I would like to thank each of you that took the time and effort to help and to reply to my question, I am going to study these answers, and go into the recommended links and see if I can get what I need from that - thank you all soooo much!!!!

Hi,this forum has been extremely helpful to me in the past and wondered if I could seek some help again on an issue.
I do wedding and engagement photos and I have spit out digital negatives for many years. Lightroom puts them out and I guess I never understood or knew exactly what size they are. If I wanted to make for face book I went into the image resizing and made the dpi something like 240.
Anyway, one of my engagement shots was given to a local paper and they said it was not the right size - has to be at least 4 inches and 400 dpi - I was not sure how in lightroom 4 to make this size - what is the best way and how should I be sending these digital negatives out of lightroom 4 when I export them - where and how do I say what size and what size is best to give brides and customers - I am confused on this - thank you so much for any help anyone can share!!!

Hi everyone! I have used this forum on several occasions when I reach a stumbling block - I am a portrait and wedding photographer and also do engagement shots,
I always export my photos from lightroom to give to the customer after I have edited them - have been doing this
forever, but this is the first time I have encountered this situation.
A bride said she gave the digital negative that I gave her to the newspaper for her engagement announcement and they said it must be at least 4 inches wide/400 dpi's. I have always just exported my photos (and on occasion I downsized some for facebook) but not sure how to know what size they are currently printing and how to fix it to this size - can someone explain how this works and how it is done in lightroom when exporting the photos, I know there is a place for resizing images - but generally I don't touch that unless I want to shrink them
so 1) where do I change it to correct the size of my images that are being given to the customer - and what is a good and 'acceptable size" and where do you normally put that in lightroom
and 2) should I always be spitting out these digital negatives at a specific size - I am not good in this area at all but never have run in to this in five years. Not sure what to do here.
Thank you in advance for any light someone can shed on this!!
Deb

Hi - I am sorry I am a real novice at this website and at first could not find the replys to my question so I apologize for not getting back - my opposition to a tripod is that at weddings I use the tripod at church but hate lugging it to the reception also, cuz seldom use it at receptions, but I guess I can if I have to.
I appreciate all the good information and will read and reread these suggestions, some are over my head - others make good sense to me - either way - thank you all so much for your help - I will study what you have shared.
Thank you!!

Hi! I have not been on this site in a while but you all have helped me numerous times and asking if someone could help me out here - I am a wedding photographer and usually have used my regular lens to try to capture wedding jewelry and details in the past, but wanted to improve my photos of rings.
After talking to many people I was told macro canon-compatible lens 105mm was good lens - it is 1:1 and is a Sigma lens, I now own it! But...my problem is, I have tried using it and using a smaller aperature of 5.6 or little more and even manual focus to try to get the details and using a spot focus, and still cannot seem to get a good clear shot of the ring each time. Many times it is out of focus-do I have to use a tripod-yuck! I will if I must - Is there something I am missing? Have goggled it and no luck with these videos - they dont get into the specifics. Would soooo appreciate any guidance any one can give and thanks for the help!!

If they want you to do the wedding even though you've already warned her that you don't feel qualified, all you can do is your best. sounds like you have decided and agreed to do the wedding - then do it - prepare yourself the best you can by going to the location ahead of time and practicing - your photos are very nice - and the overexposure is common in many pictures now - it is trendy, but professionals do over expose shots and your shots are good. The decision as to whether to do it or not is yours ultimately - and so you have a right to ask people for thoughts and answers to your questions - you did not ask SHOULD I do it - you asked how - so crazy as it may be - if you want to do it - go for it and ask and study and learn till you get your answers! The bride obviously values saving money over a professional and so she knows she is making a trade-off and taking a chance - reiterate that with her and then go for it - I say!!

A great book, I found is Understanding Flash Photography
and also Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Both will be very helpful to anyone having difficulty with lighting (of course we still ALL (or should say MOST of us - have lighting problems - that is the reason ever photo is not perfect - uaally, it seems!)

Ditto - although, if any lens is a jack of all trades, it is a master of none - there is always - it seems to me - a perfect lens for a specific picture or story you are trying to capture. The trick is using the right one (and settings of course!)

I agree with this statement!! Somedays you are a Pro and others you forget your camera! How many times you have a great shoot (in my case a wedding) get a lot of wonderful shots - everything right on...you are on top of the world. Next wedding - anything that can go wrong does, now you feel like the beginner you were years ago and want to crawl under a rock. However, we are always more critical of our own work than any of the people we photograph for, don't you think?

That sounds like a great plan - what is the name of the site that backs up photos etc for under $4 a month? That would be so helpful because I end up copying them both at work and home on external hard drive to insure never lost.
Thanks!

WOWWWW! That is an amazing photo!

crap! Just realized your wedding must have been today...Sunday! Hope it went well - soorry!

Be sure to have several compact flash and think through what poses you want to place the bride and groom in - make a list (although you wont have time to read it) writing it helps - of all the people you need to photograph after the wedding
bride and groom, the parents, grandparents, siblings, or who ever they feel they need photos with - have a place in mind to take photos after the wedding and before reception - if it is a nice day you are so far better to find a spot outside, as your lighting will be much easier out of doors versus in the church and reception hall

You also might want to consider shooting in raw - so you have some options afterwards. Make sure you have your f-stop at about f8 if you are doing group shots and be sure to take lots of the bride and groom! One of my first weddings I felt I had not taken enough of the bride and groom, and afterall this is their day so make sure you get plenty of them along with the candid shots. I have the same camera and flash, and I alternate between many lens during the wedding - do you have anything with an f2.8 so you can maybe shoot in the church without a flash? You should get a diffuser for your flash and make sure not to aim it directly at your subject. Good luck and by the way...the first one is the toughest. You get thru this and you will be golden! I always say at any wedding I am more nervous than the bride and groom - but that is true of all wedding photographers I do believe! Good luck! You'll be fine, they are asking for a huge favor and most likely will be thankful for your efforts. Just give them your best! Be sure you have plenty of batteries and start out with fresh batteries in your flash if you are using the flash in church. Oh and be sure to remind the bridesmaids and bride, etc to walk down the aisle slowly and leave room in between. (You need time for your flash to regenerate

Wow I love these macro shots - they are all incredible!