i have recently started to get a small amount of paid work. home shoots and i solo'd my first wedding last weekend (more on this later).
at the moment i only use photoshop for my image processing. i have been using it since CS2 and have learnt a lot. im very happy using it and i have never got on with lightroom (although i see the benefits of cataloging etc)
until recently, most of my processing has been on single images or small sets.
because of this i dont use many camera raw presets or photoshop actions.
im not too bothered about speeding up my workflow - what i do want is consistency of my processing. from my reading/research on this, i can see that presets are the way to go. but i just dont get it. most of my pictures have slightly different WB and exposures levels etc. if i run a preset on a bunch of them, they wont come out the same. so i would need to go back and individually tweak them.
how do you go about creating a consistent set of pictures? do you have a universal set of presets that you use for weddings and another for studio etc?
i think i have a style, but to get to it with different pictures, the setting are different. i dont see how a preset helps.
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onto the wedding - please feel free to stop reading here if this doesnt interest you.
it was really a blessing for a friend of a friend. the couple were already officially married abroad and i was photographing the blessing in the UK with family as none could get to the official wedding. it had a full ceremony and roughly 80 guests held at a very picturesque priory
i did everything i could to be as prepared as possible: met the bride & groom before hand, visited the location beforehand and lots and lots of reading. i put my lack of nerves on the day down to my preparation efforts.
i shot with a 50d as primary and a 30d as secondary
canon 70-200 f4
sigma 18-50 f2.8
canon 50 f1.8
various flashes and remote triggers
what a great day! i really enjoyed every minute and i learnt so much. im really pleased with my results - i will post some once im finished. i would have loved some faster glass and a camera that handles higher iso a bit better but i was well aware of my technical capabilities beforehand.
most of the indoor shots were very dimly lit, in some cases just candle light (lots of candles lol). these were especially challenging but im happy with most of my results. my people and management skills were as expected - no problems - i think im a real people person. chatting and giving direction is no problem.
technically i had a few shots on higher iso as i forgot to change - doh! but its not many and they are still usable.
i shot for 8 hours. no getting ready or party shots, they weren't required sadly, i would have loved to have done some. shot list was pretty normal stuff. arrivals, ceremony, group shots, bride+groom portraits, details and candids.
i dont think i will be doing any more solo's - possibly a few as second shooter if i can find the work. it was a real buzz and it earnt me a little cash (which my wife has already spent - no new equipment
)
i have a new found respect for wedding photographers. its a damn hard job and getting the amazing images that i see on here (raymond - phate and many others!) must take a lot of skill and practise. i was totally knackered that evening and the following day!
at the moment i only use photoshop for my image processing. i have been using it since CS2 and have learnt a lot. im very happy using it and i have never got on with lightroom (although i see the benefits of cataloging etc)
until recently, most of my processing has been on single images or small sets.
because of this i dont use many camera raw presets or photoshop actions.
im not too bothered about speeding up my workflow - what i do want is consistency of my processing. from my reading/research on this, i can see that presets are the way to go. but i just dont get it. most of my pictures have slightly different WB and exposures levels etc. if i run a preset on a bunch of them, they wont come out the same. so i would need to go back and individually tweak them.
how do you go about creating a consistent set of pictures? do you have a universal set of presets that you use for weddings and another for studio etc?
i think i have a style, but to get to it with different pictures, the setting are different. i dont see how a preset helps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
onto the wedding - please feel free to stop reading here if this doesnt interest you.
it was really a blessing for a friend of a friend. the couple were already officially married abroad and i was photographing the blessing in the UK with family as none could get to the official wedding. it had a full ceremony and roughly 80 guests held at a very picturesque priory
i did everything i could to be as prepared as possible: met the bride & groom before hand, visited the location beforehand and lots and lots of reading. i put my lack of nerves on the day down to my preparation efforts.
i shot with a 50d as primary and a 30d as secondary
canon 70-200 f4
sigma 18-50 f2.8
canon 50 f1.8
various flashes and remote triggers
what a great day! i really enjoyed every minute and i learnt so much. im really pleased with my results - i will post some once im finished. i would have loved some faster glass and a camera that handles higher iso a bit better but i was well aware of my technical capabilities beforehand.
most of the indoor shots were very dimly lit, in some cases just candle light (lots of candles lol). these were especially challenging but im happy with most of my results. my people and management skills were as expected - no problems - i think im a real people person. chatting and giving direction is no problem.
technically i had a few shots on higher iso as i forgot to change - doh! but its not many and they are still usable.
i shot for 8 hours. no getting ready or party shots, they weren't required sadly, i would have loved to have done some. shot list was pretty normal stuff. arrivals, ceremony, group shots, bride+groom portraits, details and candids.
i dont think i will be doing any more solo's - possibly a few as second shooter if i can find the work. it was a real buzz and it earnt me a little cash (which my wife has already spent - no new equipment
)i have a new found respect for wedding photographers. its a damn hard job and getting the amazing images that i see on here (raymond - phate and many others!) must take a lot of skill and practise. i was totally knackered that evening and the following day!
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