picturesque Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>This week's image was taken by Tomislav Kovacicek.<br /><br />In your critiques - Include what you would do to improve the shot or why the shot is perfect as it is and why. Remember that this is not a contest. Sometimes an image will be a winning image and sometimes an image that needs some help. Try not to just say "great shot" but explain why it works. Or - "Doesn't do it for me" without explaining why.<br /><br />The photographer up for critique for this week should remember that the comments expressed each week are simply "opinions" and the effort and focus of these threads are to learn and to take images to another level. There will be times where the critique is simply members pointing out why the shot works which is also a way for others to learn about what aspects contribute to a good wedding photo. In reading all critiques -- You may agree or disagree with some points of view - but remember that there are varying approaches and often no right or wrong answer.</p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>Love the feel of the image for its edgy look. The placement makes me a little uncomfortable (that can be good) as she appears to be looking out of the frame. This reminds me of an image I took some years ago that actually won an award, or placed in a competition.</p> <p>The background seems unconnected to the subject and that seems odd as it offers no context to the day, nor to support them with a frame. Unusual choice.</p> <p>Overall, the image is strong and deserves a place in the book IMO.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patty_h. Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>I love the mysterious look of the bride!<br> I agree with David about the background, maybe if the cars were not in the frame. However, its a very unique and beautiful shot.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_lemko Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>i take it as a busy background, but the story says, "couple takes needed break in the middle of hubub to regroup, rest, and reconnect".</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonabunaphotography Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>In my birth country a long line of cars (but decorated with a lot of flowers and colored papers :D ) for weddings is very usual, I don't know if the picture is taken somewhere in Eastern Europe :D. <br />I like the picture but I can't see if is a Bride or just a women with a men in suit, I wished to see some of the accesories of a Bride, veil, small part of the dress, flowers to place the picture in a certain day.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>The bride's eyes are in focus, the exposure is spot on, the composition conveys a feel for the rule of thirds, the wide angle lens exagerates the perspective, and her eyes speaks volumes......very, very, nice! Makes me want to see more images :-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uaguy Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>I guess there was another location for this kinda shot.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_deerfield Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>It is certainly a great shot. In terms of critique, it would help to know whether this was a posed shot or a photojournalistic moment? As a photojournalistic moment, I say well done! As a posed shot I might offer the following: get the flash off-camera. With a D90 you could put the flash on a stick (lightstand) and trigger it with the D90's on camera flash. Imagine the fill flash hitting the brides left eye while the right eye is more shadowed (the reverse of what we have now). Perhaps move just a tad to our left, trying to free up the umbrella from hitting the brides head and to help identify that white material? Something of a veil I am thinking. Are you using a filter on the lens? I am trying to figure out why the bracelet is so blurred- it is a little distracting for me. In terms of post processing, the white balance seems just a tad green to me. Something about the sky is itching me, but that could be just the web JPEG compression. And there is a dark patch coming right out of the grooms ear! A natural occurrence no doubt, but one I would photoshop away. And all of that is with my 20/20 hindsight! It's a great image regardless.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Crop tighter? I really like the photo, the cars don't bother me, but if the bride and groom have an issue with it try cropping vertical. I really like her eyes and the mood the eyes portray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I think cropping still impacts the mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 sorry folks, second try... You could actually crop tighter than this. I think the eyes tell the story.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomislav_kovacicek Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>Hello everybody and thanks for your C&C's..<br />I'll try to explain this situation more clearly:<br> @<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=817037">David Wegwart </a>- The placement of the picture (therefore the background also) was on the parking lot in front of the restaurant the wedding was about to take place. Formal pictures were taken behind those parked cars, in the park. Grooms wish :) We were running out of time actually so I didn't return back in the park where picture might have been more background friendly.<br> @<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2224471">Simona Buna</a> - I'm from Croatia and the wedding also took place in Croatia, so you are almost right about eastern europe guess. We also have our 'car thing' - but this cars arent from guests at the wedding, just some randomly parked cars. I agree with you, to make this picture 100% - a bouquet should had been in the bride's right hand, for instance.<br> @<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=5233527">John Deerfield</a> - this picture isn't photojurnalistic, nor posed. At least - not posed 100%. As I mentioned earlier, we were in a hurry to get back from formals down to the restaurant, the couple was flirting on their way back so I just turned back and saw them, so I said 'stop there', and I told Rebecca (the bride) to look at me. There was no time to put the sb900 on the stand and fire remotely. About the bracelet - I dont have a slightest clue why it is so blurred. I am using UV filter, yes. Are you telling me it is it's fault for the blurr? WB is a little green, I wanted to grass to be greener in a special way, and I liked what I've done. Sky was a little blown so I extracted the blown area and returned some detail in PS. Little vignette effect also helped in this area. Taken in jpeg.<br> Thank you all so far, I'm on a road so cant promise to answer before saturday, but will try..