Help with a d60 wedding photo's

[big air]

Not rc but i know a few of you know a thing or two about camera's:woot:

My sister is getting married on sat and wants me to take the photo's:o
She has giving me a Nikon D60 and a tripod, And im in the process on learning how to work the bloody thing:lol:

Is there a specific setup i should use for portraits etc, Depth of field and all that jargon looks mental, How do i take a b/w shot and have the champagne pink:confused: or is that added later in the software.

Any help would be appreciated as im now starting to sh*t bricks:p

[Sam_Crow]

Hi there, I hope I can help with this. I use a more advanced camera now so I might be a bit rusty. I got this bit of info below off the web to help explain the portrait program which is selectable on the round dial on top of the camera just rear of the ON/OFF switch.

http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/Images/Icons/scene_portrait.gif Vari-program: Portrait
http://a.img-dpreview.com/images/one.gif
Use for portraits with soft, natural-looking skin tones. The camera selects the focus area containing the closest subject. If the subject is far from the background or a telephoto lens is used, background details will be softened to lend the composition a sense of depth.

Depth of Field is basically how much of the picture is in focus.

For the B&W and pink champagne its done on the computer. You need to have graphic software lots around some expensive others cheap and some free.

[P_B]

Not rc but i know a few of you know a thing or two about camera's:woot:

My sister is getting married on sat and wants me to take the photo's:o
She has giving me a Nikon D60 and a tripod, And im in the process on learning how to work the bloody thing:lol:

Any help would be appreciated as im now starting to sh*t bricks:p

Jeebus, that's a big ask! Weddings can be tricky as they bowl along at their own pace and (generally) if you miss it, you've missed it. I've done two as a paid 'tog and though they've been okay I've vowed not to do any more!

I'd say get used to looking at the histogram whilst shooting, make sure you're not under or overexposing too much - white wedding dresses against a dark background for example can really fool a camera! Perhaps shoot RAW so you have more control over fine tuning exposure and white balance later, though this means fewer pics per memory card and more time labouring at a computer screen afterwards.

Try and speak to your sister, get a list of 'essential' pics... mum sorting the dress, that fancy wedding cake, family group shots, first dance etc. This way you can be systematic and mentally prepare for each coming shot. Any nice candid ones or extras you grab in addition will then be a bonus.

Whilst I wouldn't typically advise the scattergun approach it sounds like you're being thrown into this slightly underprepared so the more chances you give yourself of getting the right shots the better. Digital is pretty much free so snap away, try different angles and focal lengths, just make sure you don't run out of memory cards or battery power!

Lastly, try to relax. It'll help that you know some of the subjects, but if you're visibly on edge you'll put others on edge too. Plaster on a fake smile, act calm and go for it. Good luck!

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa41/perapi/poncy/weddingsqs.jpg

[Bungleaio]

That is a big ask!

Are you the only one doing the photos or are they having a pro in too?

Shoot everything in RAW, a lot can be saved in post processing if its used and try and use multiple memory cards just in case anything untoward happens with one of them.

[big air]

thanks for the replies lads :thumbsup:

[Cooper]

You are crazy.
Your sister is even more lol....

Let's hope you're talented and can deliver nice pictures.
But getting used to a camera and taking wedding pic's in such a small amount of time is nearly impossible.
Good luck!

[JonMack]

It took me months to learn how to use my first Nikon, and I learnt a bit about photography in college. I've now been shooting (as a hobby) for about 4 years and i'm still learning, all I can say is shoot as much as you can in the mean time, and good luck. If she's expecting pro level shots with you as the only photographer then I'd tell her that she's going to be disappointed, I'm not doubting your ability, but I know from having friends in the trade that weddings are one of the most stressful things to shoot.

[blue_pinky]

I can only echo the comments already made! It's a very tough ask!!!

I'm only a hobby photographer really as well, but work as a designer for graphics and engineering industries and use pro photo's every day...frankly you've either got the eye for it or not when it comes to taking great photos.

Good luck with it, and as Jon said, make sure you sort out with your sister what she's expecting from you and she know's what your capable of doing. Don't let her expect pro shots if your not up to it, you'll both be happier if you understand that from the start!!!

A good camera is not a ticket to great photo's...in fact it'll give you more ways to mess it up completely if you don't know what your doing. So if your not techincally practiced with an SLR then let keep it simple. Use the preset settings, concentrate on getting good effective composition, keep an eye on your lighting and let the camera do the technical work for you.

Keep it simple and relax. Good luck dude!

[Sam_Crow]

For someone who is still learning to use the camera shotting in RAW is just too complicated. Firstly you will need the software for the computer recognise the file, then the software to edit it because nikon's basic is not that good, and then a converter so others can view the photo. So I would stick with jpeg's until you feels more capable.

