My first shoot

[winstonla]

Hi all

I am a long time listener, first time caller. I registered over a month ago but have had problems logging in so i have re-registered.
Firstly let me say how great this site is. Its a wealth of information for a beginner like me. Its amazed me what can be done post-production to photographs and how talented some people are. If i get even half as good as some of you I will be happy.

Anyway...
I bought my first DSLR 9 months ago when my son was born but to be honest have simply not had time to learn the more advanced features.
I was attending a wedding last week in Cyprus and was asked by the bride and groom to take some photos as the official photographer was only there for the ceremony and had his own set list (the cheek of it!) and they wanted their own list too.
I thought this was a perfect opportunity to learn and stop being "Uncle Brian behind the Point-n-Shoot".
Id been reading this site for months before so i used what i'd learnt and also had a look around the web for some tips and ideas for post-prod edits.

I am the first to admit that my photos are nowhere near what a professional would take but I am rather proud for my first attempt. I put a lot of time and effort into this (i even missed the free bar on the yacht) so the fact that the bride was overjoyed was great (although im sure she has as much photo knowledge as Uncle Brian).

I struggled with the quick changes in light and struggled with adjustments tio the f-stop and shutter speed as i moved from the sun to the shade to indoors to sunset to near darkness on the boat!
Please be honest with your comments but without putting me to the sword straight away. As i said, I am a beginner! I took over 800 photos not to mention running around Paphos in the blazing sun so i could be in 2 places at once) so you can see the effort i put in.

I want to use any advice I get here to improve my photos in time for the English Reception on Saturday where i want to create a slideshow for guests who couldnt make it to Cyprus.
I am also very new to photoshop but I am a quick learner and have used other basic photo packahges like PhotImpact and Paint Shop Pro. I have just had a quick play with dodge and burn. I am enrolling on a Photoshop course as soon as I can find a decent local (Manchester) course.
I read on here that you can merge 2 photos together in a group shot if someone is blinking in one! (like 5554/5555) things like this amaze me and I really want to learn.

Here are the original shots (i hope the link works):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3969108...7620400378934/
I am very proud of 5723 as I'd wanted a shot like this and got it just before the sun disappeared.



and here is the gallery I will use for edits (i have done 4 already):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3969108...7620401565510/
The bride loved these so I hope more in-the-know people like yourself will like them too.

If you are still reading this then thank you and I look forward to any comments and giuidance that anyone can give me and I hope to be around on this site for many years to come.

Thank you

Steven

[toyvlle]

HI Steven, well I am fairly new to this also, but I wanted to say that you have some very nice shots, and I like the ones you have edited very much. You did a nice job. You'll love it here on DPS and you'll learn so much from some very nice and knowledgeable people. Welcome to DPS, and that was a nice first shoot.

[winstonla]

Hi toyvlle

Thanks for replying.
Im not too sure if i posted in the correct format or i have just linked to too many pics! as i havent had much response.

Im busy working on the pics so hopefully i can read up on some articles to improve them.

Steven

[lputman]

Hi Steven, welcome to dPS. You've got some good looking photographs there! The Share Your Shots section moves very quickly so don't get discouraged. You might find it easier to actually include up to four photos in your post. Also, you can get wonderful critique in the critique section, just make certain to follow the guidelines for that area. Again, welcome and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

[winstonla]

Hi Lori
Thanks for that. I am sorting all my pics out tonight so i will post a few seperately here tomorrow.
For the time being, this is one i really like but I want to make it perfect. I iknow I have a bit of glare and the faces are darker than i'd like. This is going to be my project when I enrol on a course.