Shot my first wedding, in process of editing, but is this an okay way to deliver?

<p>I was asked to shoot a wedding, which I have never done. I'm a beginner photographer using a Nikon D3200 with a Nikon 18-70mm lense. I usually stick to landscapes and wildlife, but I was approached by the groom and he personally requested me. I agreed on one condition. They were not allowed to pay me... Well, they already gave me a deposit and would not take it back, so I am desperate to give them quality images for them to cherish. </p>

<p>I took about 1200 photos over the course of the wedding. The pre-ceremony shots came out great. The ceremony shots were dark and I had not thought to use my speedlight flash yet for some reason (nerves!). I also had a guest sitting in the area I wanted for the prime shots with her DSLR and her flash was ruining my pictures. Argh. Post ceremony pictures came out great along with portraits! <br>

I am a little over a quarter way done with editing in Lightroom 5. 95 items so far, and I am about midway through the ceremony.</p>

<p>I'm hoping to present to them atleast 300 images, hopefully more on a custom flashdrive. Also, I am ordering a wedding album from Shutterfly to gift them also. </p>

<p>Is this a decent way to present their pictures to them? As a newbie, I want to blow them away.</p>

<p>I did this once (same situation as you, couldn't escape). It was way more work than I thought. The deal I made with my folks was that I would give them all my shots in RAW format, to do whatever they would like with. I would also, on a negotiated basis, work on shots they liked, but needed work.</p>

<p>Everything worked out for me. No money changed hands, I spent 10 hrs at the wedding, and a couple more making DVDs. I think they will be happy with whatever you give them. An album sounds fine, but I would think about putting all your shots on a DVD for them as well.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"I'm hoping to present to them at least 300 images, hopefully more on a custom flashdrive. <strong>Also, I am ordering a wedding album from Shutterfly to gift them also.</strong><br>

Is this a decent way to present their pictures to them? As a newbie,<strong> I want to blow them away.</strong>"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The gift is quite generous; 300 images should be enough to tell the story of the day - but what will more than likely "<em>blow them away</em>" and be more memorable than the gift will be the quick turnaround and supply of quality and memorable images that they can share whilst the memory of their Wedding is very fresh in the minds of their Friends and Family.</p>

<p>WW<br>

</p>

 

<p>It musn't be 2000 photos or more, if you made 300 decent images - that will be enough.</p>

<p>I've never shot weddings but I'm having a hard time conceptualizing thumbing through 300 images much less 2000. What family member has the time to view all those individual shots?</p>

<p>I've flipped through old wedding albums of my relatives who had an aunt or cousin shoot them back in the early '80's and I can tell you there wasn't but less than 100 I or anyone else from my clan that had the patience to browse through all of them. </p>

<p>Yeah, I get it. You got married. Half the people in the album I didn't even know or knew was my relative. What's happened with weddings these days where you need to shoot 2000 or even 300 images? The time it would take for me to browse through all of them they'ld be divorced by then.</p>