2 replies to this topic

[Wamason]

Let me set the scene... a relative of a friend of my wife was getting married... on New Year's Eve... outside... with a 150% chance of rain...

A day before the wedding my wife asks me if I'd consider taking some photos at the wedding. My knee jerk reaction to this was "absolutely not". I'm still learning, and nowhere near ready to step into something that serious... but after the guilt trip, and the argument of "if you don't do it they'll only have people using their phones to take pics", I agreed.

I met with the bride and groom, really nice country folk with no expectations. I made sure they stayed that way, explaining my lack of experience in this area and that this was a favor to them--not to expect anything near professional level. They were very appreciative and ecstatic to have someone using an actual camera to take photos for them.

The wedding was at 7pm, and I showed up at 3pm to with a small list of shots from some research. The wedding took place under a small barn and quite a few large and small tents. My equipment stayed dry but I ruined a good pair of shoes in the mud under the tents. The rain was torrential at times, but for the most part everyone stayed dry.

I shot with a D750, Nikon 24-120mm F4 lens, and a Yonguo 568ex speed light and Westcott umbrella on a stand, with which I've recently begun to experiment.

The wedding party was in good spirits but being country folk, they weren't the most cooperative when it came to posing. I fully realize that these images aren't even close to being professional quality, but I'd still love to get some C&C on how to improve.

Thanks!


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[morticiaskeeper]

Well done, I really like number 3.

Having refused weddings, my daughter told me she wanted my pictures, but taken at her wedding :-)

[leighgion]

I think you did great, all considered and your wife was right. So long as the wedding party understands you're no making any guarantees of quality since you're working for free, this kind of occasion is a great opportunity to practice in the field.

 

This type of photography isn't really my thing so I can't offer a lot of C&C, but one thing occurs to me.

 

It was very fortunate you had a brolly & stand, or lighting would've been a nightmare in a barn that robs you of a low white ceiling to bounce light off of. Some limitations of the single light source with dark walls shows though, especially in #. Just having some kind of reflector to fill the shadows would have softened up the bride's face and brought out her bling a little more.

 

Another option would've been to drag the shutter a little longer to let in more ambient light.

 

Overall, great job though!