Wedding kiss - improving a

[AnnaV]

Large size:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3305/...8a93f460_b.jpg

Before pp:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/...ebba6716_b.jpg

Camera: Nikon D40
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/18.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
Exposure: +0.60
ISO Speed: 400



Right, I don't really like this photo, but I took some photos as a guest at my friend's wedding (not as a photographer) and sent her the hi res file to get printed as a bday present for her husband. She really likes this one and wants me to send it to her. I've been trying to improve it - so far I have cropped it, minimised lines round eyes, removed some hair from her face, straightened her nose, whitened her eye (difficult as it's not very open), lifted her chin, lengthened her eyelashes and whitened her teeth.

Is there any other pp that would help? Do you think I could improve the crop?

Also do you think I should do something to those plants in the background - are the colours distracting?

[bradzo66]

This is a great image , you can really see her attachment to her man but I think if anything you've gone a bit far , I think you could back off on her teeth whitening a little as it just highlights the uneveness in her front teeth and looks like the one on this side is popping out of her head (sorry) , I think your crop is good and I don t think I would change that , overall I can see why she likes the image its a great shot , just dont do everything to every image just do what it needs .Hope this didnt sound too critical , I re-wrote it twice to try to sound diffferent but couldnt say it another way . Ha ha

Ps Dont whiten the plants teeth what ever you do ..Ha ha ha

[AnnaV]

Originally Posted by bradzo66

Ps Dont whiten the plants teeth what ever you do ..Ha ha ha

Thanks! Don't worry, I am here for criticism! Glad you like the shot, perhaps I am being too critical of it myself. Will reduce the tooth whitening - I still have the photoshop file so will reduce the opacity of that layer, thanks for your feedback

[RexK_Cozumel]

skin tones look a tad off on my monitor.

[midnightsoiree]

I think the background can improve when it comes to color.

The couple seem to just blend in with the background having the same color range as their skin. The skin tone is bit tad. i agree with the person i above said.

the guy's face is facing back. and the girl's face is too imposing.

It's a bit too sharp for a very romantic photo.

just my two cents. ^^

[AnnaV]

Originally Posted by midnightsoiree

I think the background can improve when it comes to color.

The couple seem to just blend in with the background having the same color range as their skin.

What would you do to improve it?

Originally Posted by midnightsoiree

the guy's face is facing back. and the girl's face is too imposing.

I agree, that's why I don't really like it!

[/QUOTE]It's a bit too sharp for a very romantic photo.[/QUOTE] Would you apply a blur filter to it? What would you suggest?

[JGennuso]

I think this is a beautiful shot just the way it is

[RexK_Cozumel]

Other than going in and blurring the background to create some seperation there is really not much else you can do now.

What you should have done in the original shot is added a rim light to create background seperation. Either that or used a shorter focal length and gotten a little closer to the subject so that there is less lens compression. Also a wider aperture to give a narrower DOF so that the background is blurred.

As for the facial position hard to pose candids like this one but sometimes if I see a great photograph and miss it the first time I will ask the person to do it again. Of course it does not work for all candid moments and certainly not during the ceremony itself but stuff like getting dressed etc. can easily be repeated. One time I saw a flower girl fixing her shoe and I made her do it again cause I missed it the first time.

[natek313]

I like this photo. She has a nice facial expression, and the intimacy between the two shows very well. Nice job on not getting any harsh shadows.

I would blur the background somewhat to make them stand out more. Also, I think it would be better for you to include his entire head, not chopping off the little portion you did with the crop. You may also want to consider softening the entire picture a touch. And the suggestion from bradzo66 on her teeth is a good one.

Just my thoughts. Nice capture!