Lessons

Lesson Info

Wedding Image Critique

When I saw this image I have to tell you I think this is really quite clever it's fun and energetic and I really would love to commend the maker for you know, just creating an image that has some style and just it's just adorable look at the expression that guy's face at the end of the day I think expression is absolutely everything if you have a great expression from your subject you've got I think you've got the holy grail yeah, I agree I like the motion and the feel of it and I think the contrast between the motion and the stiffness of the pose really creates kind of attention there that I really like it makes it interesting now he was just thrown up in his legs were playing around I wouldn't like I would have liked it as much as this because of the contrast of the throwing and then the straight planking I guess like sort of call it right that's why I liked it and you know the groom is gonna love this shot because it's all of his guys and they're very engaged with him and I can defi...

nitely see this is an image that your families get you know, put up in their house and you know, maybe frame big because it's just such a moment with them and I totally agree with scott about if he was just flailing you know that there's there's something about the motion coming forward and then him being you know, very static that makes it really come together I just wonder how many takes it toe to do that yeah, they must have a lot of fun doing it this image I what I like that the maker did is I like the idea of photographing after dark um I think they did I really like the fact that they tried to create something that was very unique the problem for me with this photograph is that it's very difficult to see I have a hard time finding them in the picture I find the bride are the girl I think easier than the gentleman because there's more light on her and she's kind of she's well lit and she's eliminated better the groom though it's barely visible to see that there's not as much room light on his face so I'd like to see men just tweak that life just a little bit. I like the idea of this photo to me it's like this is almost photo to me um you know one thing actually, you know, going to a workshop bambi did like go ten years ago I went my very first workshop I like I let a lot of damage because she really was a virgin in the wedding industry and she took care of me, okay? But every way she does a lot of the script e and one thing that jorvan said it's like squint your eyes and look at it what do you see first? Well I c stars first that's and so that's where the impact is going if you look at all master paintings right and you see and you squint your eyes band that subject is very evident and that's it's getting lost in here I agree it in there it's it's backlit and so if he would have wanted to pump that far there so we really go right to the subject and see hopefully some connection happening with the bride and groom and you just kind of miss that because you don't see the groom so you're not able to actually see you know the rim of their face facing each other whereas you get where you get all the emotion and you know that's what makes it a priceless image for the couple is if they can see that their connection with each other and then on I know that these are sometimes low res images so but I would like to you know, if if this is how it looked final, I'd like to see it be blacker like tio the everything about it sort of jump out s'more the stars jump out mohr that couple jump out more and then even though it almost looks like there's you know kind of clouds and wispy nous and that one in the left corner there that's a little bit green in the left corner maybe it's the right depending on how you look at it distracts me my eye goes there so I'm not really sure where to look you know, I kind of kind of wander around the photo and said, you know, just want to go straight to that couple but it's almost there it's just you know, that little pop of difference that would make this from a good to a great image. I think nowadays with photography, post processing is very important it finishes your vision and because we can post process says our clients are actually expecting mohr now from a photo it has to be perfect. Um and so if you haven't learned, are if you're not into post processing either job it out or learning but because it must be done I love this image, I think this is really wonderfully done and here's what I like that the maker did, the first thing I like is the camera angle, they're low to the ground and I think that really draws you right to that bride and groom I think they did a masterful job of of isolating their subject and also showcasing the people on the sides and glad to see it doesn't look like they flash building and sometimes less experienced photographers tend to get so crazy with the flash and everything they overdo it and then you lose all of that wonderful dimensionality by those people on the sides I think this is just dreaming I really really liked this image very much and this would be an amazing picture to me for your website as well as for your marketing pieces and such and it would call me to you agreed and again it's a moment for the couple which is really so much of what you're shooting for is you know you want to shoot for your clients and a lot of times I think is artists were thinking we want to create that stand alone image we want this thing for our party folio and it's easy to forget that it's really all about the client they want to see that moment that will never come again and I think that this photo does achieve that um this kind of have a has a photo journalistic feel to it and like you said is when you want to have it kind of photojournalist that you don't want to go with crazy flash because it's going to look our official so that's why I liked this photographer used the ambient light I don't know what's going on the back light, which is part of a pretty cool I think what would really make this image saying is I wouldn't take down the light a little bit on the ground and take down a little bit of light on those curtains behind them so they would hop a little bit more so when I first saw this image of that oh wow I really liked it then in the maura's I looked at it my I was confused a bit so I would like a little bit without overdoing it a little bit more focused on the bride to the reduce of the lighting on the bright areas and I think it would pop a little bit more you get more a little more facial detail a little bit of more of the expression yeah yeah this is beautiful you know, we kevin cambodia last I were one of the programs that was theo ignite back about the kiss I can't help but think about that program andi I think this this really feels like a real moment to me it feels like a real kiss but I feel like I'm losing a little bit of this young lady's face when I see a couple kissing I always want to see that hand go behind his head and into the hair I think just think that feels like it's a bit more passionate andi think that would help I love the blur that they added to the back and I think that just makes it a little bit more interesting and isolates them a bit from the background yeah, I love the blur that's what really makes it, uh if you have the blur is really wouldn't have anything to it, but I agree I kind of I want to see more beauty in this picture and a lot of times you can accomplish that by seeing the face is a little bit better. And so that's the only thing yeah, definitely the backdrops really working, but again, we're not exactly sure about the connection we can get it through their hands that it's a pretty intimate moment, right? So the way he's holding her seems really natural they don't seem stiffs. They're probably working well with this photographer, but, you know, it scares a little bit it's just not quite there. So I completely agree with sammy and in scott about, you know, maybe we could have seen a little bit more of the bride's face uh, just a little bit more to draw you into what's actually happening between them, I get that, you know, on the other side, you could I have made it less available, so it was more intimate there's ways to oppose them, where, you know, you don't say either of their faces and it's all about the way they're holding each other and that's a different way, but you just want to make that really, you know a conscious decision you know what you're doing you made a really good point blair about the hands if those hands were engaged in a more passionate way you wouldn't need to see her face it would be so obvious so that's why the hands are very important because even if you want to tell a moment that is, you know, very spontaneous like this pay attention to those hands because you can tell a better story arm or ah story that has more feeling by the way that you position those hands so I would bring it up behind his head have them like a way around his head in his hair and a bit more passion and his hand even bring it up like on her back a bit to just really create a bit more passion and then who cares what's going on the face, you wouldn't notice it and it wouldn't meet wouldn't be it would not make the photograph a better image I love this I think this is just it's very cute to me andi I think she works the way that they've gotten her all dirty and such works very very well um what's bothering me about this and this is the to me what's holding me back is the shoulder is closer to the lens of the camera than her face and I see the big white part of her shoulder is competing for attention and so I want to go I want to see it hasn't it if I feel that this is a really editorial picture and so because it is very editorial I feel like the post doesn't quite work with the editorial nature I think this is just so clever and so fun and I'll tell you what whatever the case this would go on my website because even though I'm critiquing this as a judge and a somebody who says you have this is what's wrong this is interesting and I'll tell you right now when you have things on your website you want interesting pictures and this photograph is very interesting I like the creativity of it it's going to get you a lot of likes on your facebook page you know but I agree I think the the posing of it bothers me a lot like them so I'm just looking at the shoulder right now but it's a great photo yeah and I think that absolutely agree it first thing I looked at with your shoulder so I think that you know, making it more about her face moving that shoulder back bringing the face forward would have really turned this image into a really