[Wedding Shooter]

Hi Everyone,

I had the opportunity to photograph a very beautiful bride last Saturday. Here is one shot I like along with a crop of the same shot. No major post processing done yet (just a basic conversion from RAW to JPEG).

Let me know if you like the crop or have another idea.

Thanks,

Chris

Original


Crop

[Irma]

I like the crop a lot!
I am always very keen on this kind of crops in portraits.
Beautiful picture Chris, and beautiful bride indeed ...

[Kombisaurus]

Hey Chris,

Beautiful shot, and a beautiful bride too.
I agree with Irma that the cropped version works the best too. I love tightly cropped portraits and the crop you've chosen is perfect IMHO.
The lighting is wonderful and I do like the high-key effect, but I wonder if it might be a bit too hot in places on the right-hand side of the frame. Personally I'd be trying to pump a touch of shadow and contrast into the right-side of her face (right of frame, her left, our right). Perhaps also smooth her skin on the left just a touch, but not so it looks obvious.

But both images look wonderful. Looking again at the first uncropped version, I really like those subtle colours behind her and the extra detail in her dress... so I can't decide which one I like the best.

[wulinka]

they are both good their own way! Like Kombi I like the colors in the background in #1, but dislike the dark upper right corner. if you could do something about that, I think I would like them equally much.

Uli

[Wedding Shooter]

Thanks for the ideas so far everyone. Uli - the dark corner is an easy fix and I totally agree on it needing to be sorted. It is the edge of the bed - the background is the bed spread.

[Toad]

Very lovely model and great capture - I like the lighting.I think the crop is just right.

[Wedding Shooter]

Thanks Toad.

[smarti77]

I think the bride with love both versions. Your crop is perfect and she looks beautiful. The light in her eyes is amazing.
However, I think the uncropped version includes part of the dress and veil which makes it more about the big day too.

[Zig]

Lovely, Chris; nicely lit old chap...gets me in the mood for me own Big Day next year!
I'd even go for a tighter crop, given the quality of the image(if the final output size warrants it): her hair's a bit tatty on the left(?)...does the lighting mean a lo-contrast conversion here, d'you reckon?
Yes, I agree, a lovely lady!

[Wedding Shooter]

Thanks Zig - I bet you are excited about your wedding. That is part of the joy of photographing a wedding - seeing other's joy. Mind you - she was fairly stressed at this point. I was worried the shoot would come out really bad and than a gem like this shot just comes out of the camera.

I agree with keeping the contrast under control as the highlights are starting to clip in the dress. I could actually go back to the RAW and lower the contrast and probably gain back some of the detail in the dress. This was shot with the highlight priority mode on the 1D3 and you can see in the veil that the detail is still there despite it being on the sunlit side of the bride - even the skin is retaining detail on the sunlit side.

[Zig]

Lovely;.... my, that IS nice kit Chris(...I can't see any more without a rush of covetous idolatry....)