Critique My Photos: Seeking Wedding/Couples Photographers Feedback

Vipmediastar_JZ

Contrary to what I posted above I did not expose properly for the following scene below.

I was taking photos of BIF and in this location there was non only a Night Crown Heron fishing for Blue Gill Fish and a turtle. As I moved to the next spot the couple in the picture below asked me to take their photo with their iphone and sure enough even with the built in flash it created a nice sunset silouhette of them.

I offered to take pics with my gear and I happened to bring a speedlight.

I did a mistake and instead of exposing for the sunset I left it in apeture priority and took a few pics and it wasn't after we parted that I remembered that I should have exposed better.

They asked how much for the photos and I said "Nothing, I was looking for birds and instead found some love birds" that made them laugh and they asked for a photoshoot in the future.

spraynpray

Contrary to what I posted above I did not expose properly for the following scene below.

I did a mistake and instead of exposing for the sunset I left it in apeture priority and took a few pics and it wasn't after we parted that I remembered that I should have exposed better.

Aperture priority? No problem - centre weighted or matrix metering gives you iTTL BAL then -2 stops (as a guess) and you've got the sunset with the couple just filled in the foreground.

Vipmediastar_JZ

@spraynpray Thanks for the tip. I can sure try that in the future

Funny thing is that I also didn't even check to make sure the Speedllight was set to ITTL BAL. I just turned it on, sat on the floor as they were on the edge of the shore and where I was standing was elevated to get a decent POV.
Had this been a planed shoot I would have checked everything and anything possible.

JonMcGuffin

@spraynpray Thanks for the tip. I can sure try that in the future

Funny thing is that I also didn't even check to make sure the Speedllight was set to ITTL BAL. I just turned it on, sat on the floor as they were on the edge of the shore and where I was standing was elevated to get a decent POV.
Had this been a planed shoot I would have checked everything and anything possible.

Well, it looks to me that you found yourself in the situation I find myself in all too often and that is too many things to balance and think about while trying to make the picture. If you forget just one thing (which I usually do) then you're behind the 8 ball and the whole image can fall a part.

The irony is really amazing. When most people feel the need to take a picture is simply hold up your phone and press a button all the way to what we're trying to accomplish, it's incredible.

The bottom line though is that the pic you took was actually quite nice. I love the framing how you left a lot of space above them which is - non-traditional - but works so well. Well done!!!

JonMcGuffin

Her work is great; no doubt. It's not the blowouts that are an issue, to me it's the wonderful tone/color cast while also keeping so much DR in the shot. I'd love to see some of her before and after shots though. She sells the presets and I think those speak to her being a really fantastic editor.

Vipmediastar_JZ

@JonMcGuffin Thanks for the compliment maybe its bad composition/framing on my part and I tend to do this lately. Either I fix it or keep it as my signature style. hahah

@PitchBlack I see what you mean. That pic works well. I like it.
I would have to look her up to look more of her work. I see that she sells presets so does she do that in post or over expose on location?

JonMcGuffin

She overexposes on purpose. Her trick is to use a backlit scene and expose for the face that's overexposed, leaving the background blurry and blown out. She usually shoots such scenes at a +1, +1.5 or more exposure compensation. Her histograms look terrible but the photos look great.

So those overexposure values of +1 and +1.5 are based on a matrix metering of the scene do you think? I suppose we'd need to know some kind of baseline methodology before a +1 or +2 really even makes any sense right? Might she simply just spot meter off the subjects face and, assuming Caucasian skin tone, then properly exposes with a +1 and since her subjects are in the shadows and the backgrounds are lit, they're automatically that much more overexposed?

There are so many ways to get to the final image. I still maintain, as I've seen her teach and have been following her semi regularly for the past year or two, that she is an expert at editing images utilizing a full battery of photoshop tools and dodges and burns an image heavily. This isn't a knock on her; it's a compliment.

Ironheart

The way I would do it is to matrix meter in Manual mode, with the exposure comp set to +1.5. Set the dials (aperture, speed, and ISO) accordingly, shoot, chimp (check histogram), dial the speed up and down a few clicks (manual bracket) and go from there. If you wanted to get fancy you could set up exposure bracketing as well, although for most situations I prefer to be in Manual and spin the dials myself, but I'm oldskool (or was that just old...)

JonMcGuffin

Does anybody here try to spot meter off a subject skin and over/under expose based on their skin tone? @PitchBlack?

haroldp

Yes, underexpose (from meter reading) darker skin (2/3 - 1 stop) . You are however best off spot metering a 17% grey card, or taking an incident reading.

Particularly in contrasty lighting, these exposure issues are why I bracket when possible and shoot Raw.

... H

JonMcGuffin

@PitchBlack - Do you always spot meter during your non live action shoots?

Vipmediastar_JZ

I found the tutorial below useful and I like the final image at the bottom of the article. I would say that I would try to produce those results for my final image.

Tutorial

JonMcGuffin

@Vipmediastar - Thanks for the link, an excellent read and refresher.

@PitchBlack - when you remember too? LOL How can you forget that?!?! No, in all seriousness, I understand. I've gotten fabulous results moving into spot metering, and then sometimes it's just off. I don't get it and it's tiring under live/moving conditions sometimes to make wonderful images. I feel as though I'm knocking on the door though and not too far away from where I want to be.

FlowtographyBerlin

You can't really bring up a "properly" exposed photo from normal to blown out because it usually won't have the same feel to it.

The second thing I'm learning here today, how cool. I've always noticed that implicitly, but never thought about it, really. Thanks!

tektrader

I had a bit of a fiddle with your RAW, Heres what I ended up with, I was pretty unhappy about the shadow on her face I couldn't fix.

tektrader

JonMcGuffin

Thank you tektrader - This is one where I think we just need to blame the photographer, not the file.

I should have twisted and turned them either into the sun or put their backs to it completely. I was trying to achieve a coastal view in the background but I'm standing on a jetti and I'm only about 5 feet from them +/-.

The couple did email me and ask for some 8x10's of a couple of the photos they're going to display at the wedding.

haroldp

Be careful, the bottom of grand canyon is filled with folks looking for just the right juxtaposition.

.... H

JonMcGuffin

For any of you out there who may have interest and to all those who gave me such wonderful feedback, just wanted to post a link to the Wedding that I eventually shot for this couple.
http://jonmcguffin.zenfolio.com/lamkinwedding

Thank you all again,

Jon

Vipmediastar_JZ

Good job. I liked the images.

ThomasHorton

It is a fine line to walk when directing poses. You don't want to be a micro-managing pose director, but at teh same time, many people have no idea how to pose attractively for a photograph and would appreciate any advice/assistance/direction they can get.

I think a photographer telling the subject to "just act naturally" seldom cuts it.

henrik1963

@JonMcGuffin: I think you did a good job. Hope they are happy with the pictures.

Msmoto

@JonMcGuffin

Nicely done….. I think some editing to reduce the number of images to the ones you think are best may be possible. I like to have some control over what folks pick, allowing only my images I find acceptable to be out for publication.

Having said that, I probably have a lot of junk on Flickr, but in a professional shoot… only the best goes out.

spraynpray

Oh yeah Tommie, LOADS of junk on your flickr stream. I'd be ashamed of it if I were you. Prolly better give me that ol' D4 and I'll send you a P&S to play with....

JonMcGuffin

Thank you all for the compliments. Bride and Groom were very happy and said it was a joy to relive the experience again through my images.