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first engagement session :)


kai_jones

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yesterday i did an engagement session for free. please take a look at it in my

portfolio under engagment session, i would love some feedback! which is the

best, which should i delete, & please explain what i should be doing

differently on the ones you dislike. thank you for any critiques in advance! i

am really trying to learn :)

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hi, you have some great shots. Some critiques I would give are in the first shot the sun's on his forehead, and I find that distracting, and one of the shots your shadow is in the picture. Hopefully you can crop that out. Another criticism I would have is that some of the shots are underexposed and a bit noisy (or grainy if in B&W). I had this problem with a wedding I shot last summer, and didn't realise what noise was in digital until I came on this site! The noisy ones are otherwise good, and I like the one of them kissing in between the tall trees in black and white. Maybe you can reduce the noise by using a tripod or something? I am not a professional so I am just learning as well.
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Having looked at the photos, a couple of things jump out at me.

 

I would suggest a pre-shoot consult to discuss clothing. Generally, shorts, and tank tops simply do not look very good in engagement type photographs. His shorts in this case, are a little unsightly, and her bra hanging out from her shirt looks a bit sloppy.

 

It also looks like your white balance is substantially off. If you were shooting raw this is an easy fix.

 

Your composition leans a little too much toward the centered look. You might try a search for the "rule of thirds" to help add variety to the composition.

 

The last thing is that I am not getting any emotional connection between this couple. This often times is not the photogs fault, as some people just don't do well in front of the camera. I find that in a lot of posed shots, the subjects seem to lose their personality in favor of the rigidity of the "pose."

 

At times, asking the couple to just have a little walk and ignore you for a while, can help. Get her to talk about their first kiss. Something that brings the focus back to their relationship, rather than the camera.

 

I looked at your "little people" photos. Those are much better. I have this feeling, from comparing the photos, that you were a whole lot more at ease shooting the kids photos that shooting this couple. You've got to be as relaxed as you want your subjects to be.

 

Just my 2 100ths.

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I think they are very creative and different, so bravo for that! The biggest issue with them is definitely lighting. If you find a location that you ABSOLUTELY have to shoot them in but it's to spotty or bright, bring along a reflector to AT LEAST shield the sun from their faces.

 

I really liked the black and white of them lying down on the grass.

 

Keep shooting!

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Kim,

 

"A" for effort. The biggest issue I see is the lighting. Harsh light on the face, blown highlights, inadequate light on their faces with backlit shots. How about some fill flash?

 

You've really tried hard to get unique angles and perspectives, but for me, it just didn't work. Shooting up someones nostrils is rarely (as in never) a flattering angle. A lot of the tree shots looked more like monkeys playing around then a e-session (and maybe that's what they wanted because they love being in the forest).

 

What's really missing for me is their interaction. They may have been uncomfortable in front of the camera. Instead of trying offbeat camera perspectives, maybe try some offbeat direction, like "show me you're in love but you can't kiss."

 

Paul

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I think there's a couple of pictures in there that would look really cool with just a little photoshop action. E.G. the one with them sitting on the rock. I think it would help if you separated the background with layers, blurred it, and then tweaked it in curves to make it a little darker and more contrasty. Then of course tweek the couple so they're not so blown out and merge the layers back together. Overall, I think you really need to open up the aperture on a lot of those shots. Way too much background detail. You didn't have your camera on Auto did you? It might explain the blown out highlights and excessive background detail.
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