Critique Required Wedding help

[Ben Jennings]

Hi Guys,

I would really like it if you could look through some photos I took at a wedding on Saturday.

I'm having a bit of a crisis and I wasn't really overly happy with the set that I took. It was my first proper outing with my 50mm 1.4, and the first wedding I've been to where I really tried to concentrate on photography (obviously without getting in the way of the official photographer!).

Some of the thing's I'm not happy with are getting the wrong focus points occasionally (rushing to take the picture without really thinking about it), all the evening shots have a yellow colour to them due to the lighting (is that bad, should I play with the colours to give a more daylight feel). Is it ok to sacrifice sharpness in order to catch the feel of the moment? Also I feel I spent too much time shooting at 1.4 because I was excited about having my new lens and as a result some shots definitely suffered!

I'm rambling but basically I'm a little frustrated with them and would appreciate any tips/opinions/criticism and of course complements about how amazing I am

Here a few of the shots from the day and a full set can be found at: Flickr

Thanks for looking.

Ben

 

[Mark Hoy]

Did you shoot in RAW? If you did, have you tried adjusting the colour balance to tungsten (if you edit with Photoshop)?

You can also sharpen just the eyes to make the sharpening less obvious?

 

[Ben Jennings]

I did shoot in RAW, I currently have the colour balance set to cloudy (I tend to leave it in that as I feel it makes pictures look a little warmer). I'll have a play with the settings and see what I come up with. It might be that there is a slightly more preferable outcome.

 

[Darren Turner]

having landscape shots looking a little warmer can sometimes be a good thing Ben, however i think the WB defo needs adjusting in them first 2 shots, there is not much colour present rather than orange, due to incorrect WB set-up

In PS or LR try doing custom WB off the Brides dress, see how that looks

I quite like the angle of the table set up for dinner, also like the funny face the bride was pulling

Daz

 

[Hamish Gill]

This one is a cracker mate


_MG_4543 by Jenkorama, on Flickr

Lots more to say, but at work ...il get back to you later if thats ok

 

[Lesley Jones]

I don't know if you have it, but with Color Efex you can do selective white balance. You could opt to whiten the dress right up to 100%, but maybe leave the warm glow of the background and only whiten that 50%. I wouldn't worry too much about focus as you definitely seem to have caught the moment. Henri Cartier-Bresson said "sharpness is a bourgeois concept".

I've had a look through the set and they are all nice. Some are very good indeed. I hope you don't mind me offering and please say no if you wish. I used to edit for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep - I had to pass a test before working as a volunteer. I don't profess to be a PS expert, but I do pay a lot of attention to detail. If there are some special images where you would like me to try and address the white balance using Color Efex, then I am happy to give it a try. I'm assuming you would like some of these to go to the couple.

As I said, feel free to say no. I'm only offering as it is a one off event and the software isn't exactly cheap if you don't already use it

 

[Chris Dodkin]

f/1.4 and moving targets is a recipe for frustration, as the DOF is super thin when using the 50mm at relatively close range.

Also, just the act of locking focus and then recomposing can move the camera enough to make the subject OOF.

So, if shooting subjects that are say 6 ft away - f/1.4 is doable with practice - you'll have 2" DOF either way to stay sharp.

If you're getting into the 2 ft range, then you're down to a 1/4" DOF either way to say sharp, and that's a challenge, so start stopping down to ensure you get a sharp shot - this will still give a nice BOKEH and shallow DOF.

I would perhaps suggest using f/2 or f/2.8 when close in, this gives you 1/2" DOF either way to stay sharp - you've doubled your DOF.

f/1.4 is of course great for the stationary subjects, like table settings etc, where everything is stationary and you have time to set up and compose the shot.

Some wedding togs like to use AI Servo to track the subject when shooting movement - so might be worth a shot - although the Canon 50mm 1.4 is not the fastest AF in the world.

You should also look at separating AF from the picture taking action - by putting the AF function onto a separate * button under your thumb.

Back button focus | Wedding Photography Blog | Melissa Jill Photography

Some togs swear by this method for more consistent AF - you should always be using a single AF point either way - avoid having the camera make the selection of where the subject is.

 

[Fidel Marcus]

I have not shot weddings in quite some time, but I do still shoot portraits & event journalism here & there and these are my findings;

regarding the warm colors, you will nearly always have that warm orange glow indoors unless the venue is extremely over lit by fluorescent lighting which isn't common, my practice for getting correct WB indoors for events like this is using a flash and either bouncing it or diffusing it, you still get the warm glow in the background specially with a prime lens like yours but the subjects will have natural tones and the skin will look more natural (very important in my opinion) whites as well will be very white and blacks will be solid black.

