Wedding Edits

[ElizabethM]

Took a picture of this couple on their wedding day two weeks ago and just came around to editing the images. Quite pleased with myself actually, as I am still learning the ropes of photo editing and retouching. Even altering the backgrounds a bit to put the focal point more on the subject of the image.

What do you guys think and as there is always room for improvement, do you have any tips?

 

[Tom Mann]

Nice job, Elizabeth.

Two suggestions:

a) In your first pair, my feeling is that for most viewers of this type of photography, leaving the little girl (flower girl?) in trumps leaving the top of the door in the photo, so I would offer a version where you crop the image right above the couple's heads, but leave the girl in so that the final format is more square. Yeah, the composition then becomes a bit un-balanced, but IMHO, that adds to the spontaneity of this photo.

b) In your 2nd pair, square it up please. Verticals need to be either exactly vertical, or far from vertical (eg, an intentionally diagonal composition) because "just a bit off" looks like an error made by an amateur photographer.

T

 

[chrisdesign]

Good retouching work Elisabeth.
Still a few things in wedding photography/retouching are very important.

1. Skin color should look natural. Be careful with applying Hue/saturation or color correction. ( Brides don't like glowing cheeks).
2. Try to keep all the details in the white dress and the black suit.

To achieve a good result you have to make a selection of different parts to get what you want.

 

[hawkeye]

I'd crop and edit to accentuate the little girl in the first photo. Bearing in mind that the eye is drawn to the brightest area, something like this perhaps...

 

[ElizabethM]

Thanks for the feedback everybody!
Tom Mann, do you mean in the first image that by cropping lower it makes the angle of the image more as you say "spontaneous" and not so monotonous as a straight forward couple standing picture? As for image two, aw **** I did not even notice the slanted door. Forgive me *hides in embarrassment* I still make that amateur photographer mistake with my lines, I sometimes focus so much on something else my entire picture goes sideways. Ah!
chrisdesigns, details and natural skin tones. GOT IT. Though I have to ask on the details part, I was actually going for that matte effect that I saw some wedding photographs have, but that normally does take away details. Wait... unless I did it wrong and the matte effect can be used while preserving details? Erhhhhh.... help please? Haha

 

[Tom Mann]

Hi Elizabeth - WRT the 1st image, the composition and tonalities that I meant were exactly what Hawkeye did, the only exception being that he let the bride's dress become much too blue. IMHO, it's OK to let a bride's dress go every so slightly blue if they are in the shade (ie, instead of a non-realistic completely desaturated white/lt. gray), but if a pro photographer ever let a bride's dress go that blue, there would be h*ll to pay from the bride or her mother, as there are various connotations / about dress colors appropriate for a 1st marriage vs later marriages, LOL.

Also, OK on ensuring that verticals stay vertical. Don't worry about it. Everyone, without exception, is always off slightly in alignment. In fact, I don't even really try any more to achieve perfect verticals at the time of taking the exposure because fixing this is something that is so easily and accurately done in PS, I rather nail a fleeting expression or happenstance composition than getting this angle perfect when I'm taking the picture.

T

 

[chrisdesign]

Thanks for the feedback everybody!
@Tom Mann, do you mean in the first image that by cropping lower it makes the angle of the image more as you say "spontaneous" and not so monotonous as a straight forward couple standing picture? As for image two, aw **** I did not even notice the slanted door. Forgive me *hides in embarrassment* I still make that amateur photographer mistake with my lines, I sometimes focus so much on something else my entire picture goes sideways. Ah!
@chrisdesigns, details and natural skin tones. GOT IT. Though I have to ask on the details part, I was actually going for that matte effect that I saw some wedding photographs have, but that normally does take away details. Wait... unless I did it wrong and the matte effect can be used while preserving details? Erhhhhh.... help please? Haha

From my point of view wedding photography is all about nice faces with pleasing colors and dresses with embroidery details and dark suits with creases you can see.
There is no room for testing filters. Only do it if you have already enough experience with weddings.

For a white dress you can add a little unsharp masking. Strength 60%, Radius 0.5 pixel. (This means sharpening the image.)
For a dark suit you go to Image-->Corrections-->Blacks/Highlights. (You'll recover details you haven't seen before, because they have been black patches).

 

[ElizabethM]

Hi @Tom Mann, I can see what you mean by looking at Hawkeye's edit and I can completely understand even without being in the circumstance before what you mean about having hell to pay should you change the holy dress of the bride. Haha, when I have some free time this weekend I'll try editing again with all the tips you and @chrisdesigns have given me and hopefully I won't have an imaginary bridal riot coming after me with my new edit.

As for the vertical tip, that's why I try to go for as well. But I'm still rather new to photography despite having my camera for a while now. I'm thinking of joining a photography club. See if this is really a hobby I'd like to pursue. I mean I enjoy taking pictures but I don't go out seeking the images, is that bad? O.O

 

[ElizabethM]

I edited my original edit!

I didn't do so much in terms of colours, but I took away the matte effect and made it less saturated. Would you guys consider it a better wedding edit now in your opinion?

 

[chrisdesign]

They look much better, very natural!

 

[ElizabethM]

Thank you Chris! I'm not quite a fan of the second one (with just the couple), I will probably change that a bit as I feel like the face is too bright. But I'm glad they look more natural now!

This may seem strange to ask, but would this be something I can put on a portfolio as a B&A example for retouching?

 

[chrisdesign]

Hi Elizabeth
Thanks for asking. I think this retouching job is of very good quality, but don't really show your real skills.
Try to practice skin retouching on a large portrait shot. If you post a real good one as a B/A job in your portfolio it looks much more impressive.

 

[ElizabethM]

Hi Elizabeth
Thanks for asking. I think this retouching job is of very good quality, but don't really show your real skills.
Try to practice skin retouching on a large portrait shot. If you post a real good one as a B/A job in your portfolio it looks much more impressive.

Thanks for the tips Chris!

I'll work on a skin retouch now and post it here later. Really want to build up my portfolio!

On a side note: Is there any version of this editing that I could call it if I actually did want to put it in my portfolio? Like a Photo Edit? Or still not that impressive enough?

 

[chrisdesign]

The advice I gave you is based on my knowledge, it's meant as a guideline for you, but I'm not in a position to decide for you what you publish in your portfolio.
A portfolio is a very personal thing, I'm sure your "gut feeling" will lead you to make the right decisions.

Kind Regards
Chris

 

[ElizabethM]

I understand Chris, thank you anyway. I just wanted to really get something on my portfolio so I got a little excited. Haha I think I'll look into making better designs. As it's something personal like you said, am I to assume that one can post as many designs as they want or in your experience does too much become an overkill?

 

[chrisdesign]

You can have look at my portfolio you like.
It is new, only 5 weeks old. Just click the link in my signature.