mirror shot

[stryder's in Anacortes]

pre wedding picture in the reception room. I'm on the balcony looking down at the table and mirror. Bride is on the stairway. For future reference, how can a get a better picture of the bride from this angle?
Panasonic Lumix FZ50
F 2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO 100
Vivatar 285HV Strobe

[BigFuzzy]

Hi Stryder,
First, I like the idea and the attempt to do/get something different.
The issue, for me, in this image is lighting. Simply put, I don't think there's enough light on the bride. What did you fire the Vivitar at? Was it on camera or off camera?
If the bride were better lit, she's jump out from the photo instead of barely being visible (and by barely, I mean her face, the dress is clearly visible). Hitting the bride with some flash would also help balance the overall light and not cause the camera to try to expose for the overall, which is brighter than the bride, which is a reason she's darker. I would have shot in manual to ensure that the bride is the best exposed part of the image.

Also, why did you stick with iso100 which caused you to have 1/20th of a second? I ask because the bride is a bit blurry, and I'm assuming it's from the slow shutter speed. Not knowing the camera, I'd still say you could have at least used iso200 to help bump up your shutter speed allowing for a sharper image.

Also, the image as a whole feels a bit flat, I'd boost that a bit (though it could be a result of the shutter speed blur).

In the end, the idea is nice, but the execution (particularly lighting and shutter speed) need more work.

[stryder's in Anacortes]

thanks for the input. The shot was a quick shot do to time constraints, so the camera settings were generic. The vivatar was set to max. I appreciate the input. This was the first time I shot at this reception hall. I am hoping to have more clients at this location in the future, so your input will be incorporated. Thanks again.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by stryder's in Anacortes

The vivatar was set to max. Thanks again.

you're welcome..
Where was the vivitar? On camera, or off? If off, where was it pointed at?

[stryder's in Anacortes]

mounted on a swing bar on the camera. I believe I had the diffuser hood on at the time and the flash was set for wide angle.

[Nori]

I like the idea but if you're trying to take a picture of the bride (you can hardly see her)... For me is too wide of an angle, maybe zooming in a little bit and focusing on the bride instead of the lamp...