Wedding portraits of bride and groom

Hi All,

I thought I'd share some portraits from a recent wedding I shot. Hope you enjoy, feel free to check out the full blog post on my site. Good evening to you all :)
http://jonathanellisblog.com/2014/02/16/nonsuch-mansion-wedding-photographer-kyle-cynthia/

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Apr 24, 2012
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I like the quality and the light direction, but the light quality and the WB are a bit harsh imho for a wedding. How about some fill flash? However it might well be your stylistic choice to do it like that, of course.

I also agree that the framing of some of them is a bit unorthodox. The last shot seems a bit crooked too. Number 5 and 7 are the best imho in terms of concept/framing.
 
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m

Nov 24, 2012
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Nice images!

The head in the first image doesn't work for me either, though the flowers look good.
Crop in?

What purpose does the image of the shoes have? I have the impression you wanted to document what kind of shoes she was wearing? But the image looks more like a snapshot.
When I think shoes and wedding I think Cinderella. That's also an opportunity to get the groom involved plus you get something different than the usual face-to-face interaction.
I know it can be insanely hard to come up with a good idea for a spontaneous request for an image (which this looks like) quickly.

The clothing is bright on dark skin. The light green leaves as seen in image 3 work great as a background for that. The overall look is contrasty, colorful and very vibrant - that's the message wedding images should deliver. Great look.

The last two images have a different look. It's either the sun hiding behind a cloud or just a more shadowy location.
I get the message of the last image, but the shadowy left side makes me wonder if the future they are walking towards is a particular bright one. Pulling the shadows a little should help.

The 8th image doesn't work for me at all. Foreground interest? Yes, please, but this leaf is more of a foreground distraction. The picture is dark, she looks down. If she wasn't wearing a wedding dress that suggests she married him, I'd get the impression that she lost the man of her live today. It feels sad and lonely.

A lot of the images had them both dead center. A different composition could help.
If you go for symmetry, go for it all the way.
The poles in the last image are not straight. The whole image appears to be tilted to the right.
I guess the point of images like that is to get the message of stability delivered.
 
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Looks like a nice couple and these are certainly decent shots. I assume they liked the photos and this is just a learning exercise. So, skipping the platitudes, here are my suggestions (all just my opinion of course):
Shot 1: Crop tighter to bouquet with current image. For future, if this is bouquet shot and not bride shot, be sure you have enough DOF to capture all the flowers in focus. If a bride shot, move back and don't bi-sect head.
Shot 2: Boring... For future, shoot shoes as a product shot showing side as well as toe. Watch background. If shooting shoes on feet, come up with better pose, more dynamic.
Shots 3 & 4: Good shots. Crop tighter for more impact. Cut left side just past brides veil. Get rid of drooping pipe at top of image that doesn't fit the pattern of other pipework.
Shot 5: Bingo! As already commented, be careful not to make all shots too similar with B&G centered.
Shot 6: Great idea that almost works. Vegetation in foreground is too distracting and doesn't fit right as a frame. Background pipe work is disconnected and pulls your eye away from the couple. Tough to be critical when the environment can't be controlled. This shot might be a candidate for off center couple (think rule of thirds perhaps) and different vegetative framing?
Shot 7: Good shot... can you get rid of that concrete pot that blocks grooms back? Crop tighter on groom, put couple off center in shot, overlay this shot with another one to fill the resulting "dead corner." (Draw imaginary line from grooms eyes thru brides eyes and see how it leads to lower right of frame. This can be a great lead-in to another shot when laying out an album.) Not sure that will work, but worth considering.
Shot 8: I know you were trying to create a frame, but leaves at top seem out of place - almost like you were holding them with left hand while shooting with your right. Great idea, just needs some practice to refine.
Shot 9: Others have commented -- watch both sides of arbor, left is vertical, right isn't. Sometimes you just have to split the difference.

Good work, keep learning. And, remember, these are just opinions. Develop your style as you see fit!
 
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