First Wedding Shoot

[Fishpic]

Would like some feedback on one of my first wedding shots. This was not for hire, just for a friend as I don't feel I am ready yet.

My thoughts - I wish the wedding ring was a little sharper. What about arms and elbows? Did I crop them out too much? I was trying to balance keeping attention to the faces but also keep the ring in the picture as I felt it was important.

f: 2.5
shutter: 1/400
ISO: 100
Lens: AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G
Camera: Nikon D80

[TNH]

Yes, I agree that the ring would be better if it were sharper... I doubt there's anything you can do about it now. The picture is still nice anyway, though. You did a nice job taking it, I think!

I do think you cropped it a little too much, in my opinion. I'd like to see all of their arms and elbows. And part of the bride's hair is cut off on the right edge.
I like how it's cropped on the left side, though. I would leave the left side's crop as it is; then give it a little more space on the right side so you can see all of her hair; and keep their elbows and arms in the picture. I think a crop sort of like that would suit this picture nicely, and it wouldn't feel like such a tight crop.

These are my thoughts, anyway... overall, nice job!

[graciousness]

Did you use manual mode when setting the camera or did you use Auto or P?

The reason I ask is because you need to understand the importance of not having to use the widest aperture you can use just because your lens is equipped with it. There seems to be this popular trend with beginners using such wide apertures (small f/stop) to take the shots when in reality, it's usually a mistake using it instead of bringing up the f/stop a notch or two up to get a wider depth of field.

The problem with using such a small f/stop is that you a very shallow depth of field, therefore, making it quite difficult to set your focus on your subject/s. In this photo, you really needed to have used a smaller f/stop (f/4 is a good start) to ensure that both their faces are in focus. Now if you wanted the ring in focus, you'll need to use an even smaller f/stop for the shot.

The second thing I wanted to address is your shutter speed. Why was it so fast? Were you trying to underexpose your background? You have to remember that shutter speed affects ambient light; the faster the shutter speed, the less light you bring into the lens, the darker the photo. You'll find that if you had used a slower shutter speed (around f/90 perhaps), you wouldn't have needed your ISO to be at 400 and could have used 100 or 200 at the most.

I also agree with TNH about the composition. It's too tight.

In regards to keeping the focus on their faces, the simple way to ensure this is to make sure that their faces are properly exposed and are in focus. Anything else could fall short on that, but not people's faces. Especially around the eyes.

Anyhoo, I hope this helps. Keep shooting and I bet the next photo you post here will be better!

Cheers,

Grace

[judicator]

What setting were you shooting in? To me the people just look a bit to "forced" into this pose. However i do love the lighting!

[Fishpic]

Originally Posted by judicator

What setting were you shooting in? To me the people just look a bit to "forced" into this pose. However i do love the lighting!

Thanks all for the comments - much appreciated. I will keep playing with it to see if I can frame them up a little better based on the comments.

This was actually somewhat of an impromptu shot I got after the wedding when they stepped outside to take a few poses. I like the lighting at that time of day - the sun was setting and was down far enough there were not shadows on the ground, but the trees were still bright with sun.

[Fishpic]

Originally Posted by graciousness

Did you use manual mode when setting the camera or did you use Auto or P?

I was in AP (I dont think I have ever shot in full auto )....I was trying to get a nice background, but you are right - I pushed it too far.

I tell you - that was tough for me. With the sun going down and clouds in the sky - the light kept changing . I am really glad I shot a wedding for the experience, but it will be a while until I feel comfortable diving deeper into it. My poor brain is having trouble computing all the changes that fast...lol....

[Fishpic]

As a rank amateur I took quite a complement that my nephew choose this picture to do for one of this Sophomore art projects in High School.

I thought it was neat so I wanted to share as a follow up to my posting.

[TNH]

Originally Posted by Fishpic

As a rank amateur I took quite a complement that my nephew choose this picture to do for one of this Sophomore art projects in High School.

I thought it was neat so I wanted to share as a follow up to my posting.

I like that, he did a good job! Better than I could have done...

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by graciousness

The second thing I wanted to address is your shutter speed. Why was it so fast? Were you trying to underexpose your background? You have to remember that shutter speed affects ambient light; the faster the shutter speed, the less light you bring into the lens, the darker the photo. You'll find that if you had used a slower shutter speed (around f/90 perhaps), you wouldn't have needed your ISO to be at 400 and could have used 100 or 200 at the most.

????
In an ambient light setting everything effects ambient, shutter, aperture, iso... Choosing a fast shutter has no effect on exposure, it won't make the background darker, if the other legs of the exposure are adjusted accordingly. (and if they are not it's just called underexposure)

perhaps I am not understanding your explanation