[olgabe]

Originally Posted by Xposurepro

The first photo you probably shouldn't have bothered shooting. I'm only saying this because of the lighting. You have direct light hitting the scene mixed with shaded light. I know some photographers will notice bad lighting at the time and think .. ok I've already got them posed and I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm doing so I will take a few shots then move on and delete them later. Don't be afraid to stop dead in your tracks and say .. this ain't working. We need to move over into the shade or something else. Don't stand around waiting for a cloud to come by either. Just pick up and move and keep the shoot moving productively.
You should always make sure to be hard on yourself when picking the shots the client will see. The more picky you are on yourself the less chance they will have to be picky on you. This will create less work for you. Less complaints and more sales.

Thank you for a good long reply.. and you are absolutely right, the first shot is not an example of a photo I'm proud of. I felt compelled to include that one because that was the only one in the series with that last set of outfits that had decent expressions and marginally saveable lighting. The woman swapped 5 outfits during the shoot. it took 3.5 hrs instead of 2 (I know, will manage it next time!). When we were saying goodbye in the parking lot, the guy said that he brought his team jersey along (apparently, that was the outfit he wanted to wear all day.. LOL). It was a hike to get to the shade, she had heels on and did not want to go onto the grass, all of that fun.. So when I realized that they won't stop squinting until I turn them back to the sun, I decided to test the limits of my fill flash (and corresponding skills...)... Not a good idea!
Bottom line - I should have just discarded that whole batch rather than trying to save it. Will know for the future.

They have not signed the contract for the wedding, paid a deposit or paid anything for the engagement shoot, so I think I may be able to bail out nicely. My deal is that engagement shoot is free if they book the wedding, and if they don't - there is no sitting fee, but they can purchase individual prints to keep. So depednding on how this goes, I think I can explain that someone else booked their date while they were still thinking. Or would that leave a bad taste too?