I'll be shooting the wedding of a friend/college and his girlfriend next summer. In the meantime we had some fun on the beach, just 100m from where they live. Here are the ones I love the most, let me know what you think. If anybody is interested, you can view the rest of the set here. The more classic pictures are in that set as well.
They look really good. The second one is a bit washed out, but that should be easy to fix in post processing. All in all, Excellent work!
I actually liked the washed out look on #2. #1 is nicely overexposed, but even so, could use a little bit of "bringing back" in post.
Thanks for the comments. Well the "washed out look" in the 2th one, was meant that way and was actually acheived in post processing, as it came out the camera quit natural looking. The first one, wast meant to have an overexposed background. I flashed the couple in so they were perfectly (to my capacity) lit and let the sun flood the blackground with bright light. The idea was to really capture a very sunny day (even though it wasn't) without getting harsh light/shadows on the couple. I think it came out really nice. cheers
I'm not as certain about the crop on #4, but 1-3 are beautifully done. I'm quite a fan of the oversaturation/blowout on #1, the couple is very well separated from the background and sometimes it's not only okay but good artistry to not preserve every highlight. You create a natural frame where they are the only thing of interest in that part of the picture, which works with the rather unusual "balance" the image has since they only take up the left third of it. The washout on the second one isn't terribly my cuppa, but I can see it work. I'd almost rather you'd have gone for a cross-processed look though instead of the warm and faded, because it lacks any blues whatsoever. Somewhere in between there is my personal version of perfection, but it's a beautiful shot any way you process it.
I love #2 and #4. The Crop on 4 doesn't bother me a bit because one thing I've learned about weddings/engagements - it's all about the girl. One or two shots like this can't hurt, especially if it's a candid moment. And I'm not one for a lot of post-fiddling but it has a great nostalgic feel to it that just screams "beach memories" #3 Could have been a stunner if you had managed to focus on them a little better. Or, gone the other direction and focused on the grass with a dramatically out of focus of them in the background. The focus on that seems to be in between. I would also crop out the bus in the background unless it is important to their story.
Thanks for the replies. Da Dega, that 4th isn't a crop, thats the composition I had intended. I really like it this one myself, like Eddie_Dane says, it's all about the girl! It isn't a serious photo either, it just brings some fun/attitude in the set. Something to laugh about later on. Eddie_Dane, thats not a bus though, it's just a stair+platform to view the dunes. On the 3th one, I agree the focus is a little off. It was a split-moment picture, a bit of an experiment if you will but I like how it came out. You can view the rest of the set here.
Weird, now that you explain what it is, I see that it is a platform. To the casual observer it's distracting but since they were there and know what it is, no harm no foul. Re: #3 I see why you kept it, it's a deffo keeper. My awesome hindsight-skills will tell you that if you chimped that shot and saw the potential, you would have done it again and again. It's cool because it's a difficult one to pull off. Sometimes, when you stop the groove you've got going on to try to recompose a happy accident, you can frustrate your subjects - I'm guilty of that. Sometimes when I encourage the couple to talk to each other and act natural, they discuss how much they are tired of standing in the same spot for the photographer - something new they have in common as a couple .
I like them all, apart from 3. Judging from other pictures, she's not that small. But the way he's kneeling, and the perspective, it makes her look tiny like a child..
very nice. agree with the first coment about the second one. i love the third one however i mist agree with pie face. she looks tiny. would not have noticed that without reading the comment. lovely photography though.
