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View Poll Results: Rate this work
1 15.56%
2 1055.56%
3 633.33%
4 15.56%
5   00%
Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

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07-29-2015, 07:21 PM   #1
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First wedding photo service

Ok, this is my very first wedding. I would like to know:
The guys were on a tight budget so I couldn't hire an assistant helping with lights and reflective panels.

1) your rating from 1 to 5
2) If you like what you see, how much would you ask for this kind of work as a photographer?

Anything else you may come up with, as far as critics, it's welcome.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/gabrielecripezzi/z4WA2B

07-29-2015, 08:47 PM   #2
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There is no picture of all wedding dress in frame. At least one must have, imo. Every bride would like to remember her dress.
The background for guests seems more complimenting than for the couple. Tight crops for the ceremony pictures.
For the first time, I guess, it's not bad.
Can't tell anything about pricing, I don't know.
I admire your courage to shoot weddings, it's scary
07-30-2015, 03:28 AM   #3
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i would have photoshop-ed here teeth to look white. I'm missing some wider frames showing more of the atmosphere... more full body portraits, the place etc.
but despite that it looks great
poll is 1 = bad and 5 = great?

Last edited by max_pyne; 07-30-2015 at 03:50 AM.
07-30-2015, 05:49 AM   #4
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Firstly, what do you think of them?
Your the photographer, your the one that should be able to look at your work and feel you've captured the moment coupled with seeing what your proud of or what you could have done better.

Secondly, look at what you have proofed as a finished product and see if there still is anything that could be done post processing wise that you think would improve any of them.

Thirdly, ask yourself if you would shell out your dollars to buy those you have chosen as finished product.

Lastly, how do you think your finished and posted photos compare to what you see other wedding professional's have as examples of their work in your area?
That's your competition for future business.

07-30-2015, 06:31 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by micromacro Quote
I admire your courage to shoot weddings, it's scary
I agree with this, it's high speed event and has no room for mistake (re-shoot) ^^ you are brave !!
For the photos, it looks like snapshots and needs a lot more "care" to be final products ! I know that hurts but if you want to do this as a business, the quality must improve for the next weddings you shoot. This one is over so post-processing is the only choice
Check out this book : "Captured by the Light" (David Ziser). The book has all the information you will love about wedding and his work flow, lighting, tip & trick. Look at the book's cover and you'll see the image quality of his "final product"
It's great that you have the first client, the first is always the hardest. I think about shooting weddings myself but still scared =))

PS : Make/get a wedding shot-list to avoid missing any important photo for the client ^^
PS2 : wedding dress is white and will be easily overexposed, look at the histogram the avoid this

Last edited by redcat; 08-05-2015 at 12:39 AM.
07-30-2015, 12:18 PM   #6
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Thank you guys! Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed opinions and suggestions!



@Micromacro:
Dress (good point): I guess you're right. I thought what I got was enough but maybe you're right. It's never enough and it cost nothing to have it all, to be on the safe side.
Courage: I think it was more about being reckless. I really didn't think about the risks Now that you made me think about it, I am scared and I don't know if I'll do more weddings :P

@max_payne:
1) teeth... I agree
2) there are shots of the place and full body portraits. I didn't upload them in flickr because they are pretty normal stuff. What's in flickr is part of the 350+ pics I delivered
3) yes, 1 bad - 5 good

@redcat:
1) snapshots - more care: what do you mean? What would you do in PP? Could you take one (or more) of those shots and show me how you would improve them?
2) No, it doesn't hurt. Feel free to shoot!
3) PS: that's a good idea. Thanks!
4) wedding dress - I over exposed it on purpose. Actually it was done in PP (increasing highlights with an added glowing effect in photoshop.) on purpose.
5) image quality and book... Like I wrote, I was limited by the budget. I know how to achieve top results in terms of lighting and IQ (professional lenses, etc) but I was limited by their budget available.