<br> :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_deerfield Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 <p>I would venture an educated guess and say the filter is 99.9% to blame for blurred bracelet. This is just one of the reasons I don't like UV filters. I had one on our Canon 24-70 for the longest time and I would bet these inexplicable "distortions" such as what you have now. It was even a multi-coated B + W filter. But in the end, it's another element between the lens and the light and if the light hits it just right... And I think you are right about the sky & JPEG. I think if this had been shot Raw, the sky tones would have been much easier to recover and would have been much smoother. But still a great shot none-the-less. Content rules!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p><em><strong>Composition and timing:</strong></em><br /><br />Strong and powerful. They stand out from the Background. I like the draw from both sides to Her eyes - the line of cars help that - as does the hillside above the cars and the hedge, situated camera right.<br /><br />The Rock on the grassed area is disturbing - I would remove it. <br /><br />This is an example of an ordinary environment with not the best available lighting . . . in which a strong emotion has been nailed.<br> Well Done.<br /><br /><br /><em><strong>On the other issue:</strong></em><br /><em><strong></strong></em><br />> John Deerfield: I would not bet 99% on that, yet. <br /><br />Her left hand seems to show subject movement, slipping downward – Her right hand is stationary. Before concluding the UV filter is to blame I would lie to rule out Subject movement – what was the Tv – if it were below 1/250s there is a good possibility . . . a close scrutiny of a better resolution image (and knowing the Tv, will tell. <br /><br />WW<br /></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>Nice catch.</p> <p>Were this my shot, I'd crop it to emphasize her eyes a bit more and get rid of the distracting front car (far camera left) so the graphic design forced V composition was more apparent ... then convert it to B&W for more emotional impact (and bring back the sky a bit) ... color adds nothing to this shot IMO.</p> <p> </p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_barsness Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>Very nice. I'd crop vertically as Bob suggested above, although perhaps not as tightly. Keeping the cars in the shot suggests some relevance which I don't think was intended. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_steedman Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>The original is good, but I really like Marc's post-processing. The tighter crop and conversion to B&W de-emphasizes colorful background elements like the red house and the cars.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_deerfield Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>Hey William - It <em>could</em> be motion blur but my educated guess is still the UV filter (blurring the bracelet). Since it's shot outside, with fill flash, I am not sure the shutter would be <em>that</em> slow. And it just reminds me of my shots with the 24-70 when I had the UV on it and I would get these things happening without being able to explain why- until I discovered it was one of the nasty side effects of the UV filter.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>I like the B&W conversion by Marc but I prefer the original crop to help balance the wide-angle distortion. The wide-angle helps provide the "edgy" element IMO.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 <p>I think the large rock is more intrusive than the car camera left, even though the car is bigger it is less to my eye. I too like the impact of the wide angle - if it were B&W, I would like to keep it wide. . . I am always interested how these internal elements are "seen" differently.<br> <strong><em>***</em></strong><br> <strong><em>"It could be motion blur . . . I am not sure the shutter would be that slow." </em></strong><br> Yes, I do think your opinion between the two is odds-on, to be correct . . . but I would like to know the "Tv" answer . . .<br> WW</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomislav_kovacicek Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <p>For all 'motion-blur' believers, SS was 1/250s. Soo, it must have been filter (Hoya UV HMC super 77mm). I'll try to do some more testing on this subject..<br> What's cropping concern, I like Marc's crop and b&w transform better than Bob's - in term of photography. I'd use Bob's crop for wedding book element though. I could agree about color not making any decisive element on this picture, thats why I also like it colorless.<br> And yes, image was taken without any flash whatsoever (so no fill flash).</p> <p>TY all so far on great comments. :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnina Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <p>The brides eyes give me the impression that she is afraid of something and I think that mostly that is caused because you only see a very small portion of her face. I would have tried to make the bride look a little more over grooms shoulder. I find all these cars really distracting and we have to be careful in the way we use blur or any effects. The area that is around the bride and groom was darken and you can see a white border around the side of the groom so this effect should have been smooth so it will look more natural. I don't see a wedding image on this photograph. Bob the way you cropped the image does give a very different and good feeling to this photo. I'm sorry to say that only the way Bob cropped the image gives the best out of this shot.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <p>Jose:</p> <p>I thought that she looked apprehensive/unsure when I first looked at this photograph but no one else mentioned it until you did.</p> <p>Each time I've come back to it, I still feel the same way.</p> <p>Conni</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma_g2 Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <p>I really like this photograph, it's very unusual and I think if things were "corrected" it may not have the same effect as it does now. I agree with a lot that has been said already but I don't agree with the cropping. I think the contrary; the shot may have benefited from a wider frame giving more space for the grooms head, as his head is pushing the top and making me feel slightly uncomfortable. I would love to see them in the center of the frame.<br> Other than that I think it's great, I wouldn't try to remove the house or the car because the tone of the images is set by the "normal" background and will contrast beautifully to the classic posed shots (if you have them) in the album. :)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle a. Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <p>Spot on! Exposure and focus, sweet. Everything about this image is perfect for me.... except the background. I really like Marc William's idea on this image a lot.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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