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Very nice engagement sitting ... although I would have liked to see the couple dressed up a bit or at least both in darker colors but the posing is great ... lots of variety and things to copy ... great job Todd!
Nice crop, composition etc. Main to the left metered at F 16.5, camera at f 16, fill with stationary umbrella about 1/5 stops under and reflector to the right.
Move out a bit and get the entire composition ... his hands however bother me in this one. Better on the right with her chin down ... the 9 fingers on the right and 13 fingers on the left are a bit too many fingers for one photo.
These colors work much better in b/w ... she looks a little too wide to me seated in front so being behind is much more flattering. On the right a little less fill would turn her round face into the oval that we are striving to create ... perhaps even just a tilt to her man would create that extra shadow to thin down her face a bit.
See how much better on the right with her head tilted a bit ... and the serious expression creates a cheek bone on the shadow side, and gets rid of all the wrinkles on her chin and neck. The shot on the left is cute but again, her face is very round because the lighting is a bit flat. The ideal is oval ... so a narrow face gets flatter more round lighting and a round face gets more contrasty thinning lighting.
On the left a bit to stiff and straight up and down but nice ... but again she here is getting broad light which will widen her face instead of narrowing it to make it into the oval we are used to seeing ... the broad light also makes her head appear bigger than his ... we should work to make the head sizes appear even with lighting and positioning (her behind and farther from the camera will make it smaller) On the right if we turned her a bit more towards him again it would be more thinning ...
Cute ... her hand on the left one bothers me ... and on the right can she put her hands on top of his to hide one set? ... two hands are much better in a photo than four!
Beautiful individual ... let's always do at least an individual of the bride for the grooms desk on these ... they sell and also make the bride feel special and pampered ... and also when you put her in this cross axis pose ... she knows it will be a neat photo and will trust you more. Lighting main at F 16.5, fill with reflector, these also have a nice secular highlight created with one of the hairlights on the shadow side cheek and spilling over onto the collar bone to add dimension and depth and pizzazz You can also see the reflector mirror on the table below her arm adding snap to the left shot (I think not on the right) I generally do this shot, then put the groom in to the camera's left, straddling her, close and also leaning into the table. This lean creates a much more dynamic pose than the somewhat static sitting up straight shots on most of these couple shots. You can create added dimension to an otherwise two dimensional photo by having them lean towards the camera ... it also creates triangles instead of the straight up and down arms, necks etc. that you find in most of these couple shots (except the one where she is leaning in over him ... emphasis on LEAN)
A shot of him alone perhaps ... not necessary in my mind but ok if he wants it. Again, broad light on her which makes her face rounder and wider ... not exactly who she sees herself. This would be nicer if you had the main on the right of the camera instead of the left to create short lighting as she brings her chin to the cameras right for cross axis pose. I think I would have also tried something on the white with these outfits if they would let you ... perhaps on the big stuffed chair ... they are a little too picnicy for the formal blue in the color ... although it works nicely in b/w. Overall nice ... I didn't mean to pick too much but ... actually I did. I think they are wonderful and the client I'm sure really liked them but I also want to let you know the fine points that could be worked on to make them sizzle .... can you hear it?! A photo like the heat waves simmering over the south beach on a hot fall afternoon! ... that's what we want!
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