Video University: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers: Post deleted by Postal Boy

VideoUniversity.com
Home	Free Library	Store
Free Catalog Please support VU by making your B&H purchases and links through this B&H ad. Doesn't cost a penny more.

See The New VU Postcard Catalog

To post in the forums see the Forum Guidelines.

Join or Renew Today.
New Benefits for all VU Members

Forum Guidelines and FAQ
Main Index	Search Posts
Who's Online	Log In

Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Post deleted by Postal Boy

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 11:41 AM

Post #1 of 18 (992 views)
Shortcut

Post deleted by Postal Boy

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 4:23 PM

Post #2 of 18 (971 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Looks good! What did you use to get the pictures right next
to each other like that?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Jeko
Enthusiast

Jun 5, 2007, 6:44 PM

Post #3 of 18 (961 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Considering that you were "stealing" shots where/when you could, these are a good start. I think the people images need all subjects in flattering positions before you can really use them to promote yourself... but they let you test some lay-out styles.

I also think you have good ideas for the album layouts. The more you do, the more your thinking Left page, Right page or Whole Spread (leave a gap in middle) as you are shooting.

Jeko

Sony VX2100's, iRivers, M-audio 24/96, Canon 5Ds/20Ds (and too much glass), Vegas6, PhotoShop CS3, Lightroom, etc.

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 7:00 PM

Post #4 of 18 (958 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Jeko] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I think the people images need all subjects in flattering positions before you can really use them to promote yourself...

Well, you know more than me, Jeko ... but to me it seems the pics are good enough to start promoting as they are. They look better than most
of the samples shown at photog's sites that I've seen. That is, they are
better than the average.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

(This post was edited by Brackish on Jun 5, 2007, 7:04 PM)

Jeko
Enthusiast

Jun 5, 2007, 7:52 PM

Post #5 of 18 (951 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

First off, I'm not the photo guru. Just another poster with an opinion, as much of photography is...

The images are clear and composed properly enough. However, when a prospective client looks at them, they will only remember how it made the people look and the viewer feel. I think the expressions show no emotion, and the prospect will falsely blame the photographer in this case. But they don't reason it out-- it is simply a reflection of "the best that the photographer could achieve" in the prospect's eyes.

I personally combined many event's images into my first sample album because I was building the same way... shots I got while doing video. I layed them out in a wide variation as well to show different possibilities too.

Jeko

Sony VX2100's, iRivers, M-audio 24/96, Canon 5Ds/20Ds (and too much glass), Vegas6, PhotoShop CS3, Lightroom, etc.

DarrenS
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 8:41 PM

Post #6 of 18 (946 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Just like Shane's, I'm surprised at how good the pictures are. You're off to a major running start if that was your first ever shoot. You've got The Eye.

I agree with Brack, though there's much merit to what Jeko said as well. Take all the advice/critique in, of course.

(This post was edited by DarrenS on Jun 5, 2007, 8:42 PM)

szerangue
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 9:09 PM

Post #7 of 18 (935 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Postal, it looks like most of your shots came out very well, the color looks nice, the focus looks good and the exposure looks good. I think those ingredients are good enough to shoot budget minded brides. At least that is my target audience at this time. As my talent and quality progress, so will my goals of reaching higher end brides.
What I get out of Jeko's comments is that when we can produce photos that capture emotions and moments and stand apart from just photographs, that is when we can start promoting ourselves to a higher level. Its just like wedding video, lots of people can hold a video camera still or set it on a tripod and connect a wireless microphone for clear audio, but if the finished product does not bring emotion and capture the essence of the day, then it just does not stand apart.
IMO, I think the fact that we have spent some time shooting wedding video and have brought the emotion to our work, that we have a head start in creating emotion still photography work. But creating emotions from stills, IMO, is much harder than creating emotions in video. It takes an eye that is better trained.. hopefully if I keep working at it, I can get better too.
I think the work looks great... I was not sure how you were going to offer that to a bride, however, when you were the videographer.. that might be touchy if they had a photographer that day.
Miracle Pictures
"If it's a good picture, it's a Miracle!"

"Life Productions, coming out of the dark, into the light"
4EVER GROUP AFFILIATE

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 10:46 PM

Post #8 of 18 (930 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Looks good! What did you use to get the pictures right next
to each other like that?

Ah...back at the computer again.

