zofia

Colorful umbrellas are fine, just make sure they are pointed away from their faces, behind

their heads. Or convert to b/w.

I hate to be a buzz-kill here guys, but discussing this on a public forum, using your real

name and website, that can easily be googled by the couple or prospective couples, seems

wrong.

Maybe you should give your clients the benefit of the doubt and some privacy, and then post

about it anonymously later if there is still a problem?

Just trying to save (your) face. FWIW

One of my faves is the splash page on my site, <a href="http://

www.zofiaphoto.com">Zofia Photography</a>.

It barely drizzled but I was glad they brought umbrellas. They were green and matched

their

dresses, and to my delight, also matched my logo! Here's another shot in color, <a

href="http://www.zofiaphoto.blogspot.com/2007/06/wedding-of-brianne-and-

pete.html">on my blog</a>.

Select the reddish girls' faces and use "replace color" in photoshop. Select just the red parts

and tone down the saturation a tad. Don't over do it.

I shoot with the beast as well. I almost always carry 2 cameras, one not around my neck.

Somehow, I don't drop my 2 year old when I'm carrying her, and I don't drop my equipment

either. ;-) . I suggest taking a couple ibuprofen the morning of the wedding, a couple more

during the day... and a couple more the next morning. Works for me.

Hi Jeff,

This is great, thanks!

I've read that you don't shoot with assistants or second shooters, correct? How big is your

office production team?

-Zofia

I doubt adding a grip would make it that much more intimidating, but it sure makes it

heavier.

First of all, you shouldn't be in this position to start with, because you should have a non-

refundable deposit to secure the date. Whether it's $25 or half the total, or even the total,

is up to you. It protects you and it protects the client, knowing that you won't schedule

anything on their portrait day. You should also have a contract that states those points.

Second, if you didn't have a contract, or it wasn't considered non-refundable, then what's

the question? You simply need to refund the money.

Third, you can always have the money roll over into a post-wedding portrait, and put an

expiration on it.

I think you did a fine job.

I would suggest editing more thoroughly. There are way too many of the same pose there.

I couldn't make it through all of them.

I would say that I agree with Sarah that you could've used a shorted DOF. You also should

watch how often you hide the man with the woman's body. Not only does that make him

look less important, but it makes her look bigger.

As far as poles or trees, I didn't notice, but I did see some big ole leaves in his face.

I know it's hard, but try to get the couples to interact with each other more, without

freezing for the camera. They look pretty stiff in the first dozen or so.

You have some really nice keepers here. I'd narrow it down to about 30 tops for a better

impact.

I don't promise any number of photos. If they ask, I tell them I generally end up with 400

photos that make my cut. I may shoot well over a 1000, but no one, not the photographer,

not the bride, wants to see 5 variations of the same photo, or 300 photos are their friends

dancing.

O. Wagner... If there are enough of these "fans" in the same area, why not put together a one

day workshop for them. That way at least your not repeating yourself.

http://weddings.about.com/od/photographer/a/Photogchecklist.htm

Start there. Don't stick to it 100% though, because then everything is staged. If it doesn't

happen, you won't get the photo. Most photographers dread "the list", it confines us and

doesn't let us get creative. Best thing to do is ask the couple exactly what they want.

I was going to offer my critique, but Paul said it all for me!

Most of them were soft or out of focus, poorly exposed, wrong DOF, bad flash, over-tilted,

poorly posed and inconsistent. That sounds harsh, but you can learn from your mistakes

and get better.

As far as being a second shooter, most of the time the main photog will get the must have

shots, you should only submit to them your "perfect" shots.

I strongly suggest reading www.planetneil.com before shooting anything else. It's

invaluable trust me.

Practice practice practice. This is not an easy job, and requires a lot of time and patience

to get right. Don't be discouraged. Keep at it, and good luck.

Can't go wrong with the 17-55 2.8 added to your stash. Then you won't need the kit lens,

and with the 70-200 and the 50, you won't need anything else.

Z

I'd strongly recommend a faster lens over a new body, (for now), if you had to make that

choice.

A D200 (~$1400), a 17-55 2.8 (~$1200), and an SB800 (~$315) wouldn't put you over

budget, and they will change your shooting drastically when used right. ;)

The 70-200 (~1600) plus the D200 (~$1400) would suit your needs too.

As far as shooting weddings go, many of my photographer friends find that they don't use

their 70-200 very often. It's pretty heavy. I love it for engagement portraits. The 85 1.8 (~

$400) is also great portrait lens.

In my bag I've got the following, if it helps...

D200

D70s

17-55 2.8

50 1.8

85 1.8

70-200 2.8

SB 800

SB 600

My next purchase will be to upgrade the D70s to another D200, and upgrade the SB600 to

another SB800.

Can't see it. In order to post images in a thread, they have to be resized to no bigger than

511 px and they must have a caption.