What is the best camera mode for wedding?

Hi All

I have Canon 6D with (24-70 f2.8) and 430EX flash

just need the recommended setting for flash


your help is highly appreciated

If you are genuinely asking this question... the only answer I would give you would be use the little green box.

Whilst memoriesoftomorrow has probably given a fairly reasonable answer, on the basis that if you can't understand the basics then the camera may well do a better job, it was rather bluntly put.

To try and give some sort of an answer I would say:

Whichever single AF point is nearest to your subject if focus recomposing in one shot focus mode, to minimise problems particularly if shooting wide open. Or the one that is over your subject and gives the best composition, if using AI servo, for aisle shots etc.

ISO: Depends how much light there is. Set the aperture and shutter speed you need and then use the ISO that gives you correct exposure.

Shutter speed: Fast enough to avoid both camera shake (if you are not on a tripod) and also motion blur from the subjects movement. How fast that needs to be depends on focal length of the lens, speed and direction of movement of the subject, and how steadily you can hold the camera. With your lenses mentioned and assuming the couple are standing fairly still, you should be ok at 1/125th so long as they don't suddenly turn their heads, and you can probably get away with a bit slower if they don't move and you brace yourself well and use good technique to release the shot. Ideally though 1/125th and a little faster is good if you have the light to do it, speed it up more if they are moving (walking down the aisle, throwing the bouquet, etc).

Flash used as the main light will freeze the subject better and so shutter speed is less important, so long as you keep within synch speeds or use HSS mode. Use it as a fill in with slow shutter speeds and you may get some ghosting. Keep in mind, that many venues do NOT permit use of flash during the service, you will need to speak to the officiant beforehand to find out what they allow, and don't allow.

Aperture: Whatever aperture you need for the DOF you want. For single people, or the couple stood side by side on the same plane relative to the sensor, a wide aperture will do and give you subject separation from the background, but if you need more DOF because you are very close to the couple, or doing a group shot, then you will need to stop down to a smaller aperture that will give you enough DOF. Again, which aperture depends entirely on the situation, we can't give you a standard setting. As a rough suggestion, the old press adage of "f/8 and be there" comes to mind. F/8 will provide enough DOF for most cases (but not necessarily all) but will not give you lovely out of focus backgrounds, and may require shutter speeds that are too slow or ISO settings that are too high for comfort, causing excessive noise.

There simply are no "recommended settings" though. Settings will be changing from shot to shot and all depend very much on the scene, what is happening, how much light there is, what you want the image to look like, etc.

I hope that you are simply planning to take some shots as a guest at a friend or relatives wedding, and not doing this as an official photographer, because if you have to ask those sort of questions, then you are out of your depth, weddings are very tough events to cover and the camera operation is the easy part, the main part of the job is managing the wedding party and shepherding people into positions and groups, without important people wandering off to find the bar. I hope you get some nice shots out of the day though.

Weddings only happen once, they should be captured by experts not beginners.

1/8000, ISO100 and f/2.0 focal length 200mm. AF point - centre
pls don't ask me how you can get 200mm at 2.0...

It is like asking... im going to enter a car race... can someone tell me how to drive? Do I sit in the front sear or the back? Should I use first or fifth gear? Will I need to turn my lights on if it is a night race?

Put bluntly the question really being asked is how do I use my camera?

My first suggestion would be to start by reading your camera manual... then books etc about understanding the basics of photography. If that seems like too much... the green box is your best bet.

I try:
Mode Dial: P Mode
ISO: Auto
AF Operation: One-Shoot AF
AF Points: Center

You should be ok for the day

Seriously a bad idea. Full agreement with Tim ad Pete. Bad move by the OP to even consider something like this.

I'd advise second shooting for at least a year.

In fairness to the OP, he never did say or even suggest that he was the hired wedding photographer. Maybe he is, maybe he's just a guest and wants to take some of his own photos. Maybe he is the hired photographer and the couple turned to him not being able to afford anything better.

So that said, there is no single answer to the question. It's not like there's a wedding setting on the dial. It depends. Is it going to be indoors or outdoors? What part of the day are you asking about; the ceremony, portraits, reception? All of this and many more factors will determine what setting to select and why. And each setting comes with problems of which you need to remain mindful.

