Wedding Photos: Retouching & Album Production

Peter69

Peter69

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This is a bit of an embarrassing problem and will limit details just in case the photographer is known on here.

A good friend just got married and had their photos taken by a part time semi pro photographer. They have edited them and supplied all the images as jpegs. The problem is they are just good snaps.

By snap, I mean that most of the images haven't been composed very well so there images are messy with people and unwanted items clearly in the background.

I've been asked to re-edit them.

My question is, is it acceptable for my friend to ask for the raw images or should I just try to edit the jpegs?

ALSO
They were going to put the images into a photobook from someone like snapfish. I've shown them the quality and now changed their minds.
I am now looking for photo album options. I have never produced a wedding album so sources and help would be much appreciated.
 
Shouldn't this be in Talk Photography? This is the general feedback (crit) section, and it's for posting images.


If they are just snaps, with people in the background etc, how realistic is it to edit them without them looking just as bad fr another reason?

How much did they pay the photographer? You get what you pay for you know. If they paid £300, then well.. there you go.
 
You got the price about right but it was a friend that took the photos. I have tried several messy shots and they rework reasonably well but very time consuming. If you pixel peek you can see the rework but at 10 x 12 print they look fine.

Sorry for posting in the wrong place, I don't know how to move it now?!
 
I wouldn't touch this. I low thats not very helpful, but it is the best help I can give. If nothing else you have a copyright issue. Not to mention your friends sound like they're expecting you to polish turds for them
 
Pookeyhead said:
Shouldn't this be in Talk Photography? This is the general feedback (crit) section, and it's for posting images.
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Peter69 said:
Sorry for posting in the wrong place, I don't know how to move it now?!
Click to expand...

Normally you'd RTM the thread and a helpful staff member would move it. In this case, I just wandered in for a look and shifted it anyway.
 
boyfalldown said:
I wouldn't touch this. I low thats not very helpful, but it is the best help I can give. If nothing else you have a copyright issue. Not to mention your friends sound like they're expecting you to polish turds for them
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^ this.

They might be friends*, but you'll be forever associated with the (at best) compromise images in the album. Maybe do your best with two or three of the images that either have the most meaning to the couple (there always seems to be the "last ever photo of Aunt Aggie before.. .." amongst wedding photos) or the most easily fixed as a favour. But forget the rest, and to be honest when a couple is presented with the usual 700+ shots these days how many are ever really looked at more than twice? - Two framed for the wall and the rest sandwiched between tissue paper in an album to be looked at once a decade..


* worst case scenario is that the groom is a really good long-time friend and you only vaguely know the bride as his wife - odds are you'll definitely then be known to the bride as the one that delivered the "not quite as sh*t as the other guy" photos of the wedding. Don't expect many invites round for dinner and expect your friendship with the groom to suffer the consequences.. ..
 
Have the couple made their feelings known to the photographer? He may be willing to retouch the/some of the images for them. If done in a tactful manner they may do it. If they've asked and the photographer has said no then it's a different matter. I think it would be fair to give the photographer the chance to rectify it :)
 
Part of me sympathises with the original photographer on this one. If he was just a friend of the B&G doing them a favour and isn't a real wedding photographer then the B&G need to lower their expectations and accept what they have. There is a reason people pay a lot of money for experienced wedding photographers with a guarantee of better quality images. Where a B&G don't have the budget or the priority for a better photographer I think they become just as responsible as the 'amateur photographer' for the output they receive. Knowing they have booked someone without the experience they should be thinking about the photos on the wedding day just as much as the photographer, suggesting locations, managing guests and backgrounds etc.

Having said that, the B&G have got what they've got and it's too late to change that now. My first port of call would be to go back to the original photographer and ask if he can re-edit the photos. If they either don't acknowledge it is necessary or don't have the required skills then asking for the RAWs would be an option. However, if it gets to the point of the OP attempting any re-editing work then I would only do what the original photographer gives you permission to do. If he says leave my photos as they are, you get what you get then walk way and leave the problem with the B&G. Being friendly and attempting to help out often has a habit of coming back to bite you in the end.
 
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TheBigYin said:
Normally you'd RTM the thread and a helpful staff member would move it. In this case, I just wandered in for a look and shifted it anyway.
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Fair point.. Just thought RTM was for complaining. Will do next time.
 
Thanks for the advice.
The photographer was a semi pro, that is they have another job as well as photography.
The original photographer let the B & G down with short notice and the one they ended up using works alot with them.
From my experience with wedding photographers is that you need to be a certain sort of character rather then a shrinking violet.
Lets see what the photographer says when they are asked.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Fair point.. Just thought RTM was for complaining. Will do next time.
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It's multi-purpose David, basically a RTM just gets posted as a report thread in the staff room, so whoever is Online out of the Staff gets to pick it up and act in it, be it reporting spam, deleting duplicate posts, moving threads or giving a kick up the Harris to someone who's being a grade a Snap-On :)
 
LOL@ Snap-On


I'm borrowing that... hope you don't mind. :)
 
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