soba1 Loc: Somewhere In So Ca

I will be shooting my first wedding. While I always shoot manual.
I'm thinking about shooting in the green mode.

Question I pose did you shoot your first wedding in green or manual?
The benefits of manual of course is the freedom.
I'm so nervous I want to nail this.
I have acquired some good glass I will be shooting with a Nikon D610 and I will also be carrying my D7000 as well.

So what your recommendation?
Raw or manual.

Sincerely
Nervous

Ps the wedding isn't til October it will be outside start time will be 5:30
Thanks

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Ok, this is a joke right?
You are just pulling our legs here aren't ya?

Hankwt Loc: kingsville ontario

hey he could have said yellow ......

Rusty_Stumps Loc: Central Indiana

First, Raw and Manual are two different subjects. Maybe you mean Auto or Manual?

You can shoot both RAW and JPG on most DSLRs that I'm aware of.

I won't do weddings, can't please anyone anyway. [grin] But I do a lot of in church event shooting. I have used Auto/no-flash a lot and do both RAW and JPG Fine. My post work is done in Photoshop Elements 10.

I have a Nikon 18-300 mm lens so I don't carry a second camera. If you have to use multiple lenses then plan on carrying two cameras most all the time or have an assistant with you.

There are some good free tutorials on line on how to do weddings. Read as many of them as you can.

Good luck!

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I got it. Green Mode is name of the Catering Hall

Rusty_Stumps Loc: Central Indiana

I assumed, we all know what that equates to, that "Green Mode" meant "Auto Mode" as on my Nikons auto mode is in green. I've certainly been wrong before! [laugh]

soba1 Loc: Somewhere In So Ca

I meant auto.......I shoot Nikon.
I'm gonna have a second camera.
The groom said I will have a run of the
event during the ceremony. I plan on using
a 35-70mm f/2.8 during the ceremony.
I do have a 35-135mm 3.5-4.5
But I know the 35-70 will be sharper

canonpicguy Loc: San Diego, CA

On October 1st the sun in LA will be setting at 4:38 PM. You might want to consider having a flash ready.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Soba, I didn't know they even allowed Nikons at weddings?! :lol:
Just kidding, really!
There are lots of wedding shooters here.
But you are gonna get a lot of crap, cause it seems that your kind of new at this. Good luck.
SS

amehta Loc: Boston

What the groom said is generally irrelevant. :twisted:

amehta Loc: Boston

How hard are you willing to work to get ready? It seems that you would not be ready if it was next weekend, but you also seem to know that. The issue is not whether you can take good pictures, I'm sure you can. The issue is managing the event and the photography for the different aspects of the event.

Some answers to the stated and unstated questions:
* Do not use Auto. It restricts you from too many decisions, especially ISO, aperture, and focus points. According to the D610 manual, this is a "point and shoot" mode.

* I would shoot aperture priority, unless the background brightness is very mixed, in which case manual (using spot metering to determine the exposure value) might work better. It sounds like a sunset wedding, so the lighting will change during the ceremony.

* I would use single point AF so I can put the AF point on the primary subject of each shot, usually the bride. Then use the aperture to control the depth of field to make sure others are somewhat in focus.

* I would take two cameras, but I would not carry two cameras. There's too many other things to think about. You should have two lenses, your 35-70mm f/2.8 and your 70-200mm f/4. Maybe the Tokina 16-26mm to get some wide shots of the event and some group shots, but decide what focal lengths will not cause distortion in people pictures.

* If you do not have a flash, buy or rent one for this, probably a SB910/SB900/SB800. Nikon's "creative light system" is your friend. BFF, really! Play with the flash exposure compensation to get the balance fill-flash like you want it (I usually use -0.7EV), but once you have a level you like, the camera/flash take care of the rest. Using manual exposure and TTL flash mode means you are actually not really in "manual" mode, because the camera determines the flash exposure level based on the meter.

* Since you mentioned raw, I would shoot raw+jpeg unless you are proficient at post processing. The jpegs will generally be quite good, and the raw files are your insurance for exposure and white balance issues. It also means you can go back to the raw files to make the pictures better for the couple in the future, or you can have someone else process them better for you.

Hopefully you will get more here from several much more experienced wedding photographers than me.

You should be nervous. But you should not panic. Unless the bride/maid of honor/mother of the bride/mother of the groom start hassling you. Then panic. ;-)

amehta Loc: Boston

Yes, Nikon binoculars, for the people in the cheap seats. :lol:

Infinite Imager Loc: California

Having "shot" many weddings here is my simple but seriously necessary advice. Survey the photo site with the couple a week or so before the shootl at the same time as it will occur. Have the couple show there location preference and suggest others if you feel the need . Pay close attention to the background for composition and lighting. Test several images of the couple with a few lens, settings, no flash, flash to find your best shot. Have them tell you who are their must shoots. Most important, have them recommend a family member or friend who knows as many attendees as possible. This person will be vital to you. She/he can get family sets or friend sets for images creating a good flow and no missed shots. The bride will be much busier and less accessible than the groom so you cant shoot him with just his family and/or friends before. Get the brides approval, usually to access her and her maids before the wedding. Be sure to get an image of the bride first with her father before he walks her done the aisle. Their looks and body language are magical. Have a chronological list of what images you ere going to take and give one to your helper who must understand how vital their aggressive participation is to assure the images are taken. Obviously, extra fully charged batteries, at least two cameras. Also, find a volunteer to use their quality set up, or one you provide, to walk around taking candid shots here and there. These always provide some good to great images. Don't skimp or shy away from a shot. You can always delete or edit many afterwards when you go through them. There are many videos online to help you if you just type in "wedding photography' or other key words in your search field. There's quite a bit more but I hope this is some help. Again be sure to get a super dedicated person to gather people for each shot. Use humor and tell the people you "shoot" great image etc., always shoot 3 images of each set up and pay close attention to focus, exposure & composition.

RicknJude Loc: Quebec, Canada

You might want to consider one of these.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/fuji-fujifilm-instax-mini-8-instant-camera-blue-instax-mini-8-blue/10252124.aspx

Then you could show the happy couple the pictures right away.

josephpaul

If you always shoot in manual, why change? You must already know its advantages and they will benefit you at a wedding as well. In the green mode or "auto", you have so much less control and at a wedding,(IMHO) you want and need the control of the image at your fingertips. Auto mode "takes" the picture. Manual allows you to "create" the image. Manual, all the way.
As far as raw or jpeg? I shoot weddings for a living. I shoot nothing but raw. To me shooting raw AND jpeg does nothing but take up un-need space on my cards. After all, my end result after the PP of my raw images...will be a jpeg....that is perfected without degradation.