@Oldbayrunner:
1) what do I think? I really liked the result and I am proud of what I did, considering the limited budget available, the environment and my condition (read below) and considering the feedback from the client. Quoting them: "Great! They look amazing. I will definitely be giving your number out these are perfect!"
2) I have a clear idea of what I did and what I could have done better, but I also wanted other photographers opinion, which is why I posted here
3) Yes I would pay for this work and I believe it worth more than what I got paid.
4) there is a big space for improvement and I know how, when budget will be available. The photos were shot with Pentax-F 35~70 ($30) and a Promaster 70~300 AF MDL Macro 1:3.9 ($50)


I would like to shoot more scenic photos, wide angle panoramic shots from ladders, etc but... the week before I twisted my ankle (third degree damage (snapped ligaments) - forth degree means surgery!). That day was the first day on my feet after the recovery. I have been in little pain for the entire day and I knew I shouldn't have walked yet, because not completely healed.. I was walking crippled. They are friends I really care about and so I did the work no matter my condition. At some point, while they were approaching the ceremony area, I forgot about my ankle, so much I was caught by the work, that I squat down on my wrong foot to shoot from the bottom up. I fell down in pain and some how I managed to hold the screaming. I got up immediately not to interfere with the bride arrival and I got out of the way. I had tears in my eyes and I started sweating cold, being very closed to pass out. One of the guests came to me and helped me to stay on my feet. I managed to keep working and started shooting the ceremony. I have to admit, my mind was not very clear. The pain played a bad role in the whole thing, leaving little space to creativity. I am sure I would have had much more fun and much better shot. This was the very worst condition I have ever worked in my whole life but caring about these guys really helped me keep going on.

It was a very quick ceremony (approx 5-10 minutes), with little time to shoot more variety of photos I planned to shoot.

To conclude... I never liked weddings but I want to do more, especially those with small budget.

Thank you again!
07-30-2015, 12:56 PM   #7
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Without doing any in-depth examining with histograms and such, many of the photos just seem to be low-contrast and have a bit of a gray haze. Seems like it should be a pretty easy fix in post.

07-30-2015, 01:04 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by lavascript Quote
Without doing any in-depth examining with histograms and such, many of the photos just seem to be low-contrast and have a bit of a gray haze. Seems like it should be a pretty easy fix in post.
That little desaturated and that color balance was intentional (and chosen by the couple), achieved in PP
07-30-2015, 01:13 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by igabc Quote
That little desaturated and that color balance was intentional (and chosen by the couple), achieved in PP
Ah. Well, just goes to show you, everyone is different!
07-30-2015, 01:57 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by igabc Quote
Could you take one (or more) of those shots and show me how you would improve them?
sure, I did a quick retouch on one of your photo, if it's mine I'd spend a lot more time ^^
I did the following :
  • heal blemishes
  • brighten eyes
  • dodge&burn
  • blur background
  • adjust hue
  • vignette
  • remove distraction
  • brighten the couple
Hope this help ^^
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07-30-2015, 02:00 PM   #11
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Yes you're right. I was planning to do it for few of those oics for my portfolio. Too much work for the money.
07-31-2015, 01:26 AM   #12
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well, wedding photog is a tough business ^^ but it's fun and be sure to deliver more than what your client expect
07-31-2015, 12:44 PM - 1 Like   #13
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As a wedding photographer, you should be asking $12,000 because everybody knows wedding photography is such a brutal task and business.

Here are a few articles on the business of Wedding Photography:
PetaPixel - Photography and Camera News, Reviews, and Inspiration
08-01-2015, 07:47 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by igabc Quote
Too much work for the money.
If you are serious about this job, find more clients on tight budget, or friends, don't make the portfolio yet, practice editing and then decide if it's for you, imo.
You already did the first bold move!
08-01-2015, 11:25 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by AquaDome Quote
As a wedding photographer, you should be asking $12,000 because everybody knows wedding photography is such a brutal task and business.
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Every one , except the bride , who has spent 2000 on a dress another 2000 on bridesmaids, 1000 on a cake, 15k on the venues and the rest then realises she had to get a photographer and has no money left.
After 20 years of them , deciding last year "no more" is such a relief.
Good luck for the future young man.
BTW, where are the formals and the groups? Or did they not want or you not post?
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