Veiled future: This is a shot of my daughter 6 days prior to her wedding day. Now that the wedding has past (this past Saturday) I'm posting it. Earlier I posted an engagement shot...

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

This is a shot of my daughter 6 days prior to her wedding day. Now that the wedding has past (this past Saturday) I'm posting it. Earlier I posted an engagement shot that was made this past spring from the same field.

Please give honest critique. I may print and frame for them, but if there is something needing edit, I need to know what it is.

Thanks.

(Download)

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

I like the idea, but wish she was more centered in the frame with her veil near the left edge. This would give her room to move. That would be the more traditional and accepted way to frame this. I have seen other photographers work where the person has been looking off frame. I prefer her to have room to move into. I would also like to see her and the foreground lightened just a little. She isn't quite in silhouette here and I want her to either be darker of more visible.. Not sure I would like a full silhouette as well since I like the way the light hits the grass heads.
My favorite part of this is the sunlight through her veil.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

I agree with Country's Mama on the composition but I do rather like the semi-silhouette. The foxtail grasses are rather bright and a bit of a distraction. But, overall it's very nice.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

Country's Mama wrote:

I like the idea, but wish she was more centered in... (show quote)

Thanks for the critique. I'll try the frame move and repost.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

Graham Smith wrote:

I agree with Country's Mama on the composition but I do rather like the semi-silhouette. The foxtail grasses are rather bright and a bit of a distraction. But, overall it's very nice.

Thanks. Graham. I struggled with whether to do a total silhouette or as I posted it. If I brighten her up too much, it starts to get noisy among other things. I may turn down the grass a bit and see how it looks. Initially, when I was shooting, I didn't even notice them in the picture. I did notice the grass and wanted it, but didn't see the tops until I got home. The sunset made it difficult to see on location.

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

manofhg wrote:

Thanks. Graham. I struggled with whether to do a total silhouette or as I posted it. If I brighten her up too much, it starts to get noisy among other things. I may turn down the grass a bit and see how it looks. Initially, when I was shooting, I didn't even notice them in the picture. I did notice the grass and wanted it, but didn't see the tops until I got home. The sunset made it difficult to see on location.

The camera is a cruel master, your eye and brain tunes out stuff that your camera will record.

pfrancke Loc: cold Maine

As has been stated, beautiful backlighting - love the veil. For me, I think the camera should be at subject eye level. And has been said, leaving room in front of your daughter, particularly for this image - symbolically it should be more about what is in front of her life than what is behind her.

I like the low POV from a shooting through the grass idea, but with the veil and the sun like it is, higher up might have been better (my two cents anyway).

wayne-03 Loc: Minnesota

manofhg wrote:

This is a shot of my daughter 6 days prior to her wedding day. Now that the wedding has past (this past Saturday) I'm posting it. Earlier I posted an engagement shot that was made this past spring from the same field.

Please give honest critique. I may print and frame for them, but if there is something needing edit, I need to know what it is.

Thanks.

Lovely picture, I would have put her on the left side of the frame so that she is looking into the picture rather than where you have her on the right looking out of the frame, just my opinion. But nice job.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

pfrancke wrote:

As has been stated, beautiful backlighting - love the veil. For me, I think the camera should be at subject eye level. And has been said, leaving room in front of your daughter, particularly for this image - symbolically it should be more about what is in front of her life than what is behind her.

I like the low POV from a shooting through the grass idea, but with the veil and the sun like it is, higher up might have been better (my two cents anyway).

Thanks. I'll repost after reframing.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

wayne-03 wrote:

Lovely picture, I would have put her on the left side of the frame so that she is looking into the picture rather than where you have her on the right looking out of the frame, just my opinion. But nice job.

Thanks. It is becoming unanimous that the framing needs changing.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

manofhg wrote:

This is a shot of my daughter 6 days prior to her wedding day. Now that the wedding has past (this past Saturday) I'm posting it. Earlier I posted an engagement shot that was made this past spring from the same field.

Please give honest critique. I may print and frame for them, but if there is something needing edit, I need to know what it is.

Thanks.

manofhg,

This is a great idea and a very artistic way of telling a once in a lifetime event. As others have stated the composition could be improved with her moving forward in her life with her more to the left of center frame. The veil is very important here as it attracts the eye first then leads us into the main subject.

She is not exposed dark enough to be a silhouette, so the next step is to lighten her only. Some software applications have a tool called Fill Flash and work like a brush to add a touch of fill flash effect to selected parts of an image. This could help to add fill flash to the main subject, without adding noise, or grain.

You have some Foxtail tips showing on part of her dress, if these become intrusive and distracting you can clone them out and leave the remaining field Foxtails just as they are.

Michael G

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

Armadillo wrote:

manofhg, br br This is a great idea and a very ar... (show quote)

Hadn't thought of removing the foxtails on the dress. I tried to change them some, but that would be better. I think they are needed in the field, but are distracting on the dress.

Thanks.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

manofhg wrote:

Hadn't thought of removing the foxtails on the dress. I tried to change them some, but that would be better. I think they are needed in the field, but are distracting on the dress.

Thanks.

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