First Engagement Shoot : Lisha & Patrick

[mmuhlenkamp]

This is my first engagement shoot I did for my very good friends Lisha and Patrick. It was a little muddy out, but nothing we couldn't handle.

I went a bit more "trendy" than I normally do in my processing (overly warm and slightly washed), but I felt it suited the mood and photos well and I think I kept it from being too gimicky.

And yes, she is taller than he is, I didn't feel like trying to hide that fact, it's who they are.

Constructive Criticism is more than welcome! I'm always ready to learn.

1.


2. I had to keep asking Patrick to at least pretend like he was having fun, but apparently this is his happy face.


3. I was pleasantly surpised how this one came out... very sweet moment IMO


4. I left them alone for a few seconds to change out a lens and they started poking each other with grass, le sigh...


5. Trying for an airy feel shooting through the grass with the sun behind them.


6.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Man, it sure is slow around these parts.

[spluloacle]

I like the through the grass shots but it seems like a flash made their faces look weird? I am not sure. I like the concept though.

And I like the walking through the trees.

[rockpics]

I like number two too. The girl has a beautiful smile, hair and eyes which you captured. Well lit. I like the naturalness of the interaction of the couple in three and four. At first I felt there was too much grass in their faces in 5 & 6, but I might change my mind. The last one is a kiss behind a partial screen (grass). It's a cool idea, now that I think of it.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Thanks for the feedback!

I kind of thought the grass might be too much as well, but the shots have grown on me. My friend seems to really like them so I'm very happy about that.

I used very heavy fill flash since the sun was behind them on the last couple of shots, otherwise their faces would have been in shadow. I need to get a short light stand so I could have set the light off camera, that might have helped. I was kind of pushing my equipment (and my lighting knowledge) to it's limits so I'm sure I can learn more and do this better with more practice

[Phisch]

I love, love, love #3.
Bokeh on #6 is perfect behind their heads. Gorgeous!

Just nitpicky and not a big deal at all:

#4 &5 - did you use a reflector? The only issue I have is that they're kinda squinty. I know it's just me, but I prefer the look without a reflector or maybe change the angle so that the light isnt' so strong on them.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Thanks, Mercedes. I love the bokeh that my 100L gives :)

I need to invest in a reflector, I was going to set up a fill flash to the side, but my radio triggers failed (the one thing I don't have a back-up for of course). He's kind of a squinty guy as it is though, made it hard to get any sort of catch lights even on the less extreme lighting.

[bryanlindsey]

That hard sunlight is killin' ya...try to position them so there aren't hard shadows on their faces. FWIW

[mmuhlenkamp]

Yeah, the sunlight was a good amount when we were on the path with all the trees, but a little too bright out in the prairie area. A little later in the day would have been ideal, but I didn't want the shoot to be this never ending thing. I'll start a little later in the day next time to be more in the "golden hour".

[LauraM]

These are good! The only one that the sun bothers me on is #3... but fwiw I had to go back and look for what the previous posters where talking about when they pointed it out. I think my favorite is the one where he's poking her with the grass haha. Love the true candid moments. :)

[mmuhlenkamp]

Thanks, Laura.

Candids are my favorite shots for these type of things, even when it's not "technically" perfect. I don't do a whole lot of people photography so I definitely have room for improvement though :)

[Bella Pop]

love candid shots! you can also help "create" candid shots by having them do something a few times that's more active - it's that moment when they laugh about it (if it was silly, or perhaps when she surprises him or when someone is tickled) that I'm waiting to capture. it's great when you can capture them when they think they are off camera, but you can encourage it a lot with that active style.

love the shots in the grass - agree with the others on lighting - for parks/fields etc. the golden hour is ideal and well worth the scheduling to hit that perfect light. keep shooting, you're doing great!

[texxter]

I also like the images with the grass in the foreground, more interesting than if didn't have that foreground plane. The couple shows genuine expressions and seems to be enjoying the experience, which makes the images natural looking! I like the mood on these pictures, overall, and I think you did a great job, Melissa!

A couple of comments about lighting....

It's hard to shoot in full sun, as we all know - I remember doing a portrait session in a setting similar to yours and I used a large diffusion panel over the model to diffuse the sun light. With that over her head, I didn't have to use flash or reflectors (I have one of the images from that session linked as the first image below.) Note, however, that if you lower the amount of light on your subject using a diffusion surface and you expose properly for the face, the background will be overexposed, and that's fine if you're going after a high key look. If you are more interested in a medium to low key, it's best to use a reflector or flash and raise the exposure value on the subject while lowering it on the background.

Here is an image with the diffusion panel (4x6in) over the model, held by an assistant. I shot from above to avoid an overxposed sky. This other photo, in a lower key, has the sun behind the model acting as hair light, and a large reflector in front of her bouncing light and acting as key light. You can see that with the reflector the background becomes underexposed. Anyway, some food for thought... reflectors and diffusors are a pain to use because you normally need help, but they allow you to manipulate ambient light without the complications of flash.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Thanks for the input Brandy and Paco! I definitely learned a bit more about scheduling and light from this shoot.

Paco, that photo using the large diffusion panel has great light, I generally shoot on my own and try to keep the bulk down on my equipment, but I definitely see the benefit of the extra equipment and another pair of hands :)

I actually took a few shots with my little MF camera (thanks, Westley!), not the greatest, but I thought it would add a nice classic touch to the series. Patrick used to shoot film all the time so he seemed to appreciate it. I'm just happy the exposure and focus came out well since I don't use this old MF camera too much.