Constructive criticism please...

Clicked off a few shots at my friends wedding recently. Wondering what suggestions you would have. I do well in natural light, but am a mess (very hit or miss) when it comes to fine-tuning the manual settings, and lets not mention adding in my flash to that as well. As you can see from the befores, even pictures taken in the same room are quite different. I've worked at a retail studio for years, so the composition and people aspect I am very comfortable with. It's the dog-gone technical stuff that kills me (are studio equipment is all dummy proof pre-sets). Not looking to go full-time pro, but would love to be able to have enough know how to take on a few gigs here and there as a side job. I love taking pictures, but I'm not the cut-throat type to make a full time business from it. Thanks!

I just realized I uploaded the wrong before for the over-the-shoulder pic. The color and lighting were the same though, so you get the gist.

If you are not planning on becoming a pro and just doing this as a side line, try a one day course with a pro just to pick up on the technical side, some of your photos are lovely, it looks as though you are using direct flash which is a no no, bounce it off a wall or a ceiling as long as you are set on TTL you should be fine.

Try to work on your composition, the cropping or the actual size of the picture makes the subject looked framed tightly. Also try to play with lights even if your using ambient light. Most of your picture only shows an application of flat or plain light. But the important thing is you captured the love on their wedding day.

your first shot is wonderful as are a couple of the others but as was said you need some more lighting options to bring out your subjects and make them "pop". you captured their expressions well and their affection but need to frame some shots better so they are more in the frame on your verticals.

Yeah, I had tried to bounce the flash, but both locations had vaulted and colored ceilings. Awful combinations! Made for some odd color cast and weird shadows. Again problems likely due to not knowing how my equipment well enough.

Could you please elaborate on the framing?

Thanks all!

When I started using a digital camera, the hardest thing was learning to work around the dynamic range digital offers.

If your camera has a means of extending the dynmanic range, Nikon calls their's D-lighting, play around with it. If you're using CS5 use the 'fill light' control to soften up those harsh shadows.

Throw a couple white index cards and rubber bands into your camera bag. In a pinch you can attach the index card to your flash with a rubber band and bend the card to make a bounce reflector. Angle the head rearward and up to avoid hot spots on your subject.

Between images 1 and 2, I like the second one more because it is a closer crop. I also like your color treatment.

In images 3 and 4, the groom is out of focus because both of them are not on the same plane, and you probably used a wide aperture. Using a smaller aperture (i.e, f/11 or f/16) could have put both of them in focus. That's unfortunate because you got great reactions from the groom and bride.

I really like images 4 and 5 with their selective focus on the hands. Well done!

Images 5 and 6. Again, the groom is out of focus. These two images didn't bother me as much as images 3 and 4, because the bride here was clearly in focus.

You had mentioned that you couldn't bounce the flash off the ceiling, because it had high vault and colored. Remember that you have other options besides the ceiling. For example, you could also bounce the flash of the walls. Just turn your flash head either to the right or left. Another option is to bounce the flash off someone who is wearing white color, such as the tux shirt of the best man.

If you want to create dramatic lighting, you need to capture highlights and shadows. When you shoot with a flash on camera, everything will be evenly lit. That's how you get the "DMV" look. It's better to shoot with a flash off camera. You can do that by attaching your flash to the camera with a sync cord or using a wireless trigger.

Do you use any modifiers with your flash? While most modifiers are so small that they don't make much of a difference, they could be useful if you move it within a few inches of your subject. Even an omnibounce is better than shooting with a bare flash.

Personally I really like the second one, nice job