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Pictures for my new website


kacy_hughes

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Hello- I am currently getting a new website built and I need to come up with

10-12 images for the slide show for the home page. Suggestions please. I have

posted the 12 I picked on my current website under the category "Website" the

password is "photos". Let me know what order you like them in and if you like

them at all. There are also pictures in the wedding album if you don't like

the ones I picked. Thanks for your help...it's a lot harder than I thought to

narrow the choices down to 12!!

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Hi Kacy,

 

I checked out the images. Overall, I think they are pretty good for someone who has only been shooting for a short time. I have been doing weddings for nearly 20 years and I cringe when I look back at what I did in the early days. Yours are much better.

 

2 comments

 

1) You really need to make sure that your images on your site are as perfected as possible. I attached an image to give you an example of what I mean. This touch up only took aboout 20 seconds. The lacked impact to me. I hope you don't mind me playing with it. Even, if you don't like my enhanced version better, the point is the same. Use your best and make them look even better!

 

2) Maybe you like tattos. However, unless you are marketing towards a very niche market, I would not use that image. I promise you that it will turn off a lot of brides. In addition, the posture of the girl is not very flattering.

 

Hope this helps some. Best of luck to you.

 

Michael<div>00LvOs-37535784.jpg.137f189b9afdf6703a2bb4b17b3c2619.jpg</div>

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Andy- Where are some images you've taken? Are you even a photographer? Also, every client I have ever met with want to make sure that I can turn the picture B&W and leave their flowers color...so my clients are very satisfied and actually look for photographers who can do this technique!

 

Mike-

Thanks for the help. How do you add the vignetting? I like it a lot!

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To add a vingnette

 

Set your lasso tool to 225pix feather (assuming you are working with a high res file), draw around your subject, select inverse, then move up your black point in levels. I use an action to make this simplier. Make selection and hit a button.

 

BTW, I was wondering the same thing about Andy.

 

Mike

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Mike, Kacy:

 

Ok Ok sorry for the blunt reply! Im not a professional photographer, no. I'm in marketing and studying for a photographic degree and have finally just put some photos on my profile, so please feel free to rip them to shreds :)

 

I still stand by my view that the image you just attached there is a terrible but iconic example of the new digital era of photography, but I will expand this time...

 

Mike mentioned your clients will want it and therefore he continues the process. By all means, do! But maybe don't advertise yourself with it - it is awkwardly placed between stiff formal photos and more relaxed modern styles. Your portraits connect with the camera very well with most of your photos looking incredibly happy and well composed. You are clearly good with people and you should sell yourself on that. Your first photo in Chapter 5 of your website sums up the wedding photos I looked at.

 

Anyone can colour a flower, a lot less can connect with people quite so well.

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Please please please don't take this comment as snobby, 'cause I do NOT mean it to be.

The selective coloring, as my experience has been anyway, is a lower-end bride thing.

When I first started and was shooting $500 weddings I had LOTS of requests for "just the

bouquet in color." Since I've raised my prices, all the brides ask me if I do that and when I

say NOPE, they say "OH, GOOOOOD. That's soooo tacky!" Higher end brides want pictures

that look like they could be in magazines (which is not always a good thing!) and there's

no way a bridal magazine would run a B&W photo with a color bouquet. It really does look

cheesy :(

 

Other than that, I'd bump your contrast up, keep on practicing and go for it! Good luck!!! :)

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Oh, sorry, I didn't finish my point! I was going to say ... soooooooo, if you're goal is lots of

lower priced weddings (which is FINE, especially if you're just starting!) then the selective

coloring is okay. If you want to raise your prices, you'll have to ditch them for solid,

gimmick-less photography :) The higher end brides will see that and RUN!

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I haven't looked at your pictures so this in no way a comment on what you have or haven't done. But I agree with Sarah, in that, the higher end market wants good photographs, not cheap photoshop gimmicks. As I have said on other threads; There is a reason that classics are classic. It's because they stand the test of time.
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Sara and Dave,

 

I beg to differ on your opinion about selective color. First of all selective color is used in bridal magazines on a fairly regular basis. Second, even Hallmark cards use selective color and if not overdone it looks rather nice. Third, if the bride wants it, then it's our job to do it. Lastly, the comments on it being only something for the low end bride is just plain wrong.

 

I shoot 35-45 weddings per year (700+ total). The average collection is $2300-$2900. Is this what you call low end?

 

I have had at least 10 of the last 30 brides I have meet with ask about that "neat black and white thing with only a little bit of color."

 

Although it is not my thing in particular, my job is to serve my clients first.

 

Also, some selective color is better than others. It needs to be subtle IMO. See example below.

 

Kacy, a piece of advice for you. You may want to email a request to past brides and friends and have them help you with your selection. What photographers like and what brides like differ considerably. As I am sure you can tell by these posts!

 

Good luck,

 

Michael

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Hi Kacy,

 

Welcome to the Phoenix wedding photography market. I agree that there is a temptation to put a lot of 'less than perfect' photos on your site, and I'm no exception, but I've learned that 'less is more' in a lot of cases. I think that it's OK to put maybe one or two 'full' weddings up that you can point clients to so that they really get a feel for your style, but your highlights should really be your very best stuff.

 

Jerry Ferguson -

FergusonPhotography.com

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Mike- You are so nice! Thanks for defending the colorized pictures. I really like them! I do think rather than saying lower-end clients like it, I would say a lot of the younger clients like it more than the older. But, I don't care....it's like you said that if the client wants it, do it and they will be happy with your work. Oh and good idea about asking my brides which images they like.

 

Ferguson Photography- Thanks for the welcome to Photography...even though I've been doing it for about 4 years and more so in the last 1-2 years. I like your site and your gallery. I see you've done quite a few weddings at the temple. Are you LDS or do you just do a lot of temple weddings?

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Do we not think that brides and possible clients read these pages? Low-end brides? My sister loved this "gimmicky" Photoshop illusion. Is she some how less sophisticated because she liked and asked for it? Are only brides paying for high-end wedding packages graceful enough to know that someone who can make roses red in a B&W is not urban enough to be considered a respectful photographer? We certainly can provide our experiences with one another, but since joining, I am amazed at the way colleagues address one another here and the manner they refer to the client gracious enough to provide us a living.
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