spectacular image you know? I often wonder when I see things like this you know how there's like all that trash the dress and you know all that stuff and it's awesome when it fits the couple we always want to keep in mind when you're shooting is it is this really authentic to the couple? And so if this is a couple who loves to go mode across and you know, likes to get out their off road it's a great shot, they're going to love it because it really says who they are and what's authentic to them. If it's a pre visualized idea of the photographer let's do this crazy things and the bride's going to just be wondering for the necks ten years, why did we go out and get my why didn't go on right on? So I think that's, you know, one of the things is as photographers, we don't want to get caught up in our ideas rather than the couple's ideas, so it all like that the real priceless nous of this photo all has for me has to do with is this authentic so her I bet it is because who's going to do that, you know? But but, you know, sometimes it's not so it's, just something tio keep in mind, you know, one last thing I'd like to say about this is if the maker had taken that bike and I think brought it a little bit less straight across the photograph and brought it forward just a little bit I would also like to have seen them then they could have used that pocket of light on the right hand side to draw you right into that subject and and had this line of trees draw you right to the subject. But as it is, you know, it's it's a very interesting photograph, and I think the maker did a really good job and I'd love to commend him or her or thiss I really like this photo, we see trending and waiting for target area lots of stuff going on with reflections and, you know, there's, some great things people are going out there finding reflecting floors, they're finding ways to work with mirrors, they're doing all kinds of things. Tio make reflections really add to a photograph. And so I like this business this natural on the beach, they found this nice reflecting pond, it's it's, you know, boom. Great, you know, here's the idea let's do it. So I think that this is one that everybody in the bridal party will love. I would like to see the bride and groom actually in this and I have actually taken similar shots to this were like, you kiss and then everybody else do their thing in this particular one, I think I would have rather seen them engaged as well. And att least either them or at least someone else in the photo that was fully engaged in the camera so that because you're not exactly sure who what's the most important thing happening in here, you know I might be wrong about that gets you part is subjective. One of the things I loved about this was the fact that suppose fits what they're wearing, you know, there's nothing worse than and that's something you have to really think about when you're posing your subjects that you have to think about well, does this fit? Does this pose fit the style of the wedding and so many times you see, you know, like this this bride we're in this big poofy ball gown and she's a little romantic girl then they're trying to get her all vogue and it just is like what? It doesn't work, so you really want to think about it? I think the maker did a very fine job of this. I find that there's a bit of a a contrast between the playfulness and fun loving this of the group and then the bride and groom, so I wouldn't I don't have a problem with this being that they're kissing, but I would love to have seen them or playful and fun loving to me it would be more harmonious but still it's it's a lovely image I think perhaps I mean tio maybe improved or an idea for the poses if maybe her head was down and he was like engaged with a forehead just smiling at everywhere so I could see a either a bit of a profile or her face was turned to the camera a little bit more and laughing and then he kind of got her on the temple here I think that would have grabbed the more in me being able to see the couple a bit more and I know a lot of photographers like using reflection and sometimes I feel they just did that shot just for the reflection but in this particular case I like the photo without the reflection and then when you add the reflection it adds to it so whenever you're doing a reflection shot, make sure that the content of the photo is really strong and then the reflection will add to it just don't do it because we couldn't do a reflection here s so that's why I like this photo that's a great point thinking about that yeah it is the actual photographed before you decide to double it right? You know, first time I just wanna know how they did this this's a very lyrical I mean, what can you say e I love that I think this is very, very interesting and to me this what this couple is doing and this is so creative and so clever I really like that what what I find pulls me away from this is this the background to me is a bit of a distraction and I don't think they needed I think that there's just so much going on with the two of them I'd love to see that if you have a clean neutral background you know you know, just find a field or something or you know someplace else that's that's less of a distraction I think that that would make this just saying even more it's very interesting let's say you had this is the only area that you were working if I were to shoot this instead of shooting with the trees I was shoot down the road yeah, because then that would give you some lines, you know, to kind of frame them. So even if you didn't have a clean background which I would have preferred on this particular case just go, you know, do it on the road and so you could look down the road and be cleaner absolutely or just to move them down where there's not so much destruction on behind really, which is the subject which is is the bike on the direction of the bike so since it's all about that just meeting, you know, I love your idea for show on the road, but if they hadn't thought of that then just not having that tree there just having open sky so that the top of the bike would have shown against the against a clean background would have made it stand out quite a bit more and I'd like to see her in that to just hurt her head both of their heads in the top of that bike against a clean sky or an open road a scott mentioned another thing is too is in this particular case when there's like strong composition and emotion sometimes I like to turn into black and white but you can't turn it to black and white in this picture because it's too busy on the background so if you weren't able to get a cleaner you could go to black and white oh, I like this photo it's um um it's very classic I'm not actually the one uh thing is the dress on health you know, when they do that thing where somebody like flails address up and runs or something it looks like it kind of they did that here but it looks a little bit um not organic. It feels a little bit to contrive to me that vessel that dress actually kind of bothers me a little bit, but other than that, like the color tones uh it has a romance to it perhaps that could had them a bit more engaged um it's a little bit more passion when you see two hands down by the sides the emotion kind of gets it looks like asian couples a lot theo like I need the hands and I need to feel a little bit more passion here because two arms just holding the waste doesn't quite do it for me one of the things that in this kind of environment you shut your eyes for a second and squint and look at the picture what is the first thing you see? You see the bottom of her dress? So what could you do t alter that flipper to the other side because see the main lights coming from that left hands? And so if you moved her and put her on the right then and put him on the left then it's going to be you're going to have a better image that way because then you don't have all that light coming in on the dress. The second thing is and part of the reason that we have that I have a little bit of a problem with this is that somebody just took that dress and what proof like this and pulled it back and it looks fake it looks like oh yeah there's somebody who's off you know, off camera you know, to do that so it indicates movement and yet there's no movement going on in this photograph so I would like to see if you're going to do that then you want to have them maybe engage have them walk through the scene. One of the things that we've done is that let me show you here scott you get to be my room for this don't get too excited way see your butt okay so turn and show them your good signs okay okay so you're gonna hold my hand like this okay but hang on we need to do with this because you're going to be closer to the light right right, right ok. So now if we were to like maybe walk towards each other you're going to walk that way okay try to run from me, okay? Oh yes he now my dresses and then it like he could pull against me like this and like that would be very cute and then you get that you get a natural event your rest okay, I know well I e o a cigarette? Yeah that's true. You know a lot of times to just another idea with okay, you're gonna line this up, you've got the light right in whatever it's like just don't take one photo you've got to add something to okay I got that shot let's try something else when you've got a shot that you like, you know you've got your money shot be creative at that point do something different so what if you fail you already got your money shot I thought it was brilliant what you said family about because you know right away that was sort of thinking about the dress is how did the dress get like that? Yeah, but then when I think about it what if you just let it go right and it was just straight up and down it would be a little too stiff s o I love that just get them to move and then if he comes back to her that dress is still moving and then all of a sudden the hands become more realistic you're grabbing each other there's that you're something that becomes much more natural about the hands as well um guys I don't know of just get crazy nit picking on there's a little bit too much for ground for me and I'm talking about that much but you could just I want to see a little I want to see the top of that door like a little bit more like haven't finish off little just I could just scoop it up just a tiny bit, but I love the romance of it and and I think it's nicely process where it brings in that kind of feeling of you can almost feel the atmosphere which I love it's not just like you almost feel like you can you know you're in the room love it love that emotion