To get them "right next to each other", are you referring to the images that cross the entire frame? That is just one image that I...um...stretched. Other than that I just used layers.

If that is not what you are referring to, could you specify a "page" or image description and I would be happy to explain what I did on each image. There was nothing fancy on any of them, though.

As far as other comments go, I agree that I didn't get many "emotion" shots. Trying to run a video camera and also trying to pick out good still shots - while the photographer was posing people and trying to direct things - was a bit tricky and it shows that I wasn't in the best spot for a lot of things. A lot of bad angles and so forth.

It was basically a layout practice, but hopefully I can get enough crisp, clear images to promote myself a little. I look at sample photos of others in this area (there aren't many) and their samples really aren't very good. I think these images are better than most local samples. That doesn't say anything about me, but about what others are getting around here (which gives me hope).

-Postal

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 11:00 PM

Post #9 of 18 (929 views)
Shortcut

Re: [szerangue] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks all. I agree, Shane, about the emotion and "offering it to the bride". The only plus is that the official photographer is a friend of theirs that was doing it as payback for a favor. The MOB was also a photographer. So, there were cameras everywhere and just a little bit of mayhem...the photographer assistant was at the wedding on Friday (everything that wasn't at the reception hall) since the photographer couldn't make it that day.

I don't know what their photos will look like, but both the photographer and the assistant used the built-in flashes during everything. I thought it was odd, personally.

-Postal

DarrenS
Veteran

Jun 5, 2007, 11:27 PM

Post #10 of 18 (926 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

but both the photographer and the assistant used the built-in flashes during everything.

Ten bucks says your images are as good or better, all things considered (two hats, first shoot, subject control)

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 2:42 AM

Post #11 of 18 (914 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Looks good! What did you use to get the pictures right next
to each other like that?

To get them "right next to each other", are you referring to the images ...

Just generally, how did you set up these pictures so that there was no space around them? A template? Did it by hand in Photoshop?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 2:48 AM

Post #12 of 18 (913 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I look at sample photos of others in this area (there aren't many) and their samples really aren't very good. I think these images are better than most local samples.

That's what I was saying! You wonder how some of these guys
stay in business. They advertise "30 years of experience" and they
have 10 poor-quality pictures up on their site.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 2:48 AM

Post #13 of 18 (913 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I look at sample photos of others in this area (there aren't many) and their samples really aren't very good. I think these images are better than most local samples.

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 8:54 AM

Post #14 of 18 (902 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Looks good! What did you use to get the pictures right next
to each other like that?

To get them "right next to each other", are you referring to the images ...

Just generally, how did you set up these pictures so that there was no space around them? A template? Did it by hand in Photoshop?

I just made a 5x14 image at 300dpi to get the right size for a 5x7 coffee table album (the seamless kind). Then I drop a big image in for the background, stretch to fit, and pull in/scale the images I want to have on the page. If I send it for a book I just copy half of the image using a guide right down the middle and paste it in a new document and do it one page at a time (also really quick). I can break a 20 spread document down in about 15 minutes and have it ready for sending to the printer. That way I know that color is constistent across the middle seam. Others here do it as well (Jeko does it, I think) and I just, well, borrowed the idea from them.

It goes pretty quickly when you do a little bit of it.

Then my wife critiques it, and I redo about a third of them Cool

She keeps me somewhat honest.

-Postal

Brackish
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 3:56 PM

Post #15 of 18 (882 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

You used Photoshop?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 6, 2007, 6:01 PM

Post #16 of 18 (877 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Yup...Photoshop. I am learning the wonders of adjustment layers and layer masks. They make life a LOT easier.

-Postal

Jeko
Enthusiast

Jun 8, 2007, 1:40 PM

Post #17 of 18 (810 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Postal Boy] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Learn a few actions to do the work for you. A good starting place to get free actions is http://www.atncentral.com/

Eventually, you may opt to buy G Fong or Kubota actions as well...

Jeko

Sony VX2100's, iRivers, M-audio 24/96, Canon 5Ds/20Ds (and too much glass), Vegas6, PhotoShop CS3, Lightroom, etc.

Postal Boy
Veteran

Jun 8, 2007, 5:37 PM

Post #18 of 18 (802 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Jeko] My first wedding photos [In reply to]	Can't Post

Got a couple of actions already...the custom vignette and classic mystique (bought the mistyque one...takes some work as it goes through processes, but turns out nice and unique results).

Like the atncentral site.

-Postal