[Bungleaio]

For someone who is still learning to use the camera shotting in RAW is just too complicated. Firstly you will need the software for the computer recognise the file, then the software to edit it because nikon's basic is not that good, and then a converter so others can view the photo. So I would stick with jpeg's until you feels more capable.

I know what you are saying but the nikon should do raw and jpg at the same time, my D70 does, so it won't hurt to do that. If there is any photos that are nearly there but need some rescue work I'm sure someone could help out.

have a read through this too there's some links at the bottom http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=738306&hw=+%2Bwedding&nmt=Help!%20Meed%20a%20crash-course%20in%20Wedding%20Photography!

[showtime]

i'd say ditch the tripod & hire a faster lens for the weekend
the tripod will be too restrictive!
you need something like a Nikon AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8 G IF-ED

available to hire from here- http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/nikon-af-s-dx-17-55mm-f28-g-if-ed-58-p.asp

you can hire for a week which should give you some time to learn how to get the best out of it.
the only thing you can do that will help you is practice!
practice all the time you can then when not practicing have a browse around the net at professional photographers sites so you can get a feel of the kinda shots people want :)
you only get one crack at their special day so you want to do it as best you can

i got a buddy who's a very good wedding photograher . have a nose through some of his stuff

http://www.grahamnixon.co.uk/slideshow-lorna-dan.html

other weddings are clickable from the bottom bar

[showtime]

you also might want a list of exactly which shots you will be expected to get on the day :o

thats a lot of shots you'll be wanting/needing to nail perfectly
one bit of advice would be to put your camera into continuous & fire off at lest 3 of every shot as people are always blinking when they shouldn't!


Wedding Photography Shots Before the Ceremony
___ Wedding dress lying over a chair
___ Zipping up or buttoning the wedding dress
___ Mother of the bride fastening the bride's necklace
___ The bride's garter
___ The bride's veil
___ A close up of the bride's shoes peeking out from under the dress
___ Bride looking into a mirror
___ Bride looking out window
___ Bride and bridesmaids putting on makeup
___ Bride hugging parents
___ Bride touching up
___ Bride and parents leaving for ceremony
___ Groom tying tie
___ Groom looking into mirror
___ Bride looking out window
___ Groom pinning corsage/boutonniere on mother/father
___ Groom hugging parents
___ Bride and parents leaving for ceremony


Wedding Photography Shots At the Ceremony
___ Outside of ceremony site
___ Guests walking into ceremony site
___ Bride and father entering ceremony site
___ Parents being seated
___ Grandparents being seated
___ Bridesmaids walking down the aisle
___ Flower girl and ring bearer walking down aisle
___ Groom waiting for bride
___ Altar during ceremony
___ Close up of bride, just before she makes her entrance
___ Bride and father walking down aisle
___ Groom seeing bride for first time
___ The back of bride and father walking down the aisle – with the groom waiting in the distance
___ Bride's father and Bride hugging at end of aisle
___ Shot of the audience from the bride and groom's point of view
___ Close up of bride and groom saying the vows
___ Wide shot of bride and groom saying the vows
___ Exchanging the rings
___ Close up of hands
___ The kiss
___ Signing the marriage license
___ Bride & Groom walking up the aisle
___ Receiving line
___ Bride & Groom outside on steps
___ Guests throwing confetti/rose petals/birdseed
___ Bride & Groom hugging guests, laughing, getting congratulations
___ Bride & Groom getting in car
___ Bride & Groom in back seat


Posed Wedding Photography Before the Reception (These can also be taken before the ceremony)
___ Bride alone (full length)
___ Bride with bridesmaids
___ Groom with bridesmaids
___ Bride with parents
___ Bride & Groom together
___ Bride & Groom with parents
___ Bride & Groom with families
___ Bride & Groom with entire wedding party
___ Groom with parents
___ Groom with best man


During the Reception
___ Outside of reception site
___ Bride & Groom arriving
___ Bride & Groom greeting guests
___ Table centerpieces
___ Table setting
___ Bride & Groom's table (head table)
___ Musicians or DJ
___ Guest book
___ Place card table
___ Closeup of bride and groom's place card
___ Wedding cake
___ Gift table
___ Decorations
___ A shot of bride & groom with guests at each table
___ Bride & Groom's first dance
___ Bride & Father dancing
___ Groom & Mother dancing
___ Guests dancing
___ Bride & Groom cutting the cake
___ Bride & Groom feeding each other cake
___ Speeches
___ Bride & Groom drinking champagne
___ Bride throwing bouquet
___ Groom retrieving garter
___ Groom tossing garter
___ Garter/Bouquet dance
___ The getaway car
___ Bride & Groom leaving party
___ Bride & Groom driving away

[showtime]

so?...............................



how did it go?........................................:)