on the face. I mean, this is a great camera angle, by the way, that high camera angle shooting down on your subject is a terrific way to get rid of annoying background things that are bothering you and it's a terrific way to showcase a face. It also is a great way to hide things that don't that you don't want to see, like maybe if you have someone who's got, you know, is a little larger on the bottom part of her shape, if she's a little bigger on the bottom hey, if it's if you can't see it, it doesn't exist. Yeah, and he's just right into her neck there and she's smiling it's obviously a very authentic smile for her, and I would assume that, you know, when her groom looks at this photo he's like that's, you that's who I know that you know, that's, that's, the smile that lights up the world, and so they're both going to love the image. I like that it shows her dress and that you're not just looking at heads, right? So we grab some else is going on. It takes you to the floor without little bit of dress and congee a little bit of more dimensions, so they're not just floating there. I like this photo to I mean, she looks beautiful and at the emotion is there one thing that I think bothers me a little bit is her hand is a little bit hot on top of his head um and then I think you like the post prime mean personal taste I'm not quite sold on the post processing maybe has a bit too much green in it or something I'm not quite sure uh, but the post processing I kind of bothered me a little bit on it, but other than that the emotion and everything is definitely a little hot on the hand so you know that you don't want to get distracted over to the hand because it's all about her smile so you know, just bringing that down a little bit and then yeah, well, you know, I know it's the post processing I'm not a huge fan of of different kinds of colors I liked it is keep it you know israel to tone wise, but it depends on the photographers distinctive style. Now if I were to go to this photographer's website and I were to see processing that fit this and I'd be like ok, because in their client knows this is a kind of processing they d'oh and not every bride and groom is super educated about photography, they just know what they like right? So if they have an image like this and this fits the rest of them in their portfolio at least the client knows that they can expect this from them and I think that that's something that's really important for photographers is to develop a post processing style that really worked for them and then they feel really confident and stay with it don't jump all over the map and process this one this way and another one that weigh on you know? And I say I'm just very old school about I love multiple black and white and that kind of thing so but I'm trying to have a more open mind um I kind of feel like it was almost shot I mean I love it the composition is great um like the white angle feel here I like how the couple's he's different heights like the one thing is is that maybe if her head was kind of pointed in a different direction and then it her face women being is blown out but maybe they had the flash going that way and that's why they're doing it that way but I do I do like um the kind of the feel of it the lower angle of it to kind of give him a hero feel um and it isn't a nice photo but I just the executing with the the lighting I think could be a little bit better yeah, it looks in scott, wouldn't you agree that it looks like they lift them? They let them from the front because the bottom of that dress has more light on it. Your face does right, so it would be especially if you're shooting outside. You want to be careful where you position your life? Yeah. What I learned from bambi thirteen years ago I really like short side shadow but they were doing broadside here which because you could see where the light was it's on the bottom right going up. But my kind of rule is the nose towards the light all the time and they always give you kind of a short side shadow and give you some dimension. And also so if you brought that light on the other side of it, I think it worked would have worked a little bit better, right? Moved it around so adam this way because the first thing I see is the bottom of her dress and that's what diminishes the image for me? Because the images almost there there's a strong composition here I really like how the guy is sitting, I think networks nice with the landscape I love how the clouds are spread out behind them and a little bit what wide angle look, when I go straight to that dress and it seems like that's you know lit like that light's going straight towards their so of course that's what you feel like your subject is right boom and whenever you're taking a photo of a dress that is, you know, interesting and dramatic is this one you really want to think about the flow of the dress right? Because if you're going to make it about the dress than make it about the dress and be sure that you know it's really flowing correctly so she's like sitting on a rock there something it's like a little bit awkward at the bottom so I think this this actually this photo could've worked quite well had they repositioned her a little bit and scott said, just move that light over to this side in the image I'm also the processing feels like I don't know what you guys think, but it feels like a little bit oversaturated to me and not quite in the pocket for the color. So so just from opposing standpoint, there are a couple things you could do she's actually sitting pretty straight up and down she sitting kind of in a static potty poses what we would call it so on there are some things you can do for that the first thing that I want you to do and for those of you out in the audience, this is the one to deal which is standing for a moment and you guys stand up for a second. Okay, now I want you to sit down on your chair, but you're not going toe. You're not going to just sit flat on your dukes. Okay? I want you to turn your feet just a little bit to one side or the other and now you're going to sit just on your right on barely park your booty on that chair. I mean, I want your dukes hanging off the chair. Do you see how? And now what I want you to do is with your chest lean forward slightly. Look how awesome everyone wears a change to the center of gravity and when you and it makes you look, I was working working. So in her case, if she had done that, if she had sat like this on the chair are on that rock and then leaned towards him, do you see how that it makes a beautiful s curve? And it would it would actually make her look more engaged as it is, I feel like we have two photographs here. We've got him whose post beautifully her disposed not bad, but but she could be she there she feel like she doesn't really belong in this picture because she's, you know, she's she's just kind of sitting straight up and down, and especially with the gown like this that's when maybe I would have moved that dress to the side a bit so that there was some movement, some energy that would flow from him to her and then go out of the picture as it is, it goes from him her and then straight down, and it kind of cuts a photograph in half. Bryant was not moody very, very pretty and intimate. Um, gosh, I am I've got to take this in for a moment to think about what would make it improved the distraction, you know, the slats in the background kind of take away from the from the subjects for me just seeing all of the light, I'm not sure exactly where to go, so I think I would have moved them down farther. What? What do you guys think? You know actually I don't mind the slots at all I actually think they work okay? What? But what? And by the way, I love this picture, I think it's really pretty and I especially love the pose that couple looks really it fits look at the way he's got that front me bent where he's leaning into her doesn't that feel like yes that's that's, right he's not standing flat footed because a lot of times when people do that kind of pose here, come here, kitty I'll do this people will feel like like this and it's like ok there's two people standing next to each other and then they may even have them really close and get into each other's space but that's it but he that's okay, just wait this guy didn't write this he's got that forward like this so that they're they're engaged and he's leaning into his girl and that really, really, really works beautifully the one area that pulls me back just a little bit and I think that you could handle this in post production is just thie the back of the wheat or those hey hey in the background is a little bit too bright and so it kind of it competes with the face I keep going from the eyes not the eyes but the face down to the hay and then back up to the face so it pulls me back just a little, um being a lighting guy, um, I see seeing this style a lot so like to most people what? Well, great, right? But I've seen it the style a lot, and so for me were not like for your facebook or your portfolio it's great or whatever, but in regards to competition, I think, uh I think it's very important tio not just copy something, but add on top of it innovate on it and one thing I think that would have been as a lighting guy I would have put a like a cto gel on the flash okay I would turn my camera to tungsten right and then that way it would have made those slats blue the light in between there just to add just a twist to what I've seen a lot and that's what I would have kind of preferred some kind of different lighting a little bit because I've just kind of scene that a lot you know that's actually a good point about that about the turning into tungsten but you could also alter some of that post production by you know changing your lighting settings in post they lied to the gas out there that's fine you guys like it this's beautiful yeah it's absolutely beautiful andi I see what I love that they did this they look at the little leaves on the foreground to me that pulls me right into the picture the yellow leaves on the trees they frame that subject beautifully what a beautifully beautifully done photograph I think it's just lovely I like to it's very impressive like the composition with it I think because we don't have high resolution in photos we can't really tell about the sharpness but I think that while there's me a little bit it looks like the leaves are sharper than the couple and so my eye tends to kind of you're I always gravitates to whatever sharpest and whatever's brightest so in this case but I do like that colored leaves their bag I'm not quite sure so I wish that we had a higher