got booked my first wedding. Need some help

[supplier]

Hi folks, got my first wedding shoot (as a second photographer with a min pay by hrs.) Still I have good feelings, prepared, have d70 as primary and N90s as backup two (SB-800 and SB-26 for film backup, but can work as A-mode on D70) flashes, 18-70 DX, 24-120D AF, and 50mm 1.4 d-AF, and 80-200 ED AF, one stroboframe Pro-T, flash Cord, dome
5 or 6 GB CF (good for up to 1000 RAW), and will have my notebook in the car if I need to dump images and free some space,
Planning to get pack or 40 AA batteries.
1. What do you thing is enough number of batteries

Please remember that I’m trying to get information for my particular wedding / equipment and not in general

2. I also need to learn a bit more about WB, what I will do on my own, but I need your suggestion how many of you bothering change WB during a wedding shoot if you shoot only RAw

3. If you bother to change WB during weddings, do you ever use gel filters on flash indoors, or you just do the shooting and working later in PS to correct problems

4. By the way, does it matter for RAW to use correct WB, or WB information just as an attachment to the RAW file for future software translation of the image?
5. Along this question, I always proffered set custom settings on my D70 for RAW as no sharpening, no color boosts, etc... I preferred full control of sharpening during conversion and PS. For the wedding shoot in RAW do you suggest to boost some of the custom setting?? (I honestly not even sure if this settings play any role in RAW)

And just to let me know if you agree with my approach:

Indoors home I'll shoot camera in M, 1/60 - 125 and 5.6F (except close up portraits), Flash in AA mode with manual compensation overrides if needed)

In church 1/30 - 1/60, 4.5f-5.6f, same AA mode for SB-800 flash

Outside if sunny -- in P mode with Balance fill flash. For harsh conditions, like bright sun -- I have technique to shoot with D70 on shutter speeds up to 1/4000 with non dedicated flash -- flash needs to be in M mode and experimented on a field what power output to set it up to. I have tested -- great results!

Any other technical suggestions are welcomed.
Vlad

6. And one more thing, indoors i'll use iso 400 or even 800 unless you are disagree on iso 800 due to possible noise issue. Should i even concider iso over 800?

[buffalophotographer]

I used to shoot with the N d100 before switching to the canon side. I always use ISO 200 with a 24-10mm ED VR lens and a sb800 Flash which in my opinion is a very powerfull flash with the 5 batteries hooked up. I have had enough power on my flash with 10 2500mAh batteriers to last me all day with about 600-700 shots. I did shoot raw a few times and tehn just shot large jpeg as there was no need to waste time is PP. I alwas set my WB to flash as it was used in all the shots. hope this helps.

[tim]

Looks like you have enough equipment, in general.

1) Get 20 NiMH batteries, and maybe two chargers, I use Power-2000 from B&H. Maha from http://www.ThomasDistributing.com have a good reputation

2) I usually shoot AWB, but if i'm in a room with tungsten light and i'm not using flash i'll set that WB. You can fix it later with RAW.

3) Nope. If I really have to I can merge two exposures, though in a tungsten lit room it might save some time to gel the flash. Go for it if you can be bothered.

4) What you said 2nd. Just records a number in the RAW you can override.

5) Settings make no difference to RAW.

6) Don't know anything about Nikon high ISO, try it yourself and see.

Hope that helps :)

[DocFrankenstein]

It depends on the ratio of ambient light to flash.

I'd use a yellow/amber gel on the flash inside IF IT'S USED AS FILL.

But most of the weddings seem to be held in darkly lit caves of the churches and banquet halls, and there's effectively no ambient light. If that's the case, you might be better off forgetting about filters, because they eat light and just blast directly.

You can also use the tungsten filter outside, to give warmth to the skin. Yellow contrasts with blue skies nicely.

Batteries - depends on how many shots you take. I keep hearing about 2000 shots... and that's like 20 sets of batteries. I'd probably take 300 pictures and I have 5 sets of batteries.

I try not to forget to change the WB. It saves time in PP when you have to go through everything and convert selectively. PITA!

A pack of 40AA? They sound like alkalines. Alkalines recycle slower than NiMH. Get NiMH instead. (You probably know this)