my first wedding job!

[Mark von Kanel]

Hi all, i was invited to a wedding reception not long ago, i asked the couple if they minded if i took some pics and would use them to put a slide show together for them. i wanted an informal style and have done no post other than convert to B&W and some cropping.

I had 2 hrs to put everything together for them before i left the country for work if youve got 10 mins please follow the link and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObWv0boNryY

thanks

mark

[Donald]

That's a good piece of work, Mark.

[rpcrowe]

Very nice documentation... Some of the ferry pasengers look a little "green" even in black and white...

[psevenster]

I really like it. Some of the expressions you captured are priceless.

[Donald]

Mark - A question......

How do make a show like that? What are you using?

[Mark von Kanel]

Thanks for all your kind comments, Donald its done in I Photo and one of the only good things about the macbook that i now use as my main PC you just import the images, pick a template choose your music, click fit to soundtrack and export it.

its really is simple and quick to do but im sure there will be windows programs available to do it.

[Viana]

Nice candid shots, Mark!


I especially liked the fact that they invited dogs to the wedding.


If you enjoyed putting together this type of media show, check out Photo to Movie: http://www.lqgraphics.com/software/phototomovie.php


I’ve been using PtM since 2007 on Macs, but of course it also works with Windows. They add new features all the time.


I prefer it to the Apple’s iMovie because: PtM is very easy and intuitive to work with. Does not get bloated and slow as does iMovie. Has a great music timeline capabilities including fade and terrific, varied transitions as well as HD capability, Motion Paths and Key Frames, Layouts and Backgrounds, special Photo Effects, Timeline Markers and Effects. In short, many more features than iMovie.


@ $49.95 inexpensive too.


With lots of tutorials online: http://www.youtube.com/user/phototom.../2/N-05AwNf5RU


You can get really professional results with this easy to use program.

[Mark von Kanel]

thanks Viana, have downloaded trial version, will see how i go!

mark

[Nomadr]

some great candid expressions caught, nice work,cheers martyn ps not sure but i think you have to be careful about putting music thats still in copyright on the net without permission, i know lots of people do it but it might leave you wide open to being sued, perhaps others could clarify this ?

[Viana]

thanks Viana, have downloaded trial version, will see how i go!

mark

I hope that you enjoy it, Mark. It's very simple and fast once you get into the program.

Let us know how you like it.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Mark,

I think you got the transitions and change rates just right, many of these things are waaay too slow and bore the pants off me.

It is quite long, but that's fine for the people that attended and know each other.

Very good effort,

[Mark von Kanel]

yes Dave, its veeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrry long for those not attending, but thanks for bearing with me, and truth is lots of the shots are only good for those attending as well, im looking forward to having the time to sit down and separate the good from the bad and calling it......... well i dont know what to call it really......

Unfortunately the main photographer kind of screwed up..... so now they want me to re process some of the images, not sure how to handle that......too much pressure!!

[Viana]

yes Dave, its veeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrry long for those not attending, but thanks for bearing with me, and truth is lots of the shots are only good for those attending as well, im looking forward to having the time to sit down and separate the good from the bad and calling it......... well i dont know what to call it really......


Unfortunately the main photographer kind of screwed up..... so now they want me to re process some of the images, not sure how to handle that......too much pressure!!

I din’t want to mention the length Mark, but others have noticed.


If I recall correctly, they typical length of a shot should be about 3 seconds. (Attention spans are short these days.)


I can empathize with you regarding ending up as the wedding photographer when you were actually a guest. That has happened to me more than once because my pixs were better or because the hired photographer: Bailed, screwed up, went out of business—whatever.


Consider it a complement. Ask the couple to look at the photos and pick those that they want in the presentation. Make everyone look good! No one believes that they look as bad as they actually do. (Yes, that means giving some people “face lifts.”) They will love you for it and hail your photography skills.

[revi]

Looks like a very nice job well done

A few remarks though. I prefer using 1 or 2 (often cross-fade, but that's personal), to keep attention on the pictures, and not on the transitions. I guess I feel the same about the Kenburns on every picture, though that's more difficult: I like the sense of movement, but it isn't ideal for the composition of the shots.

Also, the movement is always centered, which in several cases pulls the attention away from e.g. the face that is the subject of the photo. It might work better if you could center the zooms on the faces. But, given that you had 2h to do the job, that would have been impossible to do consistently.

And yes, it's very long for strangers, but then, that's not your public, so who cares...
The wedding couple is your main target, with other guests as secondary. As long as they (and you) like the result, you've done your job.

As for the reprocessing: they have nothing now, seen your work, and still ask you to reprocess some (of yours?) so they like what you do. It's not as if you can screw up by the numbers as long as you keep backups (plural, esp. in such cases). I'd ask them to take into consideration you're an amateur, so you cannot work full time on the pictures.

Compliments on what you got so far

Remco

[Mark von Kanel]

Thanks Revi for your constructive comments, The couple just want colour versions of some of the images so easy enough to do in light room, i have another template that does present 2 images at a time, some people like one version others like the other so i just gave them both! This is the first time ive ever used the iphoto package and i dont think you can vary the movement focus but im not sure as i haven't tried!

I am going to try the program that Viana recommended and play with it all, will have to wait until im home from work though.......

[Maritimer1]

What a refreshing change from posed and tinted/bleached wedding photos. I LOVE candids and think your "reportage" will be something the couple looks on with fondness and laughter for all their days.

[Viana]

What a refreshing change from posed and tinted/bleached wedding photos. I LOVE candids and think your "reportage" will be something the couple looks on with fondness and laughter for all their days.

I would respectfully have to disagree. In my experience, unless the couple has a penchant for laughing at others when they are caught “candid” or at their worst: Eyes closed, mouths open, bad angles that makes them look even heavier and scruffier than they are in real life, they or their guests may not appreciate those “candid” shots in decades to come.




Weddings in virtually every culture are a bit of a fantasy-fairy-tale happening.


Most people want to appear in photos as they do in their fantasy-mind’s-eye, especially in a wedding. Furthermore, digital cameras are notorious for enhancing shadows and exaggerating bad features.


Most people, no matter how ordinary looking, want to look their best in photos. That is where PS processing comes in.


OTOH—If the wedding party is into grunge or punk and bad-hair days, it will all be just fine.

[speedneeder]

IMO the reception can definitely be presented at least partly candid. Certain some formal shots would be great too. As far as fairy tales go, doesn't that apply more to the wedding itself, not the reception?

[Viana]

IMO the reception can definitely be presented at least partly candid. Certain some formal shots would be great too. As far as fairy tales go, doesn't that apply more to the wedding itself, not the reception?

There is a middle ground between “formal” and harsh, often ugly, reality, Brian. This wedding is rather informal from what we can see. As far as I can discern, there are no fairy tale poses. Still, my bet is that the couple, family and guests, do want to look their best on photos that last forever.


In my experience, people appreciate having a photo of them reflect their countenance as they see themselves in their mind’s-eye. That generally requires a bit of soft-focus filtering, some judicious adjustments and cropping.

[Mark von Kanel]

The bride wanted some fairytale poses, unfortunately i wasnt invited to that part of the wedding and the official photog didnt achieve what the couple wanted, but then again they were not paying for it to be done as far as i know and that leads to all sorts of problems. Remember that what i did was in addition to the formal pics and i didnt want to catch that side of the occasion. I think that there is room in a wedding for both types of photography.