First off it's a lovely photo which I'm sure the couple will be really pleased with. Obviously it's technically well shot. I'm sure you know both these things already ;)
Being more critical, and if being ultra picky, the interaction isn't there for me which would raise this up.. She's gazing into the camera, he's looking down towards her bracelet (?) or has his eyes closed. Why?
His hand on his knee, being the nearest thing to the lens looks slightly too large.
I've taken many similar photos to this. It's a lovely wedding day photo, but it's one where if you had more time and maybe weren't feeling hurried your mind can focus on making small changes that make a big difference.
Watch some of Pye's wedding critiques, they are really useful.
I love weddings because they really put you to the test --- you have to execute technical and artistic shots quickly... I'm working on both, but posing is definitely an area I need improvement.
Adding to Alex Harrison's post this is a great pose that you could build off of. for example. 1) him looking at the camera and her looking at him. 2) looking at each other. etc. I try for a "base position" that I can build from because once you get the dress prefect you don't want to move her until you need too.
I guess I'll add a feminine perspective. Technically it's awesome. Love it. As for posing, I personally take the anti posing approach to all of my couples. There aren't that many "poses". A handful of basic ones and everything else is a variation. So I always put them in a basic starting point that I want, and then from there I get them to make it comfortable. "Shift into a comfortable variation of this for you, drop the shoulder, soften your hands..." Those kinds of instructions pretty much always lead to a natural version of what I'm aiming to get. Also, I use a lot of humour to get people to relax. Because I'm funny, it works :p
It's just a fact that if the couple feels awkward, they will look awkward. His hand is gripping his knee and I get the feeling he's trying to stabilize himself. She looks worried about her hair and is not comfortable resting naturally on his shoulder.
Take note how a couple "fits" into each other. If she were teeny tiny and he was broader, this may have worked better with a few minor tweeks. But not every pose works for every couple. These two are beautiful and both well proportioned, but their sizes match too evenly for most poses of this type to work for them specifically.
Also, when working them into a starting pose they can build from, always look at their hands before readjusting them. Hands are an excellent indicator of how comfortable a person is in a certain position. Clenched or gripping, it's not working for them. If they can't be left to struggle their way into a natural looking position pretty quickly, it's best to just switch it up. Yes, let them struggle for a few seconds. If they really need help, step in. If not, they'll figure it out and will look natural.
Men are almost always pretty neutral in front of the camera on their own. I find that in my experience anyway. But women, oh, we are not! A groom will react to the bride's energy and comfort level. So you have to sense how she's feeling in front of the camera, and maybe apply a little psychology to help her relax. Wedding photography, after all is as much psychology as it photography.
In this case specifically, I would have had him turn his knees toward her, and told him to let the rest of his body follow naturally. I would have told him to rest his wrist, not his hand on his knee, which is a much more natural fall of the hand. I would have placed her at a more perpendicular angle to him, and had her lean in toward him. If you first create a masculine energy and position for her to fall into, she will with minimal direction. Then I watch for tense shoulders, or anything clenched or tight. From there you can direct their gazes. At that point it comes pretty naturally.
Just one more little side note. I find their skin tones a bit on the orange side. There rest of the photo is bang on with the colour, very pleasing and well balanced. I would take the orange HSL saturation down just a touch, -3 or -4.
I hope that helps a bit. I guess just to add credibility to my critique, I've been a full time wedding photographer since 2011. Best gig in the world, woot woot!
Hi James, looks like I'll be the first ;)
First off it's a lovely photo which I'm sure the couple will be really pleased with. Obviously it's technically well shot. I'm sure you know both these things already ;)
Being more critical, and if being ultra picky, the interaction isn't there for me which would raise this up.. She's gazing into the camera, he's looking down towards her bracelet (?) or has his eyes closed. Why?
His hand on his knee, being the nearest thing to the lens looks slightly too large.
I've taken many similar photos to this. It's a lovely wedding day photo, but it's one where if you had more time and maybe weren't feeling hurried your mind can focus on making small changes that make a big difference.
Watch some of Pye's wedding critiques, they are really useful.
Really appreciate this!
I love weddings because they really put you to the test --- you have to execute technical and artistic shots quickly... I'm working on both, but posing is definitely an area I need improvement.
Thanks for taking the time!
Adding to Alex Harrison's post this is a great pose that you could build off of. for example. 1) him looking at the camera and her looking at him. 2) looking at each other. etc. I try for a "base position" that I can build from because once you get the dress prefect you don't want to move her until you need too.
Thank you for the thoughts!
I guess I'll add a feminine perspective. Technically it's awesome. Love it. As for posing, I personally take the anti posing approach to all of my couples. There aren't that many "poses". A handful of basic ones and everything else is a variation. So I always put them in a basic starting point that I want, and then from there I get them to make it comfortable. "Shift into a comfortable variation of this for you, drop the shoulder, soften your hands..." Those kinds of instructions pretty much always lead to a natural version of what I'm aiming to get. Also, I use a lot of humour to get people to relax. Because I'm funny, it works :p
It's just a fact that if the couple feels awkward, they will look awkward. His hand is gripping his knee and I get the feeling he's trying to stabilize himself. She looks worried about her hair and is not comfortable resting naturally on his shoulder.
Take note how a couple "fits" into each other. If she were teeny tiny and he was broader, this may have worked better with a few minor tweeks. But not every pose works for every couple. These two are beautiful and both well proportioned, but their sizes match too evenly for most poses of this type to work for them specifically.
Also, when working them into a starting pose they can build from, always look at their hands before readjusting them. Hands are an excellent indicator of how comfortable a person is in a certain position. Clenched or gripping, it's not working for them. If they can't be left to struggle their way into a natural looking position pretty quickly, it's best to just switch it up. Yes, let them struggle for a few seconds. If they really need help, step in. If not, they'll figure it out and will look natural.
Men are almost always pretty neutral in front of the camera on their own. I find that in my experience anyway. But women, oh, we are not! A groom will react to the bride's energy and comfort level. So you have to sense how she's feeling in front of the camera, and maybe apply a little psychology to help her relax. Wedding photography, after all is as much psychology as it photography.
In this case specifically, I would have had him turn his knees toward her, and told him to let the rest of his body follow naturally. I would have told him to rest his wrist, not his hand on his knee, which is a much more natural fall of the hand. I would have placed her at a more perpendicular angle to him, and had her lean in toward him. If you first create a masculine energy and position for her to fall into, she will with minimal direction. Then I watch for tense shoulders, or anything clenched or tight. From there you can direct their gazes. At that point it comes pretty naturally.
Just one more little side note. I find their skin tones a bit on the orange side. There rest of the photo is bang on with the colour, very pleasing and well balanced. I would take the orange HSL saturation down just a touch, -3 or -4.
I hope that helps a bit. I guess just to add credibility to my critique, I've been a full time wedding photographer since 2011. Best gig in the world, woot woot!