Leaving cards with wedding shops sounds like a good idea... no harm in trying. You can pick up a fair bit of business at local wedding shows, so it might be worthwhile getting a booth at one. Websites are good to have, but I suspect most people will probably still look at local media first, like the Yellow Pages.
As for getting photos for your portfolio, start off by doing some portraits. They don't have to be wedding-related as long as they show that you can photograph people in a competent and flattering manner. Depending on your shooting style, you can add PJ shots, candids, etc. as desired. On the basis of that you should be able to book one or two weddings, even if you have to do so at a lower rate than you anticipated, and then you can use those as fodder for your revised portfolio. Generally photographers like to keep possession of the negatives, as this allows them to make money off of every enlargement or reprint the customer has done. The downside is that you can't charge as much initially (relying instead on future reprint orders), and more and more people have scanners and access to other ways of reproducing photos themselves. From my experience, most customers prefer to keep the negatives themselves, as they can have reprints and enlargements done quickly for very little money. The good part is that you can now charge them *more* for the wedding because they won't have to pay your marked-up prices for reprints/enlargements, and they'll be happy because they have the negs. Shooting just 35mm isn't necessarily a bad thing. If your style is more PJ than studio, then 35mm can be the best tool for the job. And by using a tripod and ISO 160 film you should be able to get enlargements that will satisfy most clients. Bruce mentioned multiple flashes, but it sounds like this depends on where you are. 'Round these parts, pretty much everyone does the flash-on-Stroboframe thing, which still sets you apart from the "Uncle Bobs" who typically don't use Strobos. If you can, you may want to use MedF or LF for formal portraits, and then advertise that fact. When my friend got into wedding photography a couple of years ago, she formed a good working relationship with a busy local photographer. He would always have multiple requests for the same day, so he'd pass on those clients to her. Coupled with WOM (word of mouth), she's doing really well now. Good luck! chris
