Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Wedding

I have to start off by thanking those of you that wished me well and prayed. Not just for the wedding, but for the encouragement for me to pursue my dreams. Your words and prayers really mean a lot.

So the wedding is done. As I'm typing this, I'm converting my shots from RAW to jpegs. This takes quite a while since I shot over 500 images. As was my assignment, I shot mostly "things" rather than people. If you know me, you know I'm my harshest critic. I think I did well with shooting objects but I really wish I felt more comfortable shooting people. My candids came out well but I have such trouble with the "Hi, may I get a shot you to all together?" kind of pictures. So in that regard, the wedding was a big learning experience. I know where my real challenge is for next time.

The wedding itself was very nice. It was very structured yet had a casual tone to it. When we arrived I had the most unexpected pleasure. Phil, (my friend whose job this was) introduced me to Suzanne, the wedding planner. We greeted each other and she said, "Nice to meet you. I loved your "blue" pictures." We had never met and she knew my work. Apparently when Phil told her I'd be assisting, he gave her the link to my blog for her approval.

Here is a sampling of the images I captured. Feel free to critique. Tell me what you like. Tell me how I can improve. I want to learn from this.

























23 comments:

Robin said...

You did a great job Robert, and what fun to start off with a compliment on your work.

I LOVE the candid shots - you've done a fantastic job capturing the emotion of the day. They feel a lot more alive and dramatic than the posed shots and convey so much more of the subjects' personalities. I like the very crisp pp'ing too, better than the soft look in the alter photo, but I do seem to prefer crispness and a bit of grit in most of the work I've seen lately, so not sure how indicative of general tastes that is.

The "pattern" shots (champagne flutes, chairs, etc.) are terrific, again, you really have a great eye for lines and angles. The wine bottle shot I found too blurry and hard for my eye to focus on, but like I said, I'm all about sharp these days.

Oh, and in the second picture the faces look quite red, but maybe that's my monitor.

Do you read wedding photographer blogs like Becker's or Jessica Claire's (actually a couple in real life)? I find a lot of inspiration there, even so I'm not shooting weddings.

Anna said...

Love all the shots! Thanks for posting so many!!!

Anna said...

OK, so these are great! And I am not just saying that! I love the ones of them kissing...YOWZA! And the champagne glasses with the bubbly in them are tight! You must be happy with these!

And what is that about not liking the people shots???? I love the ones you shared! Very nice!

Anna said...

Oh and I love the shoes with her feet next to them!

Erin Faye said...

Great job! I love the one with the brides feet and her shoes beside them. Awesome!

The kissing shots are amazing too!

You did awesome and will do even better next time!!

Shelly said...

Wow, some amazing shots...I think you did an incredible job. If I was the bride I would be thrilled with the candids and the creative "things" shots....what a great way to remember every detail of a special day.

Anonymous said...

What Shelly said .... you could make having TWO photographers a trend. One focuses on the couple, the other focuses on the atmosphere!

I love the obvious joy you captured during the wedding ceremony. This was a happy couple enjoying their wedding. If it were my wedding, I would appreciate these shots much more than any formal posing.

I love all the shots of the couple kissing. The shoes with the candle was the first one to really "stun" me. The bride's bare feet next to the high heels was an excellent shot and one I believe she will treasure. I like the angle you chose to shoot the guitar player, too.

I loved all of the champagne glass images, though the first two were my favorites. The orchid on the fence was stunning. I loved the shadow of the flower, as well. The chairs in military straight precision were wonderful, too.

Your photographs captured love, tradition, joy and whimsy. I don't know what more could be asked of a wedding photographer.

Perhaps you will become more comfortable asking people to step into your photos when you have a little more confidence in their worth.

blue in the stream said...

Wow! Robert - Congratulations! Your images are fantastic! Those "kiss" images capture so well the pure joy that only that instant could bring! Also love the flower shadow, chair line etc...all of those details that are so important to a wedding day! You should be proud!

Dillo said...

