HELP!!! 1st wedding advice

[sweetxtea]

Some friends of mine asked me to shoot thier wedding. I have shot one other wedding for one of my best friends. It was outside, laidback and easy for me to shoot cause there was no pressure. They didnt have any expectations of me, just wanted some pics. Well alot of them came out awsome because there was were alot of natural "props" for me to use for artistic shots. See, Im good at finding cool angles and getting artistic but Im really afraid of the standard stuff. Like wedding party,family,rings, ect ect. Also, Im not real "book smart" about photography. I really dont set apetures and stuff like that. I know if its dark or low light I bump up my ISO and vice versa. Thats about it. This wedding they are expecting a little more from me I think and its making me nervous. I dont perform well when Im nervous.

Please any suggestions and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Steve.

[RandyMN]

You have the right start. Using natural props is not much different than what you find at weddings. Standard stuff is what you learn in school, so start educating yourself and if not ready for the nervous pressure a wedding will put before you, then turn it down or take a chance and educate yourself on handeling photography under pressure.

I guarentee it will be easier the next time around.

[*Mike*]

If you dont know how to get your camera to preform with low light you may end up with a mess. Pay attention to your SS and compensate when its too slow. You want it at least 1/focal length if you have a steady hand. Know the limits on your ISO ahead of time. A way to cheat is to go to the location where the wedding is at and test your settings if you are nervous about it. Just keep in mind, things may change at the last min, things that affect you - like they shut the lights b/c they want candles or something. So be prepared to fly by the seat of your pants.