resolution photo of it so I can kind of see it a little bit more but it's beautiful and striking yeah, great I don't know if you know the fog is actually obscuring the couple of, you know it's quite foggy in there and whether it would have been possible for to get a lot sharper but we really can't talk about it with a low res image we'd really have to see that that higher as image to know how sharp the couple is but you know, other than that it's very moody it's definitely brings you to the place, which again is what I think about for couples is that, you know, they chose this place and it probably has a lot of meaning to them, so having that sense of place in their portrait can really matter a lot to them, you know, they it looks gorgeous wherever they're getting married and for me actually I timmy doesn't matter if they're super sharp, I wouldn't want them to be to me a sharp is the lease because they are in that fog to me, I think that would be less believable the fact that they're not looking in the camera I think works in their favor if you were trying to do a hi mom shot which is looking in the camera then you're going to be you're going to be having okay little may be an issue because you we want to look at the eyes but because they're engaged with one another I feel that it's more it works in the confines and I especially love seeing a photographer that's willing to photograph in that awkward period between like you know when it's really winter and it's you know full and between that time frame and I think the way they did this with training with those trees with no leaves on it is very haunting and it works very nicely so this image it just looks ah blown out to me so the post processing could definitely make it a little bit sharper well I can't make a chart for that again words of dealing with these these lower as images but I'm just a little distracted by the background and I feel like it's a little bit hot on the top so um it's not quite is nailing this subject for me one of the things that that does is a distraction to me is that it doesn't feel like there's a reason for them to be there I feel like ok there's they just found a cool location and then they placed a couple in that environment so I don't feel like they make sense together I would also like to seen them take that couple of maybe move them to the right or to the left where there is a bit less of a of ah, distraction. Because then that six, eighty three is so close to the heads, I feel that it it keeps pulling my attention. And I wonder to myself, there's so much for lower part of the picture with the bride. You know, if you see so much of her dress on the bottom, I have to kind of almost fight to see them. No, the idea is maybe I would, um, pull the couple away from the train a bit more, so you can kind of blur it out with your depth of field. And I think that might, uh, not made that sixty, eighty three so strong right there. It almost feels like it's a, you know, just two dimensional what's going on there because everything was just flattened out. Okay. I love the idea of what the photographer tried to do here. I think it's really clever and beautiful to photograph at night. I love these twinkly lights. They really are such a lovely peace. I think there are very nice accent to this I don't like the placement of the subject right in front of the tree, because basically it creates a strong vertical line and when you have those strong vertical lines they cut a photograph in two pieces on guy think that there's they could have done a lot with this couple of moving them to the left a bit there's that amazing bathtub but I really like that as an anchor point on that right? So I'd love to have had them moved to the left hand side in addition to that the strong light that's on the left underneath the tree it it's it's brighter than their body then there they are and so I feel like it is pulling my eye away and I think that that would have helped these twinkly lights are a beautiful light source they create a fabulous soft light so if you have an opportunity to work with these kind of lights on trees are really pretty. Yeah, and what they actually scott what would they actually need that? Well, they probably need a little film not not that bright right? Maybe it's there that's why? They can't just let that you can change your camera position your position yeah, get rid of it in the background. I think the lighting is almost it just looks a little bit too obvious for me. Everything is too obvious there's not enough shadow and a little bit in there it's so um yeah um I must say it's it's impressive, though with lights and everything is just maybe not finished off quite the way I would like to see it. Yeah, I think the most important thing is what family said about the couple being right in front of the jury because that's just gets so distracting about, you know, not being able to see their shape, not being able to see their interaction, maybe I would have tried posing them on that rock there, whatever that I think that would have made a better picture and then eliminate the left hand side. Man, I love this photo I kind of like that vintage feel to it it kind of looks like it was taken with film or something like that, but I love the lights, the centering of it. I don't know, I just really like it. I'll tell you what I like that the maker did in this picture, I love the fact that they found that they started working after dark so many times photographers get hung up on oh, it has to be, you know, the witching hour, the perfect, you know, four to seven or whatever time of day and so it doesn't it's like and then they don't take the time to do some haunting pictures or some things that are just a bit more moody after dark I am love photographing after dark and I especially like using these kinds of let these twinkly lights as my main line and not use flash at all or anything of that nature. The two corners are a little bit too hot, so I think I probably would have just turned those down in in a photo shop of it just to pull them to pull the brightness off of those two corners because what's going on with the two of them is just beautiful. I also feel like his legs are getting a little bit lost. I think he's leaning back a little bit more, so maybe if he had been sitting like if he had pulled forward in that bench like I am sitting now and then had her laying across his left, I think that could have probably given them a little bit. It would have made their image look a little bit more romantic, and it would have given us an anchor point on the bottom and again, I when I look at this, I think about consistency and processing. If I go to this photographer's website and this is the way they process black and white and that's throughout, then it works. I'm assuming this photo was taken on film, but it has that feeling and if it's so if it wasn't, it has that feeling right and, uh I personally if I had taken it on film I probably would have printed in a little higher contrast paper just to bring a just a little bit more pop to the to the white in the back but this is very in right now a little bit more mid tone gray black and white printing and I've really had like hope my mind to it and now that I have and I start to see the photographers you do a little bit more like you know, vintage rustic weddings and stuff like that it really does work so for me it has a lot to d'oh you know, whether it works for the photographer it whether it's consistent in the portfolio it's a great image it's the subject pops I think it's beautiful and really nice use of the light you have a beautiful beautiful bride and this photograph I think I would have changed my camera angle a little bit and photograph from a little higher camera position if you do that, she would have eliminated their strong that heaviness above her head and also that if you look behind her the tone ality of the building that's behind that has that kind of an off off aqua color is actually very harmonious to what she's wearing so higher camera angle I think would have helped um I just kind of feel like, uh I mean she's beautiful of course I would just like the sea the photographer maybe not just we rely on our on our beauty I mean, it looks has a very static feeling to me but I know he's probably going for that uh particular take a look but because of that it's just too distracting on the top for me and I just that bothers me however I mean she she is gorgeous her her dress is gorgeous and she's got nice connection with a photographer, right? So when I look at a photo like this I think she likes her photographer you know, he or she has put her at ease and so I think well, the rest of the day is going to be pretty easy to shoot because there's that connection that's happening definitely the the rooftop is what really distracts from it because you just she's kind of soft and romantic and pretty and the rooftop is, you know, very rigid and so they kind of just don't have anything to do with one another, but I'm sure that photographer got lots of gorgeous photos from this wedding because the connection is there um I love the idea of this photograph I actually think this is a really pretty funny if I love the way the wind is pushing that bride stress pushing it around and I love the way your hair is moving you want to be careful of just a couple of things and maybe this is a time when you might have to do some post first of all I liked the pose I think that's her I think it feels believable I feel like she needs just a tiny bit more head room I feel she's almost a little bit squished are you know a little bit there's not quite enough headroom however one other thing is in post production that the straight leaf that's coming are the straight branches coming out of the top of her head that I would have eliminated in post production because that's that's poking from the head so I don't mind all of the tree branches on the sides I think that that gives a wonderful context and it's quite beautiful but that really heavy branch that's just to the right of her shoulder and that branch growing out of her head I would have just cloned another area that had that more subtle tone ality and that would have given her a space that was she owned that was her own that there wasn't a distraction by the face and I think it would it would make for a pretty or image it's a very, very pretty picture and I think it would be on my website if I were in her position or the makers position just trying to get into the polls I think maybe to what you're doing here aa lot of times so she's doing this okay a lot of times actually when I was I have to pose for the