Add me to the list of foolish amateurs who give this a shot and blow it.

[greenpalm]

Chalk me up to another sad entry in the “Must Read Before You Shoot Your First Wedding” thread. I blew it yesterday. In spite of

all my efforts to the contrary, and in spite of my better judgment.

 

I am not a professional. I do not pretend to be a professional. I never represented myself as a professional.

 

My trainer at the gym had a sad story that tugged at my heart strings. I had mentioned in an offhand way that photography was a hobby of mine. He later told me that he and his fiancee had planned a wedding for next summer, but that her father had been giving a month to live.

They rush-planned the wedding for a date six weeks out, desperately hoping that the father of the bride could be there.

 

The groom asked me if I would photograph it and I said, “Absolutely Not!” like the wise and sensible person that I truly am. However, when he asked again, rather panicky, a couple of weeks later telling me that the pro they talked to wanted $800, my sympathy overcame my good sense and I agreed. Now, I thought $800 sounded pretty reasonable, but my dad paid for my wedding, and I have no idea what the package they were offered included, and I’ve got a husband with a good job. I agreed to do it in exchange for he and his bride baby-sitting my

children. I figured they ought to have some practice in that arena anyway. I lost my own mother to leukemia six years ago and the

bride’s father’s imminent demise got under my skin. I figured I could do at least a little better than, “Uncle Harry,” in any case. I wasn’t

about to take money from them, because I couldn’t possibly promise to deliver a decent product. They assured me they would not know

the difference between professional and amateur photos anyway (ha!).

 

I am often asked to do photos for people I know. Again, I’ve never represented myself as anything but a hobbyist. They see the

SLR and maybe a long lens, and my flash bracket, even owning a tripod makes you “serious,” and they see my Christmas slide show

full of lovely pictures I’ve taken of my own children, and they think I’m good at this. I remind them that the pics in the slide show are the

very very best and maybe .1% out of the 10,000 I take in a year. I tell people, “no” over and over again, and feel like a jerk for doing it.

I home school three small children, I have my hands totally full, and I don’t need the money. Besides which, by the time I hired a baby

sitter, it would cost me money most of the time, not to mention stress. I also hate the pressure of trying to please someone other than

myself. However, when it comes to cancer I have a soft spot. I have taken family portraits for a neighbor and friend who is a single

mom with terminal breast cancer. I also take obituary photos for her every few months, although we never call them that. We call them

individual portraits. So…

 

I agreed to shoot this wedding. I came here and read virtually everything I could get my hands on. I asked in a thread about the

very best wedding photographers out there so I could at least look at examples of really good wedding pics and try to get some

inspiration. I read through “critique my first wedding” threads, and in some cases was mortified by the abysmal quality folks were

sometimes getting paid for. Thinking if I were a bride who’d paid for that I’d be in tears. I read through every nightmare thread in the

“Must Read: Before you shoot your first wedding thread.” I went to the location at the same time of day that the wedding would be, to

look at the light. At the facility they had about a dozen albums full of photos from other weddings that had taken place there. I looked

through those and thought about potential shots. I thought about where the wedding would be, what kind of equipment I would need. I

arranged for an assistant to come with me. She has the same camera model that I do, I figured she could be both a second shooter and

a back up camera. I read and read and read. I practiced shooting, I used my own wedding dress, dug out of storage and practiced

getting the exposure right to show details in the beading in lots of different light. I spent money out of my own pocket on a new flash and

a rented lens and books to help me learn. I found a great free tutorial: Photographing a Friend or Relative’s Wedding by John A. Lind,

and read every word, at least twice. Then the bride’s father got sicker and died, they actually wedding took place in the hospital a

couple of days before, the originaly date the wedding, now an affirmation of vows, date got changed. In between the light changed, the

weather got colder and we even changed the clocks. I think I still would have been okay, but we had a cold front blow in over night and

the wedding got moved inside.

 

I did “okay” but could have done better.

 

The biggest problem that I had was that all my lenses were too long to shoot inside the house. I rented a 70-200 thinking I was going to be out in a big spacious yard. I practiced with it and was very comfortable with it, but could barely use it in the house. I wanted to rent a wide angle too, for the reception, but I let my husband talk me out of it (duh!)

 

Fortunately my assistant has a wide angle so we agreed that she would concentrate on wide shots and I would get close-ups. However,

when it came time for the actual ceremony. I didn’t think very carefully. I should have had my assistant go up to the alter and shoot

down the aisle as the wedding party came in, but I didn’t. So all the shots we have are from the back. There was no room for one of us

up there anyway. This was literally in the living room of a regular sized house. The alter was in one corner and the bride was coming in

from a brightly lit doorway. There were windows on three sides of this room, so everywhere I turned was backlit.

 

Now a pro with lots of experience would have been able to deal with the back lighting in a situation like that, but I couldn’t, and even if I could have, I’d have been limited to close-ups of faces, or even just nostrils, with that lens! I suppose a pro would have been more assertive than I am too, and just gotten up there at the alter and squeezed in. I had my gray card with me, but I couldn’t see stopping the bride in the doorway

and saying, “excuse me, stop right there while I get this exposure down, could you please hold this card?”

 

I did the best I could, but I’m concerned that it wasn’t very good. I hope that they are reasonably happy with the results. If I were an experienced pro, I would have much better experience with the unexpected, but all my planning didn’t allow for me being inside the house. All my pre-planned shots just were a waste of my time. I had a new flash, but I wasn’t very comfortable with it, and it fell off my bracket and crashed to the floor during the ceremony. Also, my phone rang during the ceremony. Oh my god! (at least I was at the back for that!) I am happy with the pics I took in natural light outside on the porch just after the ceremony and I got a “few” decent shots. My assistant got some good shots too, but she wasn’t comfortable shooting out of the “preset” modes on her camera, which meant she couldn’t shoot in RAW. I

shot in RAW and am able to correct a lot of white balance/exposures stuff on my shots, but her shots all seem to have too much

magenta and purple or orange in the skin tones and I can’t seem to fix, it even with lightroom, presumably because they are .jpgs. All in

all, I came home miserable and couldn’t sleep and am just sick over having let them persuade me to do it.

 

I hope my experience may serve to dissuade someone else from getting in over your head. ugh.

[greg jansen]

Part of the whole wedding thing, in addition to the shooting, is the post. An experianced wedding photographer with a good post-production workflow will be able to make the best of the images you and your asisstant shot.

 

You may be able to find someone locally or on his site willing to clean up all the images and get them in a presentable fashion. This would include white balance correction, tone, hue, contrast, cropping, noise reduction, etc. An experianced pro will have a variety of techniques and workflow practices that go beyond the basic adjustments you may not be familiar with, and tis is not the time to learn them.

 

With some good post and heavy editing, you may be surprised at the outcome. Don't expect any miricles, of course.

 

It's easy to look at the mass of images and feel disappointment. That mass of images is not what you present the client. You show them only the best of the bunch, which could be 50% or so, and that 50% has been tweaked and corrected to be their best.

 

Get some help on the post.

 

Good luck.

[wedding-photography-denver]

I am sorry you had that experience. I also applaud your willingness to share your experience.

 

You can try Bullseye software for the Jpeg WB issue.

[david_schilling___chicago_]

Thanks for sharing, I hope other new shooters will benefit from your experience. Wedding photography often appears to be alot easier than it actually is.

[sprouty]

I have few comments: the first is there was nothing wrong with your intentions. You acted out of the goodness of

your heart, made a solid effort to practice, you tried to be prepared, and you even brought a second shooter.

You should feel no guilt over that.

 

So what to do now? Well the fact you didn't do as well as you felt you could have can only be mitigated by doing

the best you can with the images you have. Work on the best images and focus on making those really pop. Rather

than try to fill an album with hundreds of mediocre images, maybe you should pick a smaller sample and provide an

album with larger prints that are really well finished. Are the images posted anywhere? There are some pretty

talented people on this forum who may be able assist you with the PP.

 

As for the bride and groom, don't tell them anything. They've gone through enough and are still suffering from

the loss of the family member. There is still a chance you can give them something they will appreciate with a

little more effort, don't give up!

[greenpalm]

I haven't said a word to B & G. I doubt they will dislike them as much as I do. I haven't posted them anywhere. I've been

working on them in lightroom, cropping, etc. My plan was to try to get the very best few and only show them those.

