Need expert help: I'm an amateur haven't used my camera in about a year Fuji XT-1. My brother-in-law asked me to take pictures at a communion this coming Saturday. What is the best way...

RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

I'm an amateur haven't used my camera in about a year Fuji XT-1. My brother-in-law asked me to take pictures at a communion this coming Saturday.
What is the best way to set my camera.
Auto, aperture or Sutter priority I plan on using an 8gig card. And at the end just hand him the card

Thanks in advance
Rich

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Easyrider wrote:

I'm an amateur haven't used my camera in about a year Fuji XT-1. My brother-in-law asked me to take pictures at a communion this coming Saturday.
What is the best way to set my camera.
Auto, aperture or Sutter priority I plan on using an 8gig card. And at the end just hand him the card

Thanks in advance
Rich

By you asking the questions you did, I hope your brother in law is NOT counting on any images from you. Rich, to answer your questions, what is the lighting you will be working with.? Shutter priority to freeze motion, Aperature Priority to control your depth of field. Bone up on your camera, chage the batteries, etc. Practive everyday befor now on Saturday.

RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

no idea of the lighting situation all I know it will be in a church. I have no flash

Thanks

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Easyrider wrote:

no idea of the lighting situation all I know it will be in a church. I have no flash

Thanks

Churches can be notoriously under lit. Some newer ones will have tolerable lighting. I don't recommend going there the day of and finding out what the lighting is like. You may find yourself totally under-geared and overwhelmed.

I shot a friend's ordination at his request, but I knew the church and it was well enough lit for me to shoot manually from different perspectives without flash. You may find that your situation may be similar, but you need to find out, prepare now and then ask for help here.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Easyrider wrote:

I'm an amateur haven't used my camera in about a year Fuji XT-1. My brother-in-law asked me to take pictures at a communion this coming Saturday.
What is the best way to set my camera.
Auto, aperture or Sutter priority I plan on using an 8gig card. And at the end just hand him the card

Thanks in advance
Rich

‘P’ for pray!

Sorry, couldn’t resist... But until you read the manual and experiment a bit, Program mode with a moderate ISO (800 or so) will probably work.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Easyrider wrote:

no idea of the lighting situation all I know it will be in a church. I have no flash

Thanks

Crank the ISO up to at least 2500. Natural light in Churches are marginal.

Haydon

Easyrider wrote:

no idea of the lighting situation all I know it will be in a church. I have no flash

Thanks

See if you can reserve a block of time prior to the event and practice at the church. Stan's on the money, churches provide marginal lighting and will require high ISO.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

If it is a local church, GO THERE a few days in advance and make a few test exposures. Available light- flash? and see waht you get. Post the pictures here and get some real advice.

I have worked in churches all my life- not all of them are the same in terms of existing light. Some are bright and modern and some are dark and very traditional.

If you just walk in with no preparation, the odds are against you.

So...go there, ask permission, take along another person and shoot a few shots in the area where the ceremony will take place. Find out waht will occur during the ceremony and be ready to shoot the highlights. A 15 minute visit will prevent disappointment and aggravation after the fact.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Easyrider wrote:

I'm an amateur haven't used my camera in about a year Fuji XT-1. My brother-in-law asked me to take pictures at a communion this coming Saturday.
What is the best way to set my camera.
Auto, aperture or Sutter priority I plan on using an 8gig card. And at the end just hand him the card

Thanks in advance
Rich

To keep things simple just turn on the auto button and shoot away. Hand him the SD card, which will contain JPEGs.

RICHARD46 Loc: New Jersey

I have to take pot luck Church is over an hour away
Thanks

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I'd go for an hour's drive and check out the church to see how it's set up inside and what kind of lighting they have. Some are pretty dim, and some are well-lit, especially up front on the stage area. I could be a couple hours well spent, on behalf of your brother-in-law. This event is important enough to him that he wants it recorded, so that is a big consideration when taking pictures.

As for how to set your camera, assume the lighting will less than optimal and select a higher ISO, say, around 1200. The XT-1 can handle that well. I'd use aperture priority or Program mode and and use your control wheel to select high shutter speed or aperture. Don't make this "potluck.". Give it your best!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

An hour drive each way plus a 1/2-1 hour of experimentation (plus the actual shoot) is the minimum investment of your time if you want good results. Anything less is an invitation to poor results unless you know your camera well and have the experience to make accurate judgements on the spot. Have you ever been in the church before (and how well is it lighted)? Are you familiar with the ceremony? How close can you get? Do you intend to try for a shot at the moment of communion or afterwards? Inside or outside the church? Those are some of the answers you need to prepare.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I don't agree shooting only in jpeg. You will want all the information possible if the conditions are marginal. My suggestion is shoot in RAW and jpeg. If the jpegs are good, then use them. If not a raw file could save the shot with proper post processing.

TriX is correct about the time investment. At the very least, go a day or two early and test shoot during that time, then you won't be late for the ceremony due to traffic.

catchlight.. Loc: Wisconsin USA- Halden Norway

I find it amusing that when ever someone asks how to go about shooting a wedding or event, certain people jump in and discourage.

Certain cell phones are capable of doing a reasonable job today.

Some of the worst photography I have seen comes from so called "Pro's" who fall in love with HDR or over edit.

Back 30 years ago or more, everyone had a camera of some sort with a flash and never needed to ask this question. Normal street style photography can capture some of the most natural and cherished moments.

I know for a fact I could shoot any wedding with my simple Fuji X100F in auto mode and do just fine.

The best tip Ive heard is to share the responsibility with another shooter, but also check out how those images that are being captured during the shoot.

Money can be an issue and sometimes simple photography is required. Most modern DLSR's will do just fine with a flash in auto mode.

Failures mostly come from out smarting yourself with manual setting because you listened to a so called Pro's giