Ann + Sony (Houston wedding LOTS)

[lscottpht]

Sounds good.

[amykarp]

leslie, lets coffee soon! would love to catch up with you :)

[lscottpht]

sounds great, amy!!

[MikkiStreak]

Originally Posted by rusty_tripod

Apparently, there is some belief that I am referring to you as an amateur. I would not class you as an amateur. I do believe that posting artsy-fartsy images that are minimally successful brings the body of work as a whole down to that level, not the shooter. Many of the images are quite good but there are none I would shout "Wow!" over.

I also understand about boring weddings and receptions. I just shot one in December. Boring!! Was I happy with the results? No. I did the best I could with what I had to work with. No "Wow!" pictures for me either. And, no, I did not give the bride any improvisational shots I make to obviate my boredom.

I will be down to shoot a wedding in Austin in August. Perhaps, we can meet for coffee and a chat.

I will admit, most of your critiques that I've seen here and on other photographers threads, I haven't agreed with. But that goes to personal taste.

But, I will say that in this particular thread, I think some of the reactions to your words have been because they come across as condescending. You may not have intended them that way, but when I see things like "artsy-fartsy" and statements like "I did not give the bride any improvisational shots I make to obviate my boredom." it really does seem condescending.


Now, having shot this wedding with Leslie, I can say I think she did a fantastic job with the environment we were in. The homes where both the bride & groom got ready were nice homes, but from a photographic standpoint only, not that visually appealing. The church, like many bible chapels I've been in, was sparse and very plain as well and lighting was a challenge because it kept changing from light to dark and had yellow walls. With all that being said, there is a lot of vibrant colors present at Indian weddings, and I think that theme is very well played in this series. Not only that, but since Leslie is a photojournalist at heart, she is highly adept at capturing emotions and telling a story. This was a wedding that wasn't loaded with a variety of emotions-- it was mostly happy emotions 99% of the time. Which is great, but can become bland and 'expected' for a wedding. So I, personally, think her shifting to not only telling the story, but also adding a focus on the vibrant colors and finding visually interesting angles to enhance the variety of images she could present to her couple, was done extremely well.

[rusty_tripod]

I am simply approaching the thread from a business viewpoint, not an emotional one. When money changes hands for this work, it becomes a business. People are successful to the degree that they apply standards that go beyond personal feelings, likes and dislikes, and that provide the client with a quality product. Personally, I like for my work to tell a story, and I do not include images that have qualities I like but do not contribute to the success of telling that story.

Leslie has commented that she tries to tell a story with her images. My comments are directed from that vantage point and do not liable the over-all quality of her work or her individual skills.

Unless a photographer promised x number of images and is struggling to meet that goal, a culling process is a necessity in order to deliver only the most meaningful images to the client.

Let me add that I support Leslie in her choices. My comments are thoughts and suggestions.

[meemz]

Hi Leslie, I have to say your work is stunning and I think you did a great job on your photos! I have never shot a wedding before (and not even much of anything else for that matter) and I can only imagine how hectic the day probably is. I get terrified just thinking about it.

The only not-so-fantastic thing I noticed (having looked at tons of wedding photography before) was that in your ring shot, the bride's wedding band shows the bottom part of the ring where there are no diamonds (I don't know what that part is called in jewelry world). I dont know if anyone else noticed it but, I thought it was a little distracting. Maybe I noticed it because my wedding bands also have that "naked" part and it's annoying whenever I see it peeking out. I think if you placed/rotated it so that all the diamonds show before taking the shot, it would've been a flawless shot.

I look forward to seeing more of your work, Leslie!

[lscottpht]

Thanks a ton, Mimi!! Lol, I hear you about the ring shot. I don't usually shoot the rings. My second shooter does, but he didn't shoot this wedding with me. I was pretty nervous about shooting them lol.

[Phisch]

I just not got around to looking at these. Beautiful! I see what you mean about the venue, it's meh. But you did a great job looking for ways to make it more interesting, so good job!

[lscottpht]

Thanks, Mercedes!!

[jiobert]

Ha Leslie, I laughed when I saw this. I'm a lurker and don't comment much, but had to speak up when I saw that you could possibly even inquire if something you shot was bad. I love your work, in fact, I'm on here today to get your website and refer a friend in Chicago to you. :)

+1 on this comment
[QUOTE=S-Man;1233345]Hah it's funny Leslie. If I were you I wouldn't be seeking the approval of anyone. You shoot like a BOSS and don't you let anyone say different. I keep clicking to check EXIF thinking "I bet she used a different lens HERE" but nope. 24-105. Still don't know how you do it.
I think many people don't comment much anymore because it's like "Wellp, another great set by Leslie". What else is there to say?
QUOTE]

[lscottpht]

Haha, wow, thanks, Jess! Oh, and thanks for the referral!!

[groovyone]

If it helps, I think they are impressive! Love the style.

[lscottpht]

Thanks, Keith! That always helps to hear that!