[picturesque]

I commend you for having a big heart and trying to help these folks. Let me tell you that the feeling of never having achieved your best photographically comes with the territory. I feel I have a good handle on shooting weddings after all these years, but I still have doubts about myself and my skills after each wedding, and before, too. These are feelings you channel into doing even better next time and in keeping your 'mojo' going. It is unfortunate that the change in plans caught you by surprise. It is just the luck of the draw--it might have been completely different in that you might have been able to execute your well laid plans and preparation. I bet the couple will be very happy with your efforts, so I wouldn't worry about that part. If you ever do this again, now you know, and if this is the start of a career in wedding photography, know that you already have one crucial element in place--the desire to be good--extremely good--at what you do.

[sprouty]

<I>"I doubt they will dislike them as much as I do."</I>

<P>

Exactly.

<P>

I was just in your shoes a few weeks ago, I'm not a professional and don't pretend to be one, but I eventually said yes, because no amount of discussion could convince my friends that it would be better for a pro to handle it.

<P>

I did pretty much everything you did and still things happen you don't expect: during the kiss I was in position ready to go and just as the groom leans in I snap the first shot, the flash takes a second to recycle but he's done. It was the briefest kiss I've ever seen and I missed it! I actually felt sick to my stomach. I quickly adjusted and got the procession away from the altar. The groom's reaction when I told him later that we would have to re-create it? "Nah, we don't care about that."

<P>

Later on I'm shooting candids of people dancing and suddenly I see cake being passed around. My first thought is I missed the cake cutting, More panic, I ask the groom and he says he just told the caterer to start cutting. I ask what about the cutting ceremony? Again, no concern, he just shrugged it off.

<P>

You just never know.

[darrengold]

Julie

 

You need to see this from their perspective. They continuously rearranged everything so that the bride's father could see them married. Their concerns were very different from the usual couple. In so doing they are also highly likely to be the kind of people who will appreciate everything you have done for them.

 

Having read all the effort that you went to on their behalf there was no end of angels involved with that wedding.

 

Regards

[john_h.1]

Well, you did the best you could at the time. Don't sweat it. You gave fair warning. Hopefuly your effort is apprieciated. If not, your acted fairly and deserve credit for that. Don't beat yourself up for this.

[hassy501]

Your experience is a perfect example of what happens when a couple do not value their photography.....they got what they paid for.........you did them a favor.........and they will be happy with everything they receive....

 

....and another reason why our industry's perception of "professional" photography is slowing being lowered to the area of mediocrity...........price over quality.............and the willingness of unqualified people with digital cameras (notice I didn't say photographers) who take on a commitment they are not qualified to take on...........a once in a lifetime event that can NEVER be duplicated..................

 

In the end, it's the bride and groom who make the choice...........

[lindsay_dobson]

Julie, it was brave of you talk about this and (unlike some amateur photographers) you've seen the pitfalls and you've understood where there were failings. I think it was very kind of you to help your trainer, who probably would have had difficulties finding a pro at such short notice, and it sounds as though they didn't have the budget for one anyway. Given the circumstances, I'm sure they were grateful to have you and did not set their expectations too high. You were honest with them about the standard of your work and what you felt you could deliver, and they accepted that. Please don't be too harsh on yourself.

[steve_c.5]

Julie, I can tell you have a very good heart, and you did the best you could. Lots of couples really think the job of photographer is an easy gig, and you just walk around like Ashton Kutcher in that Nikon commercial taking wonderful shots and having a grand time, never blowing a shot. It's really not that easy in real life, as you've found out.

 

My personal opinion is that this couple should have concentrated more on her father's last days and doing whatever they could to make him happy and comfortable, then taken some time to grieve, get themselves together, and plan a proper, simple wedding during a better time of the year. It sounds like they had way too much going on all at one time, and with the weather change forcing them indoors, the venue just wasn't optimal. In any case what's done is done, and I'm sure they'll be fine with your photos, and be glad that you were at least willing to try and help them.

 

Really, the only thing I'd fuss at you over is the cellphone ringing. I guess you were a little overwhelmed and forgot to turn it off. Lesson learned. I leave mine in the car.

 

Just don't be too discouraged, and take it as one of those great life lessons we all have to learn. You tried hard, you did your best, and you're a better person for the experience. All the best.

[garydem]

julie mcc- give your fluttering heart and yourself a very well deserved pat on the back. you are definately in the good

girl catagory.