because I had that feel bid I think maybe to the straightness of the arm probably just pull back just a bit it's not as straight they're not huge thing but just a little bit like that maybe take down the background that little bit of huts area there so she would pop a little bit more well the other thing you could do to has turned her the other direction because the main light it looks like it's coming from the left hand side because their dresses very right more than her face so if you end if you turn to the other direction and then because they say it was a bit windy had returned her face or her shoulders back towards that wind then I think that it might have been better but but still it's a very lovely a man it's really soft and romantic and the processing fits the soft romance so that all works together this is just too saturated for me it's it's over processed eso I do like the angle of them coming in and the dramatic sky but I feel like it's too orange to orange red and in processing a little bit oversaturated and you want to be really careful of working your files too much this is probably I think the number one a recent why photographs are are judged in an adverse way is that the photographer gets too cute and starts monkeying around with the pictures so much because they think they you know they learned a new trick and photo shop then they you know they tend to over process things and get the hdr thing I can't if I see another hdr image with very few exceptions, I swear I will put my eyeballs out with for e I mean it's just like it's been done let's move on, okay let's move on to another trick or something and the thing is that you cannot polish a turd folks, you can't polish a turnover, you know? If it's don't try to make it better in post, get it right in the camera and then enhance it and using light room or in photoshopped those tools were designed to enhance an image and now there are some exceptions when it absolutely works to process a photograph and add some hdr or some other techniques. But otherwise the downside is is that they become a distraction and they can actually take a beautiful image and its and remove its magic by overdoing it. So really look at it what you're doing and then pull back a bit when you're when you're doing your post work, I couldn't think what the photographer was probably standing like this taking the picture and what happens is that horizon is kind of distracting the photo, so I probably would have maybe taken a lower one to get their head above the horizon a bit more because I feel that it's almost there but that the besides the post processing I would like to see them a little bit more prominent because the background is kind of a little bit distracting to me. Yeah, in fact, that that big white sky, I think, well, obvious this is harder to do. But if you had a motor drive on your camera, I think you could easily do that, you know, try to position them so that they are him that that's not right in front of them because it really does compete with them. Yeah, and, you know, I think I did. I did that a lot when I first started shooting inside. Go scout the location and then you try to find the perfect light, and then you try to find these great background backdrops and, you know, you find this great back to it all is all these trees and all these beautiful flowers and all these things and then, you know, quickly had to realize after a few years of shooting that those air distractions, what I really need is beautiful light and I need a moment and you noted, and aiken almost all the time create a subject every once in a while you do see something so there's that bathtub there what's that doing there let's do some fun of that let's do that you know but it is it really necessary to go find that you know dramatic background it's really about your subject I love this image I think this is very believable it feels right to me and it feels like a found moment and if it was if it's not a opposed picture and the mid the maker took it just as it is they're to be applauded I love the vantage point I think those two that window in the front really makes you feel is though it's very voyeuristic and so I think it really works if it is a posed picture then I would probably be a bit more critical my critical nous would be in the way that she is seated because if you look at her she's sitting straight into the camera this way her arms air right by her side which making which which makes her look larger and because she's wearing white that bigger area is making her body look look heavier so what I would have done is I would have turned if he's here if he's over here I might have even had her turn her body away from him and then maybe lean back into him this way so that so that you see you see half of that shape I think it would feel still very believable or have her turn towards him and then with the chest lean towards one another and you know that's that's a really important element you know, if you just you guys in the audience lead towards me for second do you see when you just lean forward, your shoulders roll around and it kind of make sure her girls makes your boobs dropped down it's not very pretty, ok, but now sit back for a second and this time I want you to turn one way or the other just a little bit and then I want you to lean towards me with you're just do you see how it straightens up your back so just those just those few simple words can really change the way an image is that with the way it looks in the way the unesco so kind of one rule yeah, I think if you were just if this was opposed scene and if without a lot of major turning and just tweaking just as one idea another for their shot is I always when a woman is always sitting, I always kind of get them to roll over a bit so like I said, roll over and then because the flowers are really taking away her womanliness right diamond as like I so like on and then just move the flower just simply very just going with what that is very quickly roll over move the flowers off to the side on then I think it would have been yeah it's a great like peekaboo moment though it's it's processed beautifully for the subject and definitely something that the couple would enjoy and if it is not posed it's yes I give there's so much magic to it that it really is just absolutely lovely it feels real I love when people take a portrait of the groom and the groomsmen and do something a bit different I actually like this picture I think it's really interesting andi I like the fact that they all have like some sort of an attitude going on I think it's refreshing to see that kind of photograph that kind of treatment for the typical you know groom has been grooming rooms in the picture I am so tired of seeing groom and groomsmen you know like the little firing squad line or my very favorite one that I hate is the groom's been jumping up in the air you know I've over that one too or even just the walking across the street yeah done that so you know I like it when people when they create something that's a bit more advertisement like and taking a group shots just you know, one of the hardest things they I remember doing that, you know, and I saw it back in the day when everyone had the shot list and you're supposed to, you know, shoot this family, forge a portrait in that family portrait it's like, oh my gosh, when I'm going to do that's exciting that's different than, you know, everybody lined up, so I applaud the photographer here for doing something different and his family said, it's not, you know, people jumping up in the air randomly or, you know, the sort of reservoir dogs, you know, coming down the street at yeah type of thing so it's so it's a little bit fresher than I'm wondering if their foot their jackets are actually that sort of green tone or if they're really actually more black and if this could have been it's a little over exposed for may, what is what do you think? Yeah, I think it looks a little bit greenish there, um, the thing that bothers me a little bit, I like the photo I like a little bit of the higher angle on it, but I think just the arrangement of the subjects in the back kind of bothering is too close to the groom's head, and so I would like to see if some space and they're just kind of bothers me and, like almost and that's the hardest thing with group photos is because you you arranging them and you arrange this person and by time you get to this person they've moved already so just in regards to wedding photography when your when your range everybody and then you look back at the ready to take it just take another quick look around just to make sure that everybody is in the place that you wanted and you know what probably would have helped this is if those groomsman in the background weren't looking in the camera but they were kind of engaged being more interactive with one another I think that would help and one point about about exposing for darker skin towns you know you have to be careful when you're photographing darker skin tones that you that you under expose those skin tones you're the light meter in your camera's going to say one thing but it's lying to you because it doesn't it only understands one thing and that's eighteen percent gray it doesn't realize that a darker person's skin tones are probably a stop under that. So you want to think about that when you're when you're photographing people of color on how to create an image that is, you know, more accurate by just remember under expose it just a bit and they could have moved I think you know they want to have the groom front and center here and so they could have moved the guys in the very back, even back a little farther, just fan them out a little bit, as I think, when we was saying that they're too squished together, those guys or tio squished together, and so you kind of get they look a little confused, too. They're not exactly sure what they're doing. I like the guy who's just, you know, completely looking off that works and the guys on the very far sides, I like what's going on with them. But then it's, this starts to kind of lose the connection with the guys behind him, you know? I mean, if you look at this photo there's only one guy that's looking off the camera and the rest was throwing a balance off, right? So you need to have more mean someone else has got to be looking off, right? It was a little bit more purposefulness way. Have a minute attitude. Do any of you have any questions from what we critiqued on the one of the earlier ones, the girl on the motorcycle that was all the dirt can you briefly touch on? Maybe how they could have fixed that shoulder so that it made