Now regarding the lack of sharpness, well I agree with Lesley that it isn't a must to have razor sharp focus in every shot (of course getting an image too out of focus might be unacceptable) what I do for events like this is stop down no more than 2.8 if you want to make sure faces stay sharp and while you are moving quickly and don't have time to use manual focus to perfect the shot it isn't practical to concentrate completely on sharpness but when your subject is close like the image Hamish pointed out it becomes easier to focus and the result is a beautiful bokeh effect.

when multiple subjects pose for a shot I use an f stop of 3.5 or 4 and increase the power on my flash slightly, the reason why is because I've come to realize that with the narrower DOF it is hard to capture the faces sharp and in focus across the whole group in a shot, that was the only time I didn't like a super narrow DOF otherwise it's a game of practice and practically an art form to compose an image based on your DOF and what you choose to blur or keep sharp.

I think you did a wonderful job on these shots and the only thing I would do different is the WB in the orange colored shots.
Cheers...

 

[Paul Lange]

I think they are a good set Ben and sharpness isn't always required or wanted. It can make photographs look a little bit more intimate which is a good thing for weddings. I think you do have a WB issue on the first 2 and that it should be closer to the image of yours that Hamish posted for sure. I do find the blurred hand and the half of a mans head in the first photo a little distracting and wonder if you should crop a bit.

 

[Hamish Gill]

It's certainly worth while having a look through the rest of the gallery Ben posted ...

There are some great shots in there!

Re. the orange, it's a simple white balance "problem" ...
Cameras are crap at auto white balance ... But shooting raw means that fact is irrelevant!
Slide the white balance slider to taste...
You will find you can make it look just like daylight... Whether or not that is the right thing to do or not is subjective...
I find you images a touch warm, but then I would possibly convert that sort of image to black and white anyway ...

As for focus and DOF as has been mentioned always use that centre spot ...
Also you might find erring toward slight under exposure through using the lens at smaller apertures will yield more consistent results ... But agian whether or not the shots will be better is again subjective

I say about underexposure as often in these lighting conditions in terms of shutter speed you are again better off under exposing than using too slow a shutter speed
and same goes for ISO ... Although often under exposing then correcting up in software can magnify noise ... But as I said I quite often convert to black and white when it comes to shots from the most awkward lighting condition as black and white digital photography I more forgiving of noise

 

[Ben Jennings]

Thanks for your feedback guys, it's been extremely helpful, I'm gonna have a tinker now with the white balance to see what effect it has on the orange ones. I'll post some up once I am done, also thanks for the tips on focusing too, I can definitely give them a go soon as I have another wedding this weekend.

Lesley - Thank you for your kind offer, I'll have a play myself and if I do find that I am still struggling I would love to take you up on your offer. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks again guys!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I shouldn't post too many wedding images Ben... You might find me roping you in to help at Louise's wedding

 

[Ben Jennings]

I shouldn't post too many wedding images Ben... You might find me roping you in to help at Louise's wedding

Ha ha. You trying to get free labour out of me! I'll try not to get in your way like you guide says

 

[Hamish Gill]

Free labour ... Nah ... I'll buy you a pint at least!
I was just reading the spec for the day... I'm gonna have to leave Worcester around 7.30 and won't finish shooting until 8 ... I might need a stand in by the end of the day

 

[Ben Jennings]

Man thats a long day. Are you going straight to the church in the morning? I think I might be popping to the house as the girls get ready to take a few shots. And I f you do need me at all just shout and present me with a pint ha ha!

 

[Hamish Gill]

Straight to the church I think ...
She booked it so long ago I said I'd ring her closer to the date to finalise everything ... If we get there early we will prob go where you go!

Im actually looking forward to the season now ... Got a few coming up, including Tom Brookes' (his stag do this weekend, I'm actually fearfull for my safety)... But yeah, should be nicely warmed up and into it by then so I'm sure we will be fine, but if you want to help, the more the merrier, and I'll by you a pint either way ... We are short celebratory one as it stands!

 

[Lesley Jones]

No problem Ben. Color Efex and I are here if you need us. The Nik tutorial for that particular filter actually used a wedding dress and I liked the way you could correct that while keeping some of the mood of the surroundings. I found the old barn a stunning venue and you may want to keep some of that warmth to differentiate it from the exterior or daytime shots. You really do have some wonderful images there

 

[Kev Pugh]

his stag do this weekend, I'm actually fearfull for my safety

there had better be photogs...........always like to see pain..

 

[Hamish Gill]

I think I'm the unofficial photographer ...

 

[Ronald Atchley]

Would really like to see what you get Hamish.
Ron