First wedding with Nikon D2H

[mrdinh]

[MattRadlinski]

What technique did you use to convert this to black and white? There seems to be a distinct lack of tonal range in this image...it just seems very "flat." Not so much "black and white" as "black and gray." Also, the blown-out patio furniture out the window is not attractive...in the future I would recommend you take a step to the right so you can't see what's out the window.

[Jonathan_Wienke]

The patio furniture is distracting; you should have moved to your left to hide it behind the subject. I would darken the background to the subject's left; theres no reason to have detail there since there's nothing that adds to the image in that area. Likewise, I'd lighten the window so that the distractions get washed out white. The tonal range of the subject's skin is pretty limited; the overall effect is kind of flat and dull-looking. The pose and expression are good though. Here's my rendition of the image:

[mrdinh]

thanks for the advice...usually during a wedding you gotta get the shots...guess could of removed it from photoshop later....

but man i need to catch with this camera...so fast...as least compare to my d1x body...i shot faster than it focused...lots of out of focus shots....gotta get used to that

[Mike_Guilbault]

Personally I like the detail to the left of the bride. I agree about the furniture outside though, but I do prefer it to the totally blank photoshoped version. A step to the right would help alot. Also, don't have the bride look directly out the window.. too much white in the eyes then - rather, have her look toward the far side of the window frame. You may also consider turning the bride away from the light so that the light crosses her dress rather than hit it straight on, then have her turn her head towards the light - very feminine and flattering.

[JoyPetersKurtz]

Don't bother fixing this shot, just find another one that has a bit better view out the window. The background behind her doesn't bother me at all, but the 'corrected' version of the empty windows and the depressing black area behind her doesn't make any sense at all. If it's a choice between the corrected version and nothing, go with nothing. It's a wedding - I'm sure you have lots of other shots of her.

Altho, her skin looks a lot better in the corrected version
: )

Joy

Forgive me for also playing with your photo, but I feel the truth is somewhere in the middle. All the patio furniture out the window does distract, but the next version is worse. As a photojournalist you do not want to make it look like the bride was shot standing in a studio with everything perfect. So surrounding her with just starkness isn't the answer. In my version, I lightened the outdoor stuff so it is not such a distraction, but it is still there adding to a sense of place. I darken the background but didn't take it to black. Finally, I cropped a little off the left so she is not centered.

As you are finding out, everyone sees pictures just a little differently. That is a good thing. What counts is the way YOU see them and if your clients like your vision.

Michael

PS. I'm having trouble getting my version to attach here, so I will email it to you privately.