watersedge Loc: Bristol UK

i have a canbn 60d

my daughter wants me to take the photos. what setting is full proof on the camera to get reasonable in focus and sharp photos

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

No. no, no, no. "Reasonable" and "wedding" can never go together. If you are paying for the wedding, hire a Wedding Photographer. Right off you have doubts, and "canbn" (canon)? And asking for such generalized and basic info. I'm not trying to be mean or insulting, but blunt. Hire a pro and enjoy the wedding (and your life afterwards). Why do girls do this to their parents?

Good luck, and may God help you.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

If your daughter is going to be the bride, ensure she also has the services of a Professional Photographer, and I mean Professional in every sense of the word. I have no idea what a Canbn 60d is, so could not suggest any setting for you.

BebuLamar

I am sorry but if you have to ask for a full proof setting then you're not ready to do it. There are no full proof setting. The settings are based on the condition, the environment and you would know much more about that than any of us.

farwest Loc: Utah

I agree with the above for sure don't even think about it. If your asking the questions your asking your in no way ready to shoot a wedding. It would be nothing but a stress attack for you. Just as said above hire a pro and you won't be sorry.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

If you are just taking pictures as an extra, (she has a pro photographer) then simply put the camera in Auto and shoot. Auto is for people that don't have the time or interest to get creative with they're photos. But Auto will give you sharp well exposed photos.

agillot

if you are doing it yourself , make sure to have a couple of friend doing same , out of 2 or 3 persons you should be safe .

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Best auto setting -> Hiring a pro and sitting back and enjoying the event.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Yes. Please don't try to be a primary shooter for a close family member's wedding. There is no good that can come of this.

If there's a working pro, it's fine to try to take some additional shots, but if you have to ask for a foolproof setting, it's a sign you're not ready to do much more than put the camera on automatic.

I will suggest that you either shoot with available light on Automatic or use a separate flash unit of sufficient power (the little one on your camera certainly is NOT suitable). Put it on a bracket if you have one, or the hot shoe if you don't, set it to TTL, and point it at the wall or ceiling.

There is a reason you're getting so many posts with similar advice. The tension and worry of the event will suck all of the fun out of the wedding, and if you mess up, can cause family tension lasting well beyond the big day.

Trust those of us who've made this mistake before!

Andy

BebuLamar

I do not discourage a hobbyist from taking wedding pictures even as the primary shooter. Being involved with the wedding a hobbyist can spend time study the venue, making test shots and could deliver very good results. However, since the OP asked what settings are fool proof I must say don't do it.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Inexperienced Primary Shooter + Primary Family = Somebody will be very unhappy + Someone will miss out on all the fun

It's great to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone, but doing so without a safety net for a close family member is going to end in tears and regrets.

Because, as you say, nothing is foolproof. Murphy was an optimist, and I don't think he ever tried to be primary for a family member's wedding!

Andy

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

The "amateur wedding photographer" subject comes up frequently. I am all in favor of amateurs taking pictures at weddings. Even being the primary photographer under some circumstances. But I would discourage the father of the bride (and other immediate family) from being the primary photographer.

First of all, the father of the bride has other responsibilities at the wedding. That means that you will not be taking photos of the trip down the aisle, the father-daughter dance, and things like that. The father won't even appear in the photos. Since the photos are not just for the couple, but are for the family, the immediate family members should be prominently featured in the photos.

Now I'm getting old, and I see that weddings have changed evolved over the many years I've been around. And I recognize that some people don't put much stock in a formal wedding. As an amateur I took photos of 4 weddings as the primary photographer. Two of them were first weddings, and were low-budget affairs with friends. At the time I had a speed graphic and a limited number of film packs so there were about 30 photos total to choose from. The couples were happy with the photos and both weddings lasted over 50 years. My first wedding had a pro phototographer. We got an album. My parents and her parents got an album. They got shown around for the first year, and maybe about 10 times over the next 50. The other two weddings I did were second weddings. Very informal affairs. No albums produced, but I did generate a web page and sent them the html file.

Young people today have a different view of photographs of events. They are transient. Ephemera. Posted on facebook, where everyone can see them. A week later they have been pushed down the queue to oblivion. Photographs are taken of everything. Dinner. Maybe even breakfast. We are so inundated with photographs that they have almost lost their value for the long term.

I would urge the family to take and preserve photos of any significant family event. If preserved, they will be a valuable resource for future generations (assuming that the future generations think like I do).

But the father of the bride should be included in those photos.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Excellent points, Dirtfarmer. I shot a number of weddings as a part-time pro back in film days, generally for acquaintances or friends of friends. The pressure of shooting once-in-a-lifetime (or at least potentially so!) events is tough for anyone with a conscience and sense of responsibility. Doing it for your own daughter, and foregoing being the subject of photos in lieu of being the photographer is something I hadn't even thought about.

The OP should bring his camera, but rely on a professional.

Andy

Vietnam Vet

My daughter wanted me to take her wedding photos. I told her to hire someone else so that I could enjoy the wedding. I offered to pay for the photographer. I still took a lot of photos for her but the pros pictures were so much better.
If you aren't sure how to set the camera then you are going to have difficulties whenever you need to change the settings from indoor to outdoor to the strobe lights for the dances etc.
Hire someone to take the pics and enjoy the day.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Don't get me wrong: I encourage you to take photos at the wedding. Just not to be the primary photographer.

And as far as any camera is concerned, there are no fool proof settings. Maybe fool resistant, but nothing is fool proof. The best thing to do is take lots of photos. Carry several spare SD cards, maybe a spare battery (or at least charge your battery the day before and bring the charger with you). The 60D has a pop-up flash. They tend to produce strong shadows behind the subject and red eyes. If you can get a speedlight that will work on your camera, get one and use it. If you can bounce the light from the ceiling that will produce softer shadows and more pleasing photos. If it's a church wedding, flash is generally frowned on, but it's OK for the reception. (Your church might be different, so check first). Red eyes are solved by having the light further away from the lens so the reflection within the eye doesn't get to the lens. The speedlight will usually work there.

The 60D will go up to ISO 6400 but it's likely to be a bit noisy there. Churches are notorious for being poorly lit for photographs so in the church you will want to raise the ISO up to a point where you can get some reasonable shots. Best thing to do there is go to the church (or other venue) well beforehand and take some test shots to see what ISO setting you can use and still get reasonable photos. When using flash you don't need the high ISO but it will allow the flash to recycle faster if it is raised a bit. I would keep it below 800 or so (but I'm not really familiar with Canon and the 60D so you'll have to do some experiments yourself).

Since digital photos are free (since you have already applied the capital cost) you can do a lot of experiments. Only costs some time.