Help creating a more dramatic effect please!

Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 31

Ok, so im new to photography and i just got a Canon S3. Now im getting married soon, and my fiancee wanted me to take a few pictures of the invitations before we send them all out. Now i got a bunch of pics, tired some and black and white, and some it sepia and some in regular color, but i just couldnt capture th intamate dramatic effect i was hoping to create. Also, when shooting against a darker colored backround, it was imposible to get any color out of it, cause exposing enough to do so completely blew out the white envelopes.

Can anyone help me??? Suggestions for better shots??? Here are just two examples of what i came up with.. Simply not very exciting.

Joined: 13 Jan 2007 Posts: 245 Location: Maryland

How about laying down her wedding dress on a table, placing her shoes onto it as well, then setting up the invitations as you did above on top of the dress.

What!! she won't let you see the dress? Or no dress yet, bu a couple yards of tule at a fabric store do the same thing, except immitating a veil.

Find some nice white womans formal wear heels if no shoes also. No need to show the whole shoe(s) or dress/tulle either, just a bit, a suggestion of them is powerful enough.

Just one idea hth,
Jacque

Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 31

Thats a fantastic idea! Yeah, she wont let me see anything, in fact its not even where we live, its at her mothers.

Very simple yet creative idea though. Unfortunatly they are going into the mail tomorrow, but we may have a few left over that i could mock up and get to the fabrig store when i get some time, cause ir eally love the idea.

Im still open to other ideas though too, so if anyone else would like to chime in please do.

Any comments on the pics i posted??? Is there something missing besides the backround that would maybe give me more of an elegant textured feel to it? Or do you all think that a great backround like Jacque recomended would do this???

Also, and suggestions for good indoor lighting??? I was working with window light, but it comming in from an angle lit one side well, and the otherside was considerable darker....

Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Posts: 98

do you like it or not so much?

Mike

Joined: 13 Jan 2007 Posts: 245 Location: Maryland

I like the top images layout (the inner left corner ) better, but the angle of the 2nd image. Both would be nice really.

Try lower angles too. As in closer to the table/surface. And play with throwing the backgrounds out of focus. Just ad some variety while its setup is the point.

One thing that I think may help with the intimate feeling is a white setting. As your images are now, they are out of key.

Ok, need this done tonight, with things around the house huh?
I'm just going to throw things out here:

Think in terms of a scene. Don't need to show lots of area around the cards, but still set up a little something.
-try lotsa white things. Bed sheet, back of a table cloth (some have fabric texture) even tissue paper, or heck even a few long strips of tp!

-candles. candles are always romantic. not black ones though. make 2 exposures if you must, 1 for props, 1 for flame exposure then post process for final combo.

-wine glasses. half full or so with wine, colored water (use a marker, food coloring, ginger ale even) doesn't have to be real dark, you can do that later in pp (post processing)
How about make them clink as in a toast? (figure out how to balance them)

-engagement rings. include them somehow. just sitting on a corner of the cards, just below and down in front, whatever.

-opened book with a love poem in it. include but not promenitley (sp!) in the setting.

-got the marrige cert yet? theres an idea...

-a nice favorite photo of the 2 of you - in the background behind cards... perhaps a bit out of focus, just enough to tell who it is. Candles around the photo, or the glasses...

Don't know your equipment resources, so I'll give a reeaallll basic suggestion.

-Get a houselamp and a piece of foamboard/cardboard... something stiff and white.

-Lay out your setting, get the camera supported (tripod, table, etc) have the lamp over and behind a bit of the setting. Get it up higher using several books or place it on a box - hide the box/books with bedsheet, towel, whatever

-Hold the white board horizontally over the setting but focused on bouncing the light back over it. You can get some really even lighting like this.

Hopefully you can do a cwb in your camera, or select tungsten.

Got an external flash? Aim it at the ceiling or wall, adjust exposure till pleasing.

Hope these help!
Jacque

Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 31

great.. very creative... Were you always so creative, or did u develop (no pun intended) creativity as you progressed in photography???

Some of the things u listed i dont think i can do with my camera. Its a Canon S3, so ne external flash, and i dont think i can, or know how to overlap photos....

But i like the ideas... i will work on them tomorrow, cause i think she is only mailing a handfull of them actualy... Like the engagement ring idea..... Im thinking i could head down to the flower shop and possible a nice red, or white rose layed across then....

And the fabric color is a good idea... i have to see what i have laying around... thanks for all the great tips...

Joined: 13 Jan 2007 Posts: 245 Location: Maryland

Actually, I don't feel I am creative at all. But I've done quite a few of the suggestions I mentioned, on the spot during a wedding.
So yes, it developed I guess.

ok nix the external flash, but try the houselamp tip.

Dont worry about how to overlap now, just get the goods, lol
If you need help, holler, or i'm sure there are several folks on here whom would love to help.

Or include both of your hands, gently touching or overylaying, while showing off the rings. Have your hands on top of, but not totally covering the invitations. Or in the background, while having the camera position very close to the table (whatever) surface, with the invitations in the foreground in good focus. Put a sheet behind the hands position, shine a houselamp through it, to sillouette the hands.
Adjust it's closeness to control the brightness in exposure.

Well least you could try with that camera!

Your welcome,
Jacque