjoy the design elements on all of the pages that tie the medium photos on one side to the larger image on the other. The use of lines and opacity changes are effective.
Really good photography and layout.
I don't like the logo or that it's on every page.
The lines running around the page i'm not fond of either. That was big in late nineties graphic design and lookes dated now.
I do think it's great but those things i feel are well worth pointing out.
Beautiful job, Spencer--your work is indeed very inspiring! I also love your style, especially your color harmonies, and subtle but effective use of Photoshop to enhance the pop of your pictures. Great emotional stuff--pages 9 & 10 are outstanding.
mockkie, I learned a lot from your excellent critique as well.
Thanks for giving me the impetus to finally start on that first album I've been putting off!
Quick question or ya, I'm possibly shooting a wedding up at the Oakland temple later this month, and do you bring your strobe setup for the photos out in front of the temple, as well as on the other shots up there? I've been there many times & haven't seen a photographer out there with a big off camera setup. Doesn't look like there is much room out there for that anyway
