Bride & Groom

[shelley81]

I'm new to photography and would like some advice on how to improve this image.. I feel it needs something to make it pop, some cropping and something else, I have tried changing it to black and white and a sepia but didn't like either, both too flat. Help please?

Thanks




Canon Rebel XT
Exposure 1/500
Aperture F/4
Focal 30mm
ISO 100

[Niresangwa]

This really feels like one of those images that should be usable in some way, but would probably end up being trashed. Even as I mentally go through all of things I would normally do, there's always an aspect missing to make it work...

Too much of her body and appendages is missing to go as a full landscape.... neither of them are looking at the camera so as to focus on one of them.... nor can you make anything of any connection between the two of them with their eyes hidden... you can't crop down because there's no focal point, such as a kiss and their faces arent proximal enough to make use of that... there isnt enough contrast to make use of B&W, and the colours are generally too dark to make colour a feature... even if you pump the curves, contrast and vibrance youre going to end up with nice rich colours but a poor composition and flat content..

I know none of this helps really, other than to illustrate that there's more to making a good image than acceptable exposure of a loving moment, in this case your framing and composition killed it. No amount of PP wizardry and creative cropping can breathe much life into this - at least that's how I would think if it were one of mine. Sigh, trash, move on.

[scootermcq]

One other thing I think is "wrong" is the shallow DOF. Neither of them appear to be sharp & in focus. Since they are against a wall there is no reason to have such a small aperture, especially with such a high shutter speed. If you reduced the shutter speed & opened the aperture, the result would be much more of the couple in focus.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by scootermcq

One other thing I think is "wrong" is the shallow DOF. Neither of them appear to be sharp & in focus. Since they are against a wall there is no reason to have such a small aperture, especially with such a high shutter speed. If you reduced the shutter speed & opened the aperture, the result would be much more of the couple in focus.

i think you mean close the aperture...make it smaller...
i know you know that, just pointing it out for others who might chance by.
and btw, I agree. the image appears soft.

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by zona5101

i think you mean close the aperture...make it smaller...
i know you know that, just pointing it out for others who might chance by.
and btw, I agree. the image appears soft.

Thanks Zona.... didn't you get the memo.... today is National backwards day

[shelley81]

Thank you, I think it's one for "what not to do". I've only had my camera for a few weeks and still learning, been accepted on a college course starting next week. I did take some more of the bride and groom on the bench, with all hands and feet in but the groom pulled his face on all of them and there was a nasty drain in the shot. Oh well I'll do better next time.