wedding help

My friend has asked me to take her wedding pics
Arggggg am terrified!

I want to keep it as easy as possible for myself.

I have a Canon 400d, and a Canon 28-135 Lens. Was going to use auto White Balance with an ISO of either 200 or 400 (we are in Scotland to chances are it will be dull) and going to use AV so I can control the F-Stop

Does that sound OK? and tips would be very welcome as I am so nervous!

Thanks
Angela

You should be terrified if you think ISO 200 or 400 will cut it in a dull environment. Just from the limited information you have posted so far my best advice is say "no" to your friend.

Ill equipped and inexperienced... not the best combination to shoot a wedding.

Thank you for your help

my friend is getting married on a tight budget and can't afford a professional photographer, there will be 2 of us taking pics - and she wants them to be as relaxed as possible.

I will take my ISO up if the weather is very dull

Really just looking for some help and encouragement

I suggest looking through the posts of wedding pics on this site and look at the exif, posing, lighting conditions, etc. It will give you a good idea of what it takes to get a good looking set of snapshots for your friend to get the memories captured of her day.

It this is low budget and she is asking friends to do the snaps for her, she'll know that she won't get the $5k photographer type photos. That's OK. Not everyone can afford that.

It's nice that you are trying to learn what you can to make the snaps as good as possible in the conditions.

If you don't already, I suggest shooting in RAW so you have more options for editing afterwards. You'll likely have some noise, wb, etc to fix.

You are starting at the deep end of the pool, so you would be well advised to practice tons before the event to learn all you can about lighting, etc.

I'm sure others will chime in. This is a friendly place.

I recommend buying a 50mm 1.8 lens for the low light shots.

Honestly, I would make sure you set expectations to be low. If the light is low your 28-135 will struggle coupled with a low ISO unless you add light.

No one here can tell you what settings your will need or will be okay without actually being there to see the environment on the wedding day itself. Shooting a wedding means you have to know the basics of how to set your camera up to get shots in whatever light you are faced with. If you don't know how to do that then don't expect to get many keepers if any.

I'd encourage your friend to ask someone who knows what they are doing rather than asking someone who asks someone who asks the most basic of questions on a forum. Wedding photography is one of the most multifaceted photography disciplines about. If you plan on shooting a wedding you at least need to know the basics of what you are doing with the camera. If not stick to using the green box or use a point and shoot.

There are many websites out there that will give basic info on shooting a wedding. However, it is YOU that will be taking the photos and if you think you are capable of producing great photos that can be enjoyed for a lifetime, then give it a shot. If you know your gear inside and out and all that is involved to get the perfect shot under various lighting conditions MANY times throughout the day, go for it. If not, I would suggest asking a pro if you could be a 2nd shooter "for the experience". If you are confident with that work you produce, then go for it as a wedding photographer.

I really think the key is KNOWING your gear and how it can produce the best shot possible under EVERY different lighting condition that may occur. Be ready for the unexpected ... I was shooting a wedding as a 2nd shooter with a 1st timer when the pastor told us "NO FLASH IN THE CHURCH!" WHOA!!! I was ready and was able to get all the inside shots with no flash. He wasn't and went into panic mode. All ended well!

Sounds like you are way in over your head. You need a better main camera with your current one as back-up. Faster lenses and a couple external flashes at least. Don't rely on the Av if you are shooting indoors with dim ambient.

Honestly, my best advice at this point is to get out of it if you can. If not, rent all the gear you lack and practice as much as possible. You don't want to be learning on the job.

You'll be at ISO3200+ with that lens. Suggest you rent a 5D3 and 24-70 and use that.

My prediction... disaster, unless you prepare yourself in the areas of exposure, flash, lighting, posing (people, locations), people interaction, group photos. In even a month you could learn enough to turn it from disaster to while not awesome at least having some idea what you're doing and how to do it.

i used to have a 450D which (by right) is a bit better than 400D and I find that the 450D's ISO of 1600 is not usable. Protect yourself and say NO.

I am now using ISO of 4000-5000 in reception in other better/newer technology camera.

The 28 to 135 is one of Canon worst lenses. Had one ans hated it. Rent some decent glass. 24 to 70 and a 70 o 200 f 2.8.

Angel Crafts wrote in post #16315668
My friend has asked me to take her wedding pics
Arggggg am terrified!

I want to keep it as easy as possible for myself.

I have a Canon 400d, and a Canon 28-135 Lens. Was going to use auto White Balance with an ISO of either 200 or 400 (we are in Scotland to chances are it will be dull) and going to use AV so I can control the F-Stop

Does that sound OK? and tips would be very welcome as I am so nervous!

Thanks
Angela

Are you shooting for free? I would strongly suggest you do and also to set expectation as low as possible, like it-might-be-better-than-snap-shots type expectations.

I agree with the others that you are ill equipped for a wedding. The only scenario where you might be OK is if the entire wedding is outdoors during the day with slightly overcast clouds but with decent lighting.

You won't be able to jack up the ISO too much on the 400D since noise may become a big issue. Compare that to my 5D3. Raising the ISO to 1600 is something I don't even worry about. I cap mine at ISO 6400. That's 2 stops more than ISO 1600, plus I use much faster lenses than the 28-135. So I have several more stops to work with.

I wouldn't necessary say no or expect a disaster on your hands. The good thing is you are asking questions. You have some decent information in this thread now. You might want to rent equipment if that is reasonable. You might want to come up with a game plan as far as locations for formals, etc. Maybe go to the venue/location and scope things out well in advance, etc...

I second the recommendations to set the expectations low and to not charge them. I did a similar favor for a friend of mine a year ago with my 450D. I did a lot of research and as much preparation as I could in the months leading up to the wedding. In the end, even with all my preparations and renting lenses and a flash, it was only luck that allowed the bride and groom to get their photos. The big thing I learned was that it doesn't matter how prepared you are from a photography standpoint, there is just no way to prepare yourself for the stress of your first wedding shoot.

In leading up to the wedding I told my friend I would only do it if there was a second shooter, and that I couldn't guarantee any of the photos would be useable. The second shooter tried to go natural light inside and underexposed all of the ceremony and reception shots to the point they were not useable. I was able to provide those shots. However, due to my inexperience and my semi-panicked state I forgot to adjust the camera settings from manual after the ceremony when we went outside to do the formal. As a result I completely blew out the photos; even after post processing them all of the people looked like solid white ghosts. Luckily the other photographer was able to provide these shots.

Make them pay you something to cover renting, then rent a 6D or 5DIII, 24-70, a flash and shoot in AV or P mode with auto ISO.

I know a photographer who uses a 40D and 28-135 and a 50 1.8 and his photos are outstanding. He is a master of lighting so they look perfect right out of the camera. ( he shoots jpgs ) Goes to show you its not always about the gear.

I would assume your not using the pop up flash