C&C: Shot from a wedding

K!LL!@N

I got roped into shooting a friend's wedding.
They were short on cash and it was likely that they weren't going to have a photographer had I not done it.
I wasn't even supposed to be going but when they offered to pay my fare, I couldn't really refuse.

I'd never shot a wedding before and to be honest I hadn't even really had my camera very long, so to say I was bricking it would be an understatement. :eek:

Anyway, I'll quit waffling.

I haven't really had time to go through all the photos yet but there was one that I remembered taking that I thought would turn out well.

Thoughts?

Borderfox

Nice location, its tough doing weddings but you get to enjoy them after a few Its a great shot considering you havent had the camera long..

miju

i think that that is a lovely fairly unqiue looking wedding photo Killi@n, would be interested in seeing a few more outta curiousity

Fionn

i like that shot!! they'll be happy about it too.....

well done!!

whats that you say about enjoying them BF??

i'm always more nervous than the groom!!!

K!LL!@N

Thanks for the replies so far!

I have plenty more, I shot 1600 odd photos on the day.
Like I said though I haven't had a chance to get through yet.

I would definitely like to do it again but I think I'd like to maybe assist a more experienced photographer and see how they do things.

I had two problems on the day.
The first was when the batteries on the speedlight started to wear out and it wasn't firing on every shot.
It was so bright that I didn't notice for a few minutes that it wasn't firing.
Thankfully I did notice eventually and just had to get a couple people back to retake the shots.

The second problem was when it came towards the end of the ceremony.
The officiant had been taking his time and talking quite a bit.
So I wanted to change from the telephoto back to the wider angle lens.
I thought I had plenty of time but as I was standing there with a lens in either hand and the body around my neck he suddenly had the bride and groom kiss!
That was an "Oh sh#t!" moment.
I told them that I'd missed it though as soon as I could.
They didn't mind, we went back up and it actually worked better because we were able to move a table and mic stand that would have been in the way.

As for the location.
It was Ensenada, Mexico.

I'll try and pick out a few more shots and post them.

Killian

Fenster

Any chance that you might upload the masteR?

K!LL!@N

The original is too big to attach.
Here's a lower res of the original.
All I did was crop to straighten the horizon and remove a bit of the sunlight which was on the right.
It was late afternoon on the west coast so the sun was setting.

Killian

howca

That is a gorgeous picture! I think you are on to something there.

City-Exile

I think you should have got all of the bride into the shot.
Fair enough if you weren't happy with it and wanted to crop it out afterwards, but at least give yourself that option.

K!LL!@N

City-Exile wrote: »

I think you should have got all of the bride into the shot.
Fair enough if you weren't happy with it and wanted to crop it out afterwards, but at least give yourself that option.

Fair point.

In my defense, it wasn't the easiest of places to shoot.
It was on a little pier, of sorts, that had seen better days.
It was actually the last shot of the card.
I ran out of space after I took it and had left my spare card in the camera bag that was in the taxi waiting to take us back to the boat.

Killian

City-Exile

K!LL!@N wrote: »

Fair point.

In my defense, it wasn't the easiest of places to shoot.
It was on a little pier, of sorts, that had seen better days.
It was actually the last shot of the card.
I ran out of space after I took it and had left my spare card in the camera bag that was in the taxi waiting to take us back to the boat.

Killian

You need to get into the habit of thinking the shot out before you take it.
None of the excuses you gave there would explain why you didn't frame the shot better.

Fenster

The framing of the original is horrible: The bride is right out at the edge of a landsape photo with her attention on something that's out of the frame. also, the excess room on the right doesn't really add to the composition or image, so I've made a portrait crop around the bride.

I added a glow layer and did a little work to recover shadows and highlights. I performed some cosmetic work on the bride as her armpit was not flattering.

Thirdfox

Maybe level the horizon too...

Oriel

Less sky, more dress.

AnCatDubh

The wind swept nature of the shot works real well Killian. The light however was unkind to you. I like fensters take on it though as it brings in a 'richness' to the image which was lacking in the original. The portrait crop works in fensters version too. The most obvious critique for me is the crop of the lady's feet. Don't worry its a regular flaw that even the most seasoned photographer can make. Stick around here long enough and you'll see it regularly - I suffer it myself on occasion There is a basic guide in framing your image which suggests that you need to be careful about where you crop in relation to a limb. Don't crop on or near the limb. Overall - when you bring the set together for the couple, try keep a consistency about them - colour / light levels / etc..

Cheers.

K!LL!@N

Thanks for the pointers so far.

The idea of the portrait crop is a good one.
I hadn't paid much attention to the armpit, the fake tan looks a little streaky alright now that you point it out.

I'm not convinced about the colour though.
The blue looks a little too, intense.
If that makes sense.
It didn't look that way on the day.

I hope to put up a few more when I get the chance.

Killian

Victor

Was she dumped at the alter and is throwing herself into the sea?