Robert,
You really are a harsh (self) critic! Marvellous shots! I find myself agreeing 100% with EVERYTHING Robin said. The candid shots were my favority BY FAR! After those, the rest lost my interest; I like the color you added/changed to the one candid shot---kind of the yellowed black/white look. I like the pattern shots too; although the others didn't do anything for me.

The one of the Groom laughing is my favorite! Lots of energy and emotion in that one!

I hope in your self-criticism there's another voice saying, "Damn, I'm good." There should be if there isn't.

Well done!

Unknown said...

AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!!! Wow. I don't know what else to say!

Your work inspires me for the wedding I'll be "doing" in July (basically, the bride wants a set of my pictures because she doesn't have a real photographer, so I'm somewhere inbetween official and unofficial...). You'll have to share the reactions to your shots, too!

Kudos to you, and congrats on a job AMAZINGLY done!

Carletta said...

WOW! I don't have any idea what you were worried about - these are fantastic. The kissing photos are of a happy loving couple. Very well captured. The one of the groom laughing is a priceless expression - I love it! I think they will too.
All the "object" shots are certainly you and very well done. Like others, I love the one with the brides feet and shoes. That is such a telling photo.
I have to go back and look again. So glad you shared so many and I hope we get to see more.
Congrats - job well done!!!

Anonymous said...

WOW WEEE you did beautifully! Great job! I'd hire you in a heartbeat!

Anna said...

OK, I finally posted tonight! I gave you a plug...these shots are just wonderful and fresh!

Unknown said...

Questions for me? I hardly feel qualified! But I'll be happy to do my best. Glad you like my new header -- maybe one day I'll be able to use it in some form or another professionally.

Looking forward to your next post!

brittaffeldt said...

Oh wow! I especially like the last one of the chairs! I think you did a great job!

Karen Coutu said...

Wow! You did awesome!! I really like the b&w photos of the bride and groom and the shot of all the filled wine flutes.

You should really be proud of yourself!

Jeanne Damoff said...

Great work! You captured some wonderful, natural expressions and dear moments. Love the shoes! Love the artsy shots of glasses and chairs! Really, really good, Robert!

I also love the Phil Keaggy music. :)

I'm leaving town again tomorrow, so I probably won't be posting again for a while, but I'll be checking in when I can. Thanks for always stopping by and leaving thoughtful comments. You're such an encourager!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your first job! What an accomplishment for you.

The pictures are, of course, beautiful....but my favorites are the one's that were either spontaneous or natural. I love when people don't know they are being photographed.....or maybe it's called, not posed. The one of the groom laughing.....now that was fantastic!

The Pat Blog said...

Right on Rob. Good stuff. Just checked in to your blog with me girls and they enjoyed them too...

Gotta make them dinner now, then listen to Sophia reading the goodnight story (photo on my blog). Mom's at school tonight doing an info-eve for the French exchange program with Clisson...

Anonymous said...

Robert,

(It's so weird seeing my name right over there to the left and it not be me! ha!)

I know I'm coming to this series late (you know how blog-impaired I've been :/), BUT I HAD to tell you how wonderful your photos are! The entire series!!

Your "people" shots demonstrate mood--happy, introspectful--whatever the case, emotion leaps off the screen.

And your "object" shots--I'M SO STINKIN' PROUD OF YOU!! You're becoming adventuresome with angle! And they look spectacular!!

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I do love me some foot pics and you served up a nice one :). And the laughing one...and shoot! I can't remember right now.

I do know this...you could make money at this venture...can't wait to see how it unfolds for ya!

:)

Raven said...

This is a wonderful set of photos. I really love your still shots. I think they are works of art. I love the shadow one. Of the people shots, my favorites were the groom laughing and the black and whites. Oh and I love both shots of the shoes. I agree with everyone else. I think any bride would be thrilled to have photos like these of her wedding. I'm glad you have taken the next step and made yourself a domain name etc. These photos and the ones posted in your most recent post (I especially like the first) are a great start to a wedding photography portfolio.

juliana said...

wow! you have captured the essence, the atmosphere so well!
i would be proud of each and every one of these shots. great work!

Gina said...

You did a wonderful job.. these photos are really beautiful and natural..I'm sure the will be treasured :)