Hello to all my new food friends.

This is my fiancee and my first attempt at making sushi on 6/8/07. This is a Novi Salmon roll w/sour cucumber,cream cheese,avocado and Lumpfish caviar.This is also our first food photo.

Welcome to the forum, Vancelot!

Congrats on getting up the courage to make sushi.... my husband and I have had a package of seaweed and a sushi mat for about two years, and we have yet to attempt this difficult dish.

How was it?

Saint Pizza -

NOOOOOO!
For maki, it's easy. Once you get the hang of it (Just like everything else) it's not as hard as you may be thinking. Actually, the rice is the hardest part, and if you have a rice cooker, you're well on your way. There are several places around town to get sushi grade fish (I'd recommend Mitsuwa, for starters.)
I'd definitely start with maki and chirashi only, as the aesthetics for properly made nigiri will need more practice. Maki is fun, and relatively easy. After two or three tries, you will regret not trying sooner, I can almost guarantee it.

A few hints for when you take the plunge:
Go to an asian mkt.
You WILL need rice wine vinegar (for flavoring your rice.) They also make handy rice flavoring packets, but those will make your rice VERY sticky, and a little bit more difficult to work with.

Toasted sesame seeds

you can buy pre-made wasabi paste, and /or wasabi powder to make your own paste.

Ichmi Togarashi (hot red pepper blend with other spices - think spicy tuna roll pepper mix)

I'd also invest in a hot chili sesame oil, or a regular toasted sesame oil (or both) if you don't have any.

Your fish / roe / veggie combos will be up to you (you've had sushi before, common sense comes into play)

Timesaver:
Run the length of the peeled, entire cucumber down the big grate sides of a cheese grater for skinny, long shreds of cucmber. Dry these shreds on a paper towel. (I wish I had thought of this YEARS ago! - way easier than julienne-ing these things by hand)

Simple standard spicy mayo:
start with about 1/3 cup of mayo, 1 tbs Ichmi Togarashi, 1 tbs Hot Chili Sesame Oil, or 1tbs of reg tasted sesame oil (depending on how spicy you want) I'll generally add masago or tobiko directly to my spicy mayo.

Keep a bowl of lukewarm water nearby to keep your hands wet when working with the rice! (You'll see why)

Have all of your ingredients chopped and ready to throw into your roll before you start making your rolls i.e. chopped green onion, cucumber,
avocado, a bowl with spicy mayo and a spoon in it, lettuce leaves, fish slices, roe ..everything. Once you start rolling, you're going to have sticky rice residue all over your hands. Picking up a knife, or handling utensils will require a good hand washing. Make all of the rolls first, and put them in the fridge for slicing later (wash your hands AFTER making all of the rolls.) Keep your knife wet when slicing!

Maki is definitely not something to start after a full day at the office unless you don't mind dinner at 9pm, but it is well worth the time spent. These are just some notes that would have helped me during my first few tries at it. I just kinda muddled through a book to get me going, but picked up tips along the way. Trust me, WAAAAAY easier than you think.

Welcome, Vancelot.

Sushi photo looks great. How was the taste?