her head comes for while still keeping the really nice kind of editorial style pose of it? That it looked like they were going for absolutely can you wear going to bring up the twenty images? And we can do some q and a, but I wanted to bring up the next slide. We did have a new image that re critiqued, and we accidentally cropped it incorrectly, so I want to be, oh, college eyes to the artist. Ok, check this image with so much sorry. Thank you for your patience when I'm sure they were at home going no, I know that for makers like a whole new it's a different photo now that's beautiful it's, very pretty, and now it seems to make a lot more says, you know, and isn't it amazing how the way that you crop a picture can really alter the way that it's perceived that, you know, for us, we have a crop close? All we could see was that security, and we couldn't really tell much about it. And so it was it competed now, because we have the whole context, it makes more sense, right? I was thinking it was too hot on the top, luna talk what's that, well, there's a giant light of, but I think it just goes to show that one of the things you want to do it when you're taking a photo is that you? Take the photo step back, step back, step back look at is there is there more than one story that's going on here? Maybe there's somebody somebody over here doing something funny and so you want to remember you know when you're setting up shots don't just have it be that one shot you know, that's it can be multiple shots and so had the photographer taking the shot we saw way back up back up so yeah, totally it and that's great. I'm actually glad that happened because I think it goes toe show you know what these changes you know different perspective can make a tremendous amount of difference and you know, we were talking earlier about the kiss look at the way her hands our position on his head it's beautiful I feel that photograph and the way he's got his arm up her back I think that really makes sense and it works it looks like it's absolutely real moment and I think it's it's absolute beautiful, very good. All right, are you finished? Could wreak re critiquing. All right. Well, before we move on, we are going to bring up the twenty images that we just critiqued and we can do some q and a I would like to ask a question first before we do that for our three judges here I'm wondering if you would rate a photo higher if a concept is new or cutting edge something you haven't seen before or if you would prefer more of a typical wedding pose or image that was done to perfection for me, I will always go up if it's innovative, because I think it takes courage to do that and after you've seen one hundred poses, I mean, one hundred pictures of that are of the same thing, like right now, it's, real hot and real popular to do the lip people. Andi, I'm not talking about people of short stature, I'm talking about talking about, you know, this job, you enjoy enormous scene, and then the bride and groom are like people that markets bill did, like, ten years ago, you know, when after you've seen that it's like, ok, been there, done that those images, anybody who copies that afterwards, it's going, they're going to score down unless they've done something different because it's like, ok, you're already you know, we've already you know, we've already been down that past shows something different, whereas an image that really just takes your breath away, you have to think about because it is really interesting and that it's more innovative to me, my scores will always go up I think it's very important to bring something to the industry if you want to be recognized as a world class photographer what I always say it's like what do you bring to the industry? You're just copying something or do you have an idea to have a vision? And sometimes that even done in perfectly will get recognized mohr than just copying something that you've seen it's always remember like push that's what I try to do when I when I tried to like I just can't help everybody I just can't copy bambi I gotto like do something that's me and innovative and what can I add always think that to yourself what can I add to this industry? What can I make it better move it forward and also just how can you get your voice? Because I think a lot of times what happens with people who knew they want to take a great photo and so they see great photos out there like I'm going to try that I'm going to try to do this one but you know, the truth is is that you're not going to be able to do that under pressure you can't deliver that to your clients, right? We're going to do under pressure is what is authentic, so what you have to do is a lot of practice, you know and I did you gotta practice and practice and practice so that you can find your own voice and then when you're under pressure, your voice comes out right and it stays, it stays cohesive and it stays distinctive. And so when we do our best of the best photo contest every year on june, like we get thousands of everything was close to twelve thousand this year, and, you know, we see trends and it's really, really interesting. A few years ago, it was sort of overexposed images, processed a little bit yellow, a little bit, like a vintage style was very in in southern california, so when we got that ton of images, what we saw is about twenty percent of the images were that and maybe even higher, maybe in higher, and for some of those people that totally made sense, when, you know, when I saw the work, I was like, oh, that feels really authentic, and you know, that I would get to their website eventually if they had one for that, and and find out the yacht is authentic, and I had that sense of that, and then it's so it's, so hard, explain it, but you can feel when something was copied, right? It just it just doesn't feel right it's her like scene michelangelo and the actual gallery, and then seeing the reproduction out in the square you know, they just for some reason they just don't have the same feelings so when you get into your distinctive voice that's what really matters and as scott was saying that the family was saying about the little people on marcus doesn't really well in the big huge landscape chrisman studios does it really well in big landscapes where it really gives you a sense of place, but sometimes people are just trying to find any backdrop they can do that in so you know, if it if it's there if because you really want to get the sense of place and the place is super important and you want to put the people in it, sometimes it can make sense, but we saw about two thousand of those images this year. What is the difference between, you know, work for clients, the work that you're doing as a wedding has a wedding photographer and then as far as judging for awards and you just kind of talk about the difference in the work that's a really good question really? For me I always shoot for clients I don't I I don't set a day and say I'm going to shoot for competition it's always about making the client happy, and the one thing I hope that you guys remember is that beauty is in the eyes of jack book holder and that yeah you don't know what remember out lighting looks like nor do they know you know they don't know what we know technically so don't beat yourself up over the fact that there's maybe a little twig or something going out of somebody's head and we saw it in the judging process because if the client loves it you have got home ron folks think about that first and I have to say I speak to that personally because I mean I've been shooting now for almost thirty years and when I first started in photography the first five years of my career I tried so hard to make a perfect picture this is what I would do I would take a little index cards and I would bring them to the wedding and stick them up the cuff of the groom's sleeve so that he would have a perfect cuff bring clothes pins I mean I was seriously anal anne in a huge way and I would bring close pencil that I could grab his shirt in the back and pull it really tight so that you could bounce a dime off his tuxedo shirt the problem was is that his tuxedo look awesome but his face was a big zero because all I did was say oh honey you are an absolute mess and I'll fix you and so it was wrong and I and it was very very bad so after five years and this is, I literally almost left the photo industry because I said to myself, this is so boring, you know, I just what am I doing? And so I finally decided to give my permission to try one new technique, you see, I think we all we all build on one another in the beginning, we copy everything that other people do, but that's, how we start establishing our foundation on where we'll go and so, you know, it's, like, you have to learn how to ride a tricycle before you do a bike, and so I don't have a problem with people, you know, copying concepts in the early days, but what you'll find in your career is that the more of those concepts that you expose yourself to, the more you'll start saying to yourself, this time goes on, you go, hey, I love this idea, but let me put my own twist on it. That's what the designers do you know, in fashion and gucci and armani and all those guys they'll cut. They'll look at fashion from, you know, seventy, eighty one hundred years ago, fifty, sixty years or whatever, and then they start taking little threads from those environments in those things and they put a modern twist on it and I think that's how you you move to the next level but whatever happens you know, shoot for your clients because those are the guys who put bread on your table and they they don't understand perfection from a photographic standpoint it's not that we're cheating them but at the same time you know, we can look at a photograph that with a critical eye and and we may just, you know, happen to stuff we shoot I still don't think I've ever taken a good picture and there are times when I'll have a client I'll show them images and I'll have my favorite and they'll pick out one that I almost threw out that what I thought was crab and they'll go oh my god that's the best picture I've ever seen in my whole life and you get really oh yeah I'm entity that yeah I think you know is though possible to take be at a wedding working for your client and to produce a new award winning shot but to get to that level what I I always tell people is like listen, you need to know the basics first need to know the basics imposing needed to know the basics and lighting why? Because you need to know it like the back of the hand because during the wedding day if you if you just having trouble getting