At the end of the day, wedding photography truly is an acquired skill. It is difficult and it takes a lot of time to learn how to take good if not beautiful photos in environments that are typically hostile to good photography, all while trying to keep up with a schedule akin to a runaway train. In the end, the best answer probably is keep the 24-70 and flash on your camera, use the green box, and turn on the flash if you notice your shutter speed dropping to low.

^^^
This. I say ease up on the guy until all the facts are known. Some people come here to learn.
Memories is probably right by recommending the green box if this event is coming up soon.

tim wrote in post #16837175
Weddings only happen once, they should be captured by experts not beginners.

umphotography wrote in post #16837648
Seriously a bad idea. Full agreement with Tim ad Pete. Bad move by the OP to even consider something like this.

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #16837657
I'd advise second shooting for at least a year.

Come on guys, nowhere has the OP said that they are doing paid shoots, or even that they are going to be the main photographer. They could simply be attending a family wedding and want to take some shots of their own. There is nothing here to suggest that there won't be a professional taking the official shots as well.

I agree that they are nowhere near ready to do weddings as a professional photographer, but is it a "seriously bad idea" to consider taking snapshots at a family do and wanting them to be as good as possible, so asking for a little advice?

Do you really need to second shoot strangers weddings for a year before taking a few shots at the wedding of a friend? A wedding that already has a professional covering it properly?

Whilst I agree with your comments, had the OP come on here stating that they were setting up as a serious wedding photographer, and looking for paid gigs. Without knowing the facts, or whether they will be doing the official shots, perhaps it would be more useful to give them some basic tips rather than just saying "don't do it", when you don't actually know what it is they will be doing.

The suggestions to use "green box" are not helpful, as that takes out all sorts of useful controls, not least of which is that, I believe, it only allows "all-points" AF, which is going to lead to all sorts of missed focus issues in a crowded environment. Far better is to use X-tans suggestion to use P mode with auto ISO, as that still gives the camera full control of all three sides of the exposure triangle but allows the photographer to select AF mode for stationary or moving subjects, as well as picking a single AF point. In essence "green box", but allowing the shooter to control what is focused on.

Assuming they know how to focus...

What AF points should be selected.... the ones where they want the focus to be
What ISO should they use... the one which gets them the exposure they want
What aperture should be used... the one which gives them the DOF they want for the shot

The "recommended" settings are the ones they need for each shot. If the OP doesn't know what they want them to be they'd be better off with a point and shoot.

Call it harsh, blunt or what you like asking those questions demonstrates a lack of understanding of their camera. Until we know exactly how much knowledge the OP has I stand by the green box I.e. point and shoot.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #16837875
Call it harsh, blunt or what you like asking those questions demonstrates a lack of understanding of their camera. Until we know exactly how much knowledge the OP has I stand by the green box I.e. point and shoot.

Of course they lack understanding in their camera. That is why they are asking for advice. The fact that they asked for suggested settings says to me that they don't want to shoot green box.

Is this how we should answer all technical questions on POTN now? Somebody asks for advice and we just say "forget it, you clearly do not understand what to do, use green box"? I thought that people on here were generally pretty good at helping people FIND that understanding of their camera. Just telling them not to bother trying to learn and stick to green box is pretty harsh and of no help to anyone.

To continue Peter's excellent driving analogy, if I think someone's going to crash their car because they don't know what they're doing, rather than giving them pointers on things like 'how to turn the car on' and 'what gear to drive in' or 'the recommended way to make a turn' I'm going to cut to the chase and recommend they not drive until they've worked out the basics.

I understand your point, though--it's good to have technical responses to these questions so that others can benefit from them. On the other hand, though, it might also be good to have some blunt answers here for any who think it's a good idea to jump into something so challenging without a basic understanding of how cameras work (not that that is the position of the OP necessarily).

sandpiper wrote in post #16837923
Of course they lack understanding in their camera. That is why they are asking for advice. The fact that they asked for suggested settings says to me that they don't want to shoot green box.

Is this how we should answer all technical questions on POTN now? Somebody asks for advice and we just say "forget it, you clearly do not understand what to do, use green box"? I thought that people on here were generally pretty good at helping people FIND that understanding of their camera. Just telling them not to bother trying to learn and stick to green box is pretty harsh and of no help to anyone.