StevieMcG Loc: Panther, West Virginia

Obviously all the knowledge you so called professionals have has went to your brain. and killed the compassionate side of it. how can a person learn if we dont try to give advice. and a decent opinion. as for the lady's question the setting on the camera would be to the type lighting you have. time of day and part of the world your in. as to outside, in February. lots can happen, clouds

amehta Loc: Boston

As you see, this question is a bit of a red flag. But a serious question in return: what is your photography level, let's say between novice, intermediate, advanced, and expert?

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

It's called reality.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Lets all watch and see where this goes.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

OK, maybe I owe Angel an apology. She (I'm assuming) had one other post to which she received 4 replies, not one of which was on topic. Her Post was:
"Really gonna Be depending a lot on you all the next couple of months...I'm shooting 3 weddings before March and I never have before! Help with settings and all is much appreciated. I have a Canon Rebel XT. Anybody?? I have 3 different lenses: macro, wide angle and the one that Comes with the camera. Does anyone know of a good site that will post a variety of pictures and accompany their settings they were taken with? Indoor, outdoor, group, portraits, etc. Thank you!!"

So now we at least know the camera and lenses she (?) has for her three assignments. Armed with this knowledge we should be able to forge some advice. My first thought is to go with the one that comes with the Camera and use Auto Focus.
I would go to You Tube and search videos on Posing Wedding Party and depending on the size of the group perhaps pull out the Wide Angle.

Ace and Deuce Loc: Right behind you!!

It isn't a 'dumb' question, but it does raise some eyebrows because A, there isn't a definitive answer due to the environment/lighting/hall, etc..., and B, it's a pretty 'common knowledge' question that 'most' people qualified to shoot a wedding would know.

If I bought a Corvette and said I entered a few races, I wouldn't ask in a racing forum "How fast should I take the turns?".

No offense to the poster, just saying why people are replying as they are. Wedding shooters are usually qualified and competent photographers, and have built up the proper equipment, experience, and 'know-how' to handle such an event.

bblankenship

The reality is there are rude people in this world just as there are kind people. End of story. She is getting much more kind responses on another thread, no worries. :D

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

Yes us crazy professionals that have no compassion...

how to start taking on weddings:

Step one: know your equipment, this means know it inside and out, understand how to use your semi-manual modes as well as manual, know when to use what setting to get the result you are picturing in your mind.

Step two: understand posing and composition. Understand that each type of body shape needs to be posed differently to get professional quality results. Also you need to realize that different wedding dress styles require some adjustments to each pose. Of course you will also need to have a grasp on posing small to large groups and herding cats.

Step three: post work.. your photoshop skills better be somewhere between "I have a good understanding of photoshop" and "i'm a photoshop master"

Step four: upgrade your 8mp canon rebel xt and kit lens to something that can handle crazy church lighting with no flash without pushing your ISO above what your camera can handle. The wedding couple most likely will want to print their images, and the might want to print them larger than a 4x6, make sure your equipment can produce an image that is unprintable due to the amount of noise.

Step five: find a primary shooter who will let you be their second or third shooter for a year, carry their equipment, hold their lights, be the cat herder for group photos. After they actually let you take photos at one of their paid gigs more an handful of times, you might be ready to start taking on small weddings as a primary shooter.

Ya us crazy professional photographers, trying to protect the industry and reputations of professional photographers by being honest about what it takes to take on weddings. Weddings are NOT something you should just wake up one day and decided to do, it's something you work toward after taking the time to learn photography. Learning does not mean coming onto a forum and asking "what settings do I use for a wedding?"

sbesaw Loc: Boston

A&D, may I call you A&D or do you prefer Ace and Deuce?
Your observation is spot on and no one is trying to be cruel. You should search Weddings and see some of the comments made when similar questions were asked by others. Responses were nothing short of brutal. On one occasion I was crying for the OP. :D

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

I know you are speaking to Ace but I agree no one is trying to be cruel, just honest.

Weddings are once in a lifetime events (or I hope they are) and shouldn't be taken on lightly.

You don't go out and buy scissors and start cutting friends' hair.

You don't buy a sewing machine and start sewing your friends clothes.

You don't buy pots and pans and carter your friends' bar mitzvah.

and you don't buy a camera and photograph your friends' weddings.

Ace and Deuce Loc: Right behind you!!

Ace and Deuce is too long to type, A&D or Ace is cool, thanks for asking.

robert-photos Loc: Chicago

I suggest you set your camera on automatic. Please post the results for our review and comment. Thanks.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

It is NOT a dumb question; it is a question that requires a difficult answer. We have several choices in the way we answer:

1. We can tell the OP he/she is not ready to ask such a broad question. How we phrase that response doesn't matter. We are still snobbish, rude, uncaring people who haven't a lick of compassion (see quoted post).

2. We can answer with a series of questions for which we will be accused of obfuscation and then told we are snobbish, rude, uncaring people who haven't a lick of compassion (see quoted post).

3. We can give advice based on WAG's about the parameters of the situation and then be told by everybody (including an occasional OP) that we are stupid and/or reckless in giving advice and then told we are snobbish, rude, uncaring people who haven't a lick of compassion (see quoted post).

It doesn't matter a whit as to our area of expertise, be it weddings, nature, still life, macro/micro or funerals. It doesn't matter a whit as to the nature of our expertise, be it practical, academic, technical or experimental. Annie, MT, Hal, Cap, Steve, Goofy and everyone who offers advice are wrong, in spite of the fact that they have all suffered through the pain and disappointment of learning the hard way.

I am not a professional, but I do have a modicum of technical expertise. I am, however, less willing each day to share that knowledge because there can be no right answer to some questions - at least not for some people.

Annie, MT, Hal, Cap, Steve, Goofy and everyone else who tries to answer these questions...... You have my undying admiration for the way you stick tour necks out to help ingrates. I may not always agree with you, but, by golly, I sure do admire you.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Had sent that before your post hit and I agree with you.

angelsaboveme

So, thank you all for the vote of confidence on my endeavor to shoot these weddings. Obviously, these folks have seen my work, maybe not "wedding" work but family portraits, graduation shots, individual portfolios, landscape ,skyscape, still life, etc. I never even advertised photography yet was referred to all three by my Facebook albums. No, I have never shot an actual wedding. Am I willing to learn how? Yes. That's why I asked you. We all learn one way or the other. Could I just set the camera on a generic point Nd shoot setting? Of course, that's what the idiot button is there for. But I wanted to expand from that since I have a good month or two to practice maybe doing something "outside" the box. I know how meaningful a wedding shoot can be. Itake pride in my work. I just neeed a few pointers. I get t hat this is "reality". That's why I asked YOU! Folks I thought could inspire, educate and enlighten me. viously I was wrong. Thanks for you're time.