My first engagement shoot

[te1221]

My friends just got engaged so they asked me to take pictures of them. I've never really shot engagement pics before so I thought i'd give it a go. Taken with the 40D, 24-70, 50 1.4 and the 85 1.8.

1
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/1.jpg

2
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/2.jpg

3
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/3.jpg

4
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/4.jpg

5
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/5.jpg

6
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/6.jpg

7
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/7.jpg

8
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/8.jpg

[droopy1592]

It's always good to catch couples playing and not be so formal... good stuff

[faisal]

I really like #1 and #3....
btw in #2, the ring seems a little soft or OOF

just curious....the guy also does wear a ring...right?? so you could have placed both the rings on the stone/wall/whatever that brown thing is and taken a picture...just a thought... :)

[zmikers]

just curious....the guy also does wear a ring...right?? so you could have placed both the rings on the stone/wall/whatever that brown thing is and taken a picture...just a thought... :)

But don't men get the ring at the wedding ceremony? If this is just an engagement then only the bride should have a ring.

[zmikers]

I really like #1 because to me, it looks very natural and the couple look very comfortable around each other. I like to see wedding or engagement photos showing the couple as "best friends"

[faisal]

But don't men get the ring at the wedding ceremony? If this is just an engagement then only the bride should have a ring.

I don't know....that's why I'm asking... :o

[Turn]

woah you absolutely nailed it

can you do my wedding!!!! :D

1 and 6 are my definite faves

[zmikers]

I don't know....that's why I'm asking... :o

LOL, me neither.....Who knows. I think we should be talking to married guys:p

[Nickcanada]

ya the guy gets the girl an engagement ring and then the day of the wedding they exchange wedding bands. So the girl gets another ring and the guy gets his ring.


Love the shots! nice colours! and they look very natural and happy!

[michaelb]

Love #1, 3 & 5 - nice, "natural" shots - I much prefer these types of shots to studio images.

[te1221]

Thanks guys! I was always apprenhensive about using the 40D when I had the 1D. They seem to lack the same "pop" as opposed to when using the 1D. However, the colors and dynamic range on the 40D are nicer as well as the images are less noisy. The cross-point focusing allowed me to not have to focus and recompose as much.

I really hope the new 5D is similar in AF performance when I get it. :)

[Peekayoh]

Brilliant! The happy couple should treasure these.

#1 and #5 are my favourites.

Personally, I would have cropped really tight on #5. The only thing that matters are the happy faces. I hope it lasts.

[Lilchilichoco]

te1221,

Pure genius!!! Even purer feeling!! Congratulations on absolutely nailing the love here....I love every single shot!! 2,3 and 5 are composition knockouts......love the ring on the maple leaf, so album worthy...and I fell in love with no.4....for the sheer simplicity and how beautifully it communicates the communication between the 2...

What a lovely couple!! My best wishes to them.

Great start and wish you all the best for more.



Best regards

[Gintaras]

Tim, all i can say GREAT photos, you managed to capture perhaps most sincere moments of the engagement. Kudos to you

[te1221]

These are all shot from RAW with some basic editing. Any recommendations for PP?

EDIT: I added a selective color version of the ring shot. Which do you all prefer? 3 or 8?

[te1221]

Here's a few more.

9.
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/9.jpg

10.
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/10.jpg

11.
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/11.jpg

12.
http://www.timeng.net/photos/michelletom/12.jpg

[adam75south]

these look really great. the thing about engagement shoots is it's more about their interaction and expressions than making beautiful photos. although you did both here.

personally i'm not a fan of selective color, but it seems like brides really love it, so i have no opinion when it comes to that. personally, my editing, i like to drop saturation just a bit to make room for extra contrast...keeps the skin tones natural. but these look pretty contrasty, so i wouldn't worry too much about that. also, i like to add a subtle vignette to a lot of my pics. but to each his own.

[te1221]

i like to add a subtle vignette to a lot of my pics. but to each his own.
Thanks adam.

Do you do this in photoshop under filters>> lens correction?

[adam75south]

no i pretty much do everything in lightroom. but yea, if you wanna do it in photoshop that's where it is. or you can make your own with layers and masks....or with selecting with a feather.

[michaelb]

these look really great. the thing about engagement shoots is it's more about their interaction and expressions than making beautiful photos. although you did both here.

personally i'm not a fan of selective color, but it seems like brides really love it, so i have no opinion when it comes to that. personally, my editing, i like to drop saturation just a bit to make room for extra contrast...keeps the skin tones natural. but these look pretty contrasty, so i wouldn't worry too much about that. also, i like to add a subtle vignette to a lot of my pics. but to each his own.

I just started using LR 2 and it really is sweet for these types of adjustments. The local adjusment brush and ND grad will take the place of layers in many cases.