the lighting right, we're getting the post right? You can't do anything creative on top of that so you're stuck so once you know the basics and you know it like the back of your hand you get your money shot now you have so much more time to be creative but I just find that a lot of photographers are not practicing enough. Yeah and that's the key and it's perfect practice in other words, not just taking twenty five million pictures because you keep your finger down on the shutter I mean that that is a monkey could do that and get a good shot but it's a perfect practice that's a roberto valenzuela line and I had to to steal because it's just awesome. Do you know if it's easy over is possible to volunteer it? Some of the photo contests around the country is that kind of common if people know it, baylor said it and actually like listen to people they have it's open you can go in and watch the judging but better than that volunteer to be a print handler it is enormously educational I think that's really where the secret the secret realm is because then you you get to touch and see the prints and, you know, see what judges see and I think it's an excellent education I feel like the most important thing that photographers can do in the beginning is learned how to process black and white and make a strong decision about it and know when you're shooting that and when you're shooting color, I think that if all of the things that I've done in my career in terms of understanding photography, I was lucky enough to start when there was only film, and so I had to process in the black and white dark room, and it was magic and watch it and, like, really learned about exposure and contrast, and, uh, you know, what is possible in the range of black and white photography? And I think it gives such a solid foundation on, and then, you know, really, really honing in on what is your color palette, and how is your processing for your color, images and that's something that, you know, I'm sure they have classes on creative, live about, you know, all of those topics that have to do with photography, but that's, where, you know, if I were a beginning photographer again, that's, what I would say to dio is, too, really get to understand those two concepts, and and then, you know, home the man, and, you know, scott said that, you know, not just shooting off photos, but you know how have a topic put yourself through school if you don't have time for that create your own ideas maybe you say I'm going to go out and shoot you know, things there really strongly geometric today and I'm going to see what I can do with my eye around that or I'm going to go out and I'm gonna find emotional moments I'm going to see what I can do and you know you can give yourself your own assignments but I think if your assignment driven when you're practicing it's really great because then you know you you know you have an understanding of of what is it what's the goal here you know, I want to come out with a great emotional image I want to come out with a great geometry and my image and then you know, you know that then you can succeed at that and you can keep honing it down and all of those pieces are important and then when you get to the wedding and you're under all of this stress they're already in your back pocket oh here's this great you know, architecture here in the geometry is awesome well, I know how to nail this because I've taught myself to shoot that way that's awesome you guys are we so appreciate your feedback awesome we have celebrity judge way do have our twenty images up on the board so why don't you? This in studio audience is more than welcome to ask questions about any of the images that we've gone through today or anything specific that you guys would like to know I could read talk about the short way can you repeat the question all that back? Just the one with the girl in the bike with how to fix the shoulder. Okay, right now they're gonna pull that they think they can actually hot michael, thank god. There you go. Yeah. Um, I think, well, I think that it is this that I would have turned the bicycle a little bit more to the right and then maybe have her even leaning over the handlebars like maybe this so she slouching a forward or get her off the bike totally and just have her late and sit in the mud and just, you know, just plopped on the floor and then you would change the the camera angle on that shoulder as it is there's so much light on that one shoulder because it's it's higher than her face it's closer to the light source and it's closer to the lens of the camera that's what gives it its larger appearance? So if she were, if she was sitting francis shoes looked like she fell off that bike, you know, towards the back wheel and then brought that arm down to like to brace herself then we don't see that under part of the arm we're going to see just maybe this part of the arm and not not this area down here because anytime you're bringing, you know a limb closer to the camera it's getting larger, right? And so you see people who do that very purposely where they put the feet out in their feet are huge, but it happens so incrementally and they have to be really careful about that. What is most forward? Well that's what's going to be larger and is probably the first thing you're gonna look out you know, with an editorial image like this though the good thing about an editorial picture is that the same rules of perfection don't apply they don't necessarily apply because you know that this is very editorial, so we're because it's so unique and this is the beauty of creating unique images is that when something is different like this it it's like you know you're willing to forgive us, I will yeah her shoulders in there but you know what? It's just something interesting way they're not isn't it's not as important and you know whether you've done that right or not when you have a client, if you you may have done a perfect pose, but if it's boring if somebody notices a light socket on the wall you see because then it's like you may have perfection you know virtual perfection of photographic technique where the rembrandt light or whatever but if it is boring it is boring and I don't care what it is it's going to be it's not going to score will so that's why we like this picture because it even though it's not necessarily absolutely perfect it is interesting the other thing you could have done to the maker could have done is that arm that's in front like across her like I think I would have just brought it back on the motorcycle maybe this way and that would have I think it would have it might have worked better but still it's just awesome do you have tohave you have to have the authentic might bite toe have a photo of us among the mumbai but the way I look at the bike it did not look like it was a mud bike but I'm not by expert but I couldn't I couldn't address that, you know? So I mean to me but I don't think really yes yes yeah is it works yeah, you definitely get away with that and that's not what you're thinking by the way we want to be careful of the logical thinking on when you look at photographs that that's why this photograph to me is it works for us because it's very illogical does it make sense but that actually makes it more interesting do you think the green in the corner is a little too bright the girl with the grass it's not know someone's me so I knew what I think that's it the awesome thing about once you become really skilled experience photographer and you know the rules once you've talked yourself all the rules and you get to break them all yeah so I think that that's the funnest thing but but you have to do it in that order right? So you want to get out there is like, wow, I'm gonna get crazy innovative but I actually don't understand exposures yet you know then it's just crazy innovative right? So you know that's the whole thing is it just becomes like any other craft or any other art well this is an art and and a craft so in order to be an artist you first have to be a craftsman and you really have to understand all of the elements of your craft and then you can exalt it upto art and that's what everybody wants right? Because nobody can compete with you when you're an artist once you're an artist that you you're the only one who can deliver what you deliver and so then you're no longer competing on price and you know people are flocking to you because they've got to get that you know they gotta get that feel and so, you know, it's it's in everybody, but it doesn't really blossom and tell all of that technique is handled, and, you know, whenever you're trying to learn any technique, this is what I do if I'm at a wedding or whatever, personally, I give myself permission to have to have five minutes during a wedding to do what I want. So another is if I'm working on a new post for bridesmaids and such also coming to do what I usually do, the safe thing, and then I'm going to say, ok, here's your five minutes, try to work it out, I'll take, I'll tryto created a unique pose. The client may never see it if I if I don't like the way it came out, but give yourself permission after you've done your safe stuff to be able to do something special. And then when it comes video just in creon proving my craft, I give myself permission about every six weeks to do have a day of fun that is just, you know, no pressure. I just I create a theme and then follow through and work out the techniques could give yourself five bullet points of what you want to do accomplish, you know, I think that when you're out shooting, you know, you know, you're going to shoot this shot for the client and they're going to really love it and then as family says, you know, maybe you give yourself five minutes or you say, you know, once I'm done with these shots and I know I've nailed it, I'm going to take two more that are getting, you know, maybe out to my portfolio maybe give me that award winning shot, but your clients are it's such an emotional day, weddings are so emotional and to be a great photographer, obviously you have to be just a great person to be around, you know, you'd be able to people people at ease and all of that kind of things you really want to be careful when you know if you stay all I got this award winning shot don't make it about you if you can make it about them, you know, if you can still make it about them, but, you know, it's like, oh, wow, you know, I want you to go down there and, you know, climb all over those rocks and do all of this so, you know, I mean, this is their day, and if don't make them do anything they're uncomfortable with to get an award because, you