How about some constructive feedback? What is it about the above photos that makes them look unprofessional? What could be improved?

(Edit: If that was a joke, my bad... I missed the sarcasm initially. )

 

He jus' playin'!

 

Never take anything kiwi says seriously

 

You take great photos so just take ones you like and I'm sure the couple will love them too.

Whenever I shoot couples, I always ask them if they have any spots that have special meaning to them or any activities they like to do together and try to incorporate that into the photos. If they're having fun together, the pictures will turn out more natural and it'll make your job easier.

Good luck!

 

Thanks Alex! I met with them today and it seems like it's going to work out well. She loves Mt. Vernon (George Washington's estate) so of course we're going there. I asked them to come that day with a checklist of shots that they must have so we don't miss anything, and then we'll just have fun with it from there. She showed me a pretty clear idea online of the general style she likes.

 

I'm sure the pics will be awesome.

 

I don't know how I missed this thread, but first of all... congrats! As others have confirmed, your photos are fantastic and you have a terrific, natural eye. Please keep us posted on how the pics turned out!


I'm actually glad you made this thread -- I'm VERY interested, as I'm in the exact same boat. One of my friends (who has pretty much only seen my car photos, dog portraits, and some other randoms) just asked me to shoot their engagement photos. I also secured another gig at the end of this summer which I'm VERY nervous about -- I got asked to shoot a wedding But, like you, everyone knows up front that I'm not a pro.

For me, I've just been studying other photographers whose work I admire and doing a LOT of searching on Flickr to see what kind of angles, lighting and other techniques people use in their engagement shoots. It's been a great study guide and I've picked up a lot of good ideas from there.

Best of luck Steve!

 

kid looks just like ya Devil! Congrats!!

Great pix Steve!

 

Location?
Engagement photos?
An abandoned jail might be appropriate

Pre race jitters Steve
You pics manage to capture that special moment
And as you well know, one can take 50 shots and perhaps find one or two worthy of our own critical eye

So bring batteries, lots of charged batteries

 

Believe me Bryan, I'm bringing extra batteries, a handful of 32GB cards, 2 bodies, 5 lenses...

Aside from looking online at the stuff that appeals to me for ideas, I went down to Mt. Vernon (further drive than I remember!) and took some test shots with my wife, to get an idea of spacing, distances, colors, lighting, etc. My goal is to show up there and not take more than a minute or 2 at each specific photo site - to know exactly where I want them to be and me to shoot from. I'm going through the tests and marking places and reasons:



They will not allow me (or any Joe Public) in before public hours (despite my plea$), so we've got to get there right when they open the gates, and rush to get the shots in the "crowded" areas around the mansion quickly before the hordes of unwashed masses show up... Then we can take our time around the estate and grounds and get some closeups and scenic shots in the more private and less visited areas and down by the river. I bought a season pass (cheaper than 2 individual visits) so I can go right to the gate and get up there and setup.

An since I'm home sick today, I sat down and made up a few pages of "storyboard" to kind of lay out what I want, to help me remember what I'm thinking once I get there:



As I mentioned above, I've asked them to come with a list of shots that they'd like. Who knows if they will, so I wanted to be very prepared. A little overkill for not much payoff? Probably. But I want them to be AMAZED with the results!