 

with that said, i want to tell you that i typed many many worrds to potential wedding first time shooters trying to tell

them about the diference between personal/hobby/pleasure shooting and a wedding. i get the idea that very few pay

much attention. to list-you can make no errors in technique or composition absolutely none. you should know your

gear and the all the technique needed so well, that the only concern is what is the next shot and where do i stand to

get it. all your equipement has to work and it has to be the right gear for every shot.(such as your problem with the

lens. you should have had a 24-105 top grade lens and you would have been fine. your assistent should have been

the one with the 70-200 for long range shots, she then could have switched to a kit lens sized lens for later).

 

i agree with what someone said above, once he died then it did not matter when the wedding took place. they should

have spent the time with concern over the last days.

[manrique_molina]

You were too brave. I tried first shooting a friend's sons children party and it gave me an idea of what is like to be an event (not just wedding) photographer. I took the task seriously (even if no one cared if I took good pictures or not). Big and dark entertainment complex (but with lots of neon and colors). I sweated profusely all the time. I did some post production and everyone was thrilled with the pictures. They did not expect anything like I did (I even did a few "formals"). I learned NOT to volunteer again (I dont even think about weddings). Too much stress! We have to give pro wedding photographers real credit for their profession.

[savagesax]

A lot of people think they can buy a camera, open a business, ask a few questions and they are now wedding pro's. I'm glad you did this for the family. As already stated you have big heart and in some ways that can make your images a step above most. You are different, you take pictures for the love of it. Not to open a business and then learn about photography.

 

If you get time, kindly post a pic or 2. I have a feeling you did OK for your first wedding.

[lou korell]

Julie that was a great post. You gave a very comprehensive accounting of your experience. I hope it will be added to a "read this before..." area because it is so often that people say "oh, that won't happen to me". I'm sure given your explanation to the couple and their understanding of the situation, they will be fine with what you give them.

If you're still feeling brave, why not post a few so we can see how you did? :)

 

 

Lou

[greenpalm]

I want to thank everyone for the emotional support. I've got to say, you've surprised me. I do not generally find the tenor of

this site and this forum to be so charitable. (Compared to my digi-scrapbooking site which is nauseatingly and insincerely

sweet and kind, you guys are cutthroat, but often effectively brutally honest.) Thank you. I would be happy to post a few

pictures, but it would help me to understand to what end? I don’t especially want a critique, I’m pretty sure I could itemize

what’s wrong with each and everyone one of them, and if there is something else wrong that I overlooked, I’m pretty sure I

don’t want to know. Do you want to see the bad ones to offer advice on improving them? Do you want to see the good ones

so you can tell me I didn't fail as miserably as I think? Do you want to see the bad ones so you can just witness the train

wreck and be grateful you aren't responsible? (ha ha!) Do you want to see the good ones so you can fully appreciate just how

bad the bad ones must be if those I post are "good?" I can’t show you the ones I didn’t take, which is probably the most

echoing void of all. (Namely shots of the whole wedding procession from the front) I was thinking of posting a few, but I don't

know what to show you. Should I show you the ones I wish were better because they have some redeeming qualities but lots

of imperfections? Should I show you the handful that I think hit the mark? Should I show you the ones that were so bad I hit

the "reject" flag instantly? Should I show them to you in their original state or should I show you the ones I've doctored up?

Should I show you a few I think I'd like to have some help with? I have a feeling the ones I can’t fix probably aren’t fixable. I

just don't know where to start! Altogether, we shot 625 frames.

 

I honestly didn't start this thread because I wanted help, although I'm eternally grateful to those of you who have generously

offered your time to do so (off-list)! I just wanted to lament a little and I truly thought there might be a soul saved by having

read this.

 

Initially, I 100% agreed with Steve C. that they should have just left the wedding for later. That date they had set for next

summer would have been fine, even though Dad wouldn't have made it. The days and events for which they will be acutely

aware of his absence are infinite, and this is only the beginning of an aching chasm. Insisting on having him there for the

wedding almost felt like a discourtesy to me. Like a selfish motivation on the part of the couple. I even said as much to my

husband. My husband though, with whom I share three children, one of whom is a two year old daughter, said to me, "How

do you know that he hadn't been dreaming of his little girl's wedding day since the day she was born? How do you know that

it wasn't extremely important to him that he be there to give her away?" I reluctantly agreed that he had a point, and I

admitted that I knew so little about the couple or the family or the father in particular to presume to make that choice for them,

even if I did think I knew better.

 

Regarding George Martinez's thoughts on how my actions coupled with the choice of the bride and groom affect the

profession. I'm not sure I agree. I don't think this couple was going to hire a pro whether or not I agreed to help them. If I

hadn't agreed, they probably would have just gotten their friends and family to bring their cameras and made do with what they

had. If it's not in the budget, it's not in the budget. All I did was improve the quality a little (and I still believe I did! I just wish

I’d done it even better! I wanted to do as well as a pro, even if that’s not what they expected) My grandparents were old

school florists. They owned a dedicated flower shop in Dallas, Texas 50 years ago, they ran it until they died. By the time

they died there wasn't a business left to run. With flowers available at every grocery store and even Walmart, the competition

is tough, because it's both cheap and convenient. (Is the customer service or quality the same?) Still, they got up and went

in every day, but the place was like a time warp. It was just a reason to get up in the morning, and not a bad one, but

certainly not a profitable one, the profession has been permanently altered. It's sad, and it's the same for hardware stores,

little Mom & Pop office supply places and a dozen other businesses I could name. I’m consistently irritated by the lack of

customer service or quality at Home Depot but I still shop there. It’s cheap, and it’s gotten to be the only choice. Granted,

my hardware and home repair are not once-in-a-lifetime events, but again, if it’s not in the budget it’s just not in the budget.

Shoot, if I had it to do over again, I’d hire professional photographers to shoot the births of all my kids. I don’t have a single

frame of video of ME holding my daughter on the day she was born, and the photos I have are disappointing. Too bad I can’t

give birth and take pictures at the same time. I got burned with a cheap bicycle from Walmart for one of my kids. It was only

30 dollars, but it cost plenty in wear and tear on me because the pedals are so stiff he cries with frustration virtually every

time we get it out. I read an article about kids’ bikes before we bought it. The article said, “Kids bikes are not toys, don’t buy

them at a toy store, go to a reputable bicycle shop and get a professional to size them. Pay a little more for quality” I thought

that was ridiculous to spend that kind of money when I didn’t even know if riding a bike was something he would enjoy. The

trouble is, now he practically hates it because he has no experience with anything but a crummy bike! Still though, there are

plenty of kids out there who wouldn’t have a bike at all if it weren’t for Walmart. It’s not like everyone can afford to go to a

reputable bicycle shop and have their kids sized by a pro. Neither can everyone hire a pro to shoot their wedding. I imagine

there are far more weddings without pros photographing them than there are weddings with pros in attendance! I think the real

challenge that all these schmoes with digital cameras who are hanging out a shingle and calling themselves “professionals,”

is how hard it is for the consumer to separate the wheat from the chafe. How do I know what “quality” of wedding photography

I’m getting? I only get married once (or twice! ha ha!) So, I never have the opportunity to get experience hiring someone.

That’s a long way of saying, it’s not people like me who are lowering the standards of the profession. It’s the so called

“professionals” who are doing that. I’m just running a charity. Or, at any rate, I was, as I told my husband the minute I got

home from the wedding, “I’m NEVER going to do that again!” However, my assistant has other ideas she, and a friend who

have each seen a handful of the pics are nearly swooning. My assistant said, “YOur photos are gorgeous! YOu know people

are going to want you to do this again :-P “ and a very close friend of mine said upon seeing three, “You are now ordered to

stop stressing!  These are beautiful!!” Neither of them really made me feel any better though! First, the photos I showed

them weren’t really representative of the whole batch, and second, I don’t believe either of them hold my to a sufficiently high

standard.

 

I’ve gotten rather long winded here and I think I sound a little more “ranty” than I meant to. My real intention in posting was to

express some gratitude to those of you who have shown such encouraging support. You’ve all gone a long way to remind me

that perfection is not required or expected, and yes, the B & G almost certainly will be grateful for what I’ve done. I need to

make peace with it and move on. I probably do deserve a bit of a pat on the back just for giving it a shot and I probably have

been too hard on myself. That said, I've added three of my favorite shots to my portfolio under "single photos" and one that my

assistant took that has the white balance issue. I just did low res .jpgs, not the full size files. I couldn't figure out how to add them

directly to this post.

 

Thanks again, everyone.<div></div>

[garydem]

juklie mcc-m you said yountook 625 shots. that is a bunch. when i took my weddings i was runningb in the 3-400 shots varea. and that was with film.