know, that ultimately isn't your bread and butter awards anyway, I mean, they're super fund but, you know, don't shoot for that and you know, if your clients want to be published for them to get published, know what it is that they want it when it's all over because you might take that award when he shot and they're like, wait a minute, I'm super private and you made me walk out on those rocks for a half hour and I don't want you to show that image I'm not letting you show any of my images oh, what eso no, what their dreams are. You know, earlier in my career I used I was so concerned about having images for my website and this and that, um it wass kind of like me first them second, and if they liked it great, but as I got, um into my career mohr it became mohr mohr just about them. And if I sense that they were tired or something it's like, well, it's going to have them walk over there, but I think they're there good, because the more you really please them and make them happy, the better for you and your business, you can always get your portfolio shots doing your own sessions, right so it's client first and then yourself later image with the train and the light coming the one that was yeah, I really I really like this image, but I noticed the light coming towards the camera is it kind of competes with it slightly. And also there are a lot of I mean it's very popular now to shoot with backlight and with the sun behind and win. When is it good to have that light so showing? And when is it not where you need to kind of hide that where? It's, just because like this it's for me, it's just on the edge where that big light is competing with the subject. So is, can you speak on that? Well, for me personally, I think it's kind of there's no like set rule, I think it's more your personal taste and what you're bringing to your signature style, but try to be consistent with it. Um, and if I mean, I think sometimes a lot of times we get kind of a little bit hung up on rules sometimes, and we don't let ourselves experiment and create our signature style, so I would say, you know, you just have to figure out what you like and what important to you and then kind of be consistent about that context is everything. Does it make sense in the case of this photograph? If that light were not on, it would not make sense, it adds it it gives an element of mood to this photograph so there are times when having that bright light even though it competes with the subject I know it sounds like so contradictory, but it's actually not because if it makes sense, if it's feels like it's supposed to be to be there, then in that case then it works for that, but there are times when you're if you're light is just off here and there's not really a reason for being there then you start wonder what's that over there see that's that really the answer? What is that? You know, what's that doing there, if you have to ask yourself that question that I don't belong there in this case, we know where that lights there hey that's a light on a train, so it makes sense that it should be there. And I was just saying that, but bambi had said earlier about the clothes matching and the vibe of the couple matching and they look like they're you know, are a little old fashion and the trains old fashion, so you know, the whole the whole concept has to work together just what you said about context, all right, we have one final question from the studio audience father, go ahead through let's, look through the doorway with a couple in the tres if the picture would you be up a little bit like player said, and then if they're not, didn't do anything with the dress that I'll just symbol, would that still be a strong picture or just to be plane to plane? I didn't didn't do anything to the dress, I think it's a very pretty photograph from a client's standpoint, they're gonna love that picture and that's really all the name of the game. And, you know, I wanted to mention earlier about this photo for the reasons that this work so nicely is that contrast of color, I think you could probably address that really well, blair, but I love the fact that, you know, that orange color is opposite on the color where will of that aqua, where they place that subject is actually quite beautiful, you know? One other thing I think I'd probably do is I think I would have flipped this negative. This digital file flipped it the other way because if you did that, then because what happens? We read from left to right and in america and when you start reading from left to right are I stops on the white right just like it. It stops right there however, if you flipped this file then you're going to see the groom first and then it's going to follow through on the white and then your eye will naturally lead out of the picture so I think if you didn't do anything else maybe flip in the file would have worked he does a great color contrast and that is a great idea although you know wakened a so so american centric though, so I'm like well, what those russian you know, the color contrast is so lovely it reminds me of old maxfield parrish zain eighty two yeah, all right, so we take a final question. Yeah, so one thing I'd like to say is, you know, you are the industry leaders and there's a reason why you have been in this industry for so many years and maintain the success that you've maintained, you know, it's one thing to have all this knowledge, but you guys always stay on the cutting edge of what the leading trends are in the wedding industry, so I'd like to just talk about what what is trending in the wedding industry right now because you guys are the ones that I think blair should start well, personalization, that's the main thing is, you know, it used to be there there were kinds of weddings and you see things come in and out few years ago, it was really a lot of rustic weddings and quilts and fields and mason jars and that kind of thing and that and actually really works for aa lot of brides really loved that vibe. It works like in southern california in santa barbara, it really matches the barnes and, you know, some of the interesting backgrounds were trying to like, you know, fit it in new york doesn't doesn't work right? But what we've really seen just in the last few years is that everybody wants have a wedding this completely unique, they want you to really understand their personality and nail that so it's all about their personal style and that's why I think it because more and more important to have the right fit with your clients and later today I'm going to do a talk about in the enhancing your website so that you could draw the clients that you want. But it's it's one of the things that once you hone your personal style, your own personal style, then you're going to draw people where the style matches, and I think that that's what it just becomes this wonderful synergy that happens, so what I really see it is the personal style, and some people are really loving, like the super saturated you know, they love the little people. Thing and they love that really artistic and let's get it in a mirror and get it to reflect and you know, just they want to go out of the box and there's a lot of photographers that air awesome it going out of the box and then there's still people who really want the classic photos and they're like, oh no don't miss the family shot let's do not miss grandma like, you know, so understanding their needs and really being honest when you come up against a client that that's not your style letting them know and having great friends that you can refer them to so they can make the right connection because if you know you guys all get that like you get with a client you're like, I'm not sure that I can deliver and you may feel like but I need to get that saturday booked you know it don't do it I mean something that's better will come you know it's easy for me to say right? But you know, chances are something that fits you better will come and if it fits your personal style and there's there that you're in a knock it out of the park and then those guys were going to be a you're going to be doing their bridesmaids and you're gonna be doing everybody else that they know because that fit was they're awesome um just in regard to that one of the things that I do to determine what their style is because a lot of people think they know their style but they actually really don't they hear buzz words and they say this is what I want I want all photojournalism I want all you know you know, beautiful post pictures or whatever but they don't really know what they want because they're just they're parroting something else so what I always do is and this has been my rule for today one is first question I asked when I interview a client tell me about your dress if they don't know about their dress if they haven't picked it out yet so which which dresses do you like what are some of the dresses that you like or have you picked out your bridesmaidsdresses what if where they look like because that tells you absolutely know who you're dealing with if she says oh my goodness I got my gown and it's this beautiful ball gown and I've got a gorgeous tee or I'm gonna wear on my head and what does that say she is a princess and you know she does she's going to be very much a princess what does she comes into your studio and she comes in she's got like twenty five bracelets on her wrists and three rings on her hands and three hearings and she's blinged out well and her purse match those are shoes that tells me she's detail oriented, and it tells me that she likes that she's she's made beaver sochi girl or she's she's somebody who likes that kind of approach it's like, well, you look at me, so you're closed tell so much about who you are. I mean, I can't even tell you how powerful that is, and then you don't have to sit there and ask the stupid questions ago what kind of photography do you want? Because they're going to tell you things that don't necessarily, you know, it's not necessarily the truth and because they don't know better it's like going into a a department store and the sales lady coming up to saying, can I help you? And you say, no, thank you, I'm just looking and then five minutes later you see those shoes from across the room and they call you and you have to answer where you lie in five minutes ago no, but you saw something that moved you and you had to answer the call and women are very emotional. I think that this is a great tool the tap into that will really help you to be able to get it right every single time oh my gosh, how much fun is it having, how much fun is it having these celebrity? You are