 

in any evet, do not think that since you tookmn 65 shots youn have now present to the b&g all 625. no wedding photog presents every shot that was taken. if me, or nay other person who has shot weddings, i would simply select the 200or so shots that you wish to present and do that. if you have a 100 that are totally messed up the b&g will never see them. of, course if they requested special shots include them.

 

lastly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the shot above. it is first class. if the rest of your pics are anywhere near this quality then you have nothing to knock your work for. for a first time wedding shooter you did good.

as i said for doing what you did under those circumstances definately puts you in the good girl catagory.

[hassy501]

Julie, there are many "pro's" who work within the budget that you did their wedding for..........it's not a slam at you or your client, just stating facts based on my personal experience in operating a wedding photography business here in Southern California for 19 years and seeing the decline among my fellow wedding photographers in the area.

[greenpalm]

George? Seriously? There are pros who trade for babysitting and spend money out of their own pocket on lens rentals?

How do they make a living? If they don't make a living, why do they do it?

 

Thanks to Gary for saying that shot is "first class." I actually agree with you. (although I could point out several things that

are wrong with it) I love it. It's my favorite from the entire event. However, it was in the situation I feel most comfortable

with out on a porch in open shade with natural and reflected light. I also did a fair amount of work on it in Adobe Lightroom,

but I make no apologies for that. They are not all this good. That's why I asked my question about what the posters who

wanted to see a few really want to see. (the best, the worst? Something in between?) I can show you one or two or three

stellar images and that does not mean I did a good job photographing their wedding. I'm pretty inconsistent. I could be

better with practice, but I'd probably die of a heart attack trying!

 

Thanks again! I do feel a little better as I go through the weeding and editing process, just getting the crummy ones out of

the way has made it a little more appealing to look at only the better quality ones, also as I crop and edit, they keep looking

a little less horrid. Nothing I do will get me a good shot of the processional though.

 

Julie<div></div>

[lou korell]

Julie, just from the looks of the two posted images, I don't think you have as much to fret over as your original post seemed to indicate. They are fine and if you have a bunch just as good, you are going to make them really happy. I don't think at this point you need to have hundreds of fantastic images. For their expectations you may have enough.

 

Lou

[hassy501]

Julie, my point was that as there are more PWC's willing to do weddings for (trade, free, barter, cheap), those clients who would have looked at lower end market pros won't.......when they can have PWC's do their wedding.............

[garydem]

julie mcc-again please note what i said about the number of pics you are going to show to the b&g. if you took 625 that does nlt mean thsat the b&g gets 625. a realistic number is in 200-250 range. and pics that you would rather the b&g not see they will even be seeing. you are give the b&g only the 200-250 best shots. n of course ALL the shots remain in your possesion, the b&g gets the copy of the shots.

[think27]

Julie - Take a look at the guidelines for posting images on PN. We ask that you post one image and direct people to the rest of your work on either you website or to your Photo.net portfolio. Keep in mind that if you direct people - with a link to a folder - to your photo.net folder it will stay in the archives. Outside links to photographer's websites are not archived and eventually are deleted.

 

I personally would never edit 625 shots down to 200-250 best shots (unless I had some really iffy shots in there - which would not happen at this stage of my career ;-)

 

I had 1400 or so images of my own wedding and I treasure every single one of them.

 

Even with film I shot 25-30 rolls at weddings and only edited out 1 to 4 from each roll of 36. (duplications, closed eyes etc).

 

I've said it here many times - my couples always ended up ordering larger albums than originally planned because there were so many shots they loved. Most were 24-page albums that turned into 40-50 pages. Also I shoot lots of candid moment" shots of guests and activities and interactions - almost in the style of a video frames. For instance - rather than one shot of the bride coming down the isle... there would be a "series". As she comes down the isle, sometimes winking at a guest or waving or one minute holding back tears and the next a big broad grin... closer and closer until there as a big hug for Dad and a close up of the groom looking at the bride... The expressions are priceless. Just that one series could be 5 to 10 shots - depending on what was going on.

 

So - everyone should keep in mind that sweeping statements about what you should or shouldn't do should be measured by your own style and your market.

 

Gary - if my photographer only gave me 250 or so of my 1400 shots - I would not be happy. How does the photographer decide what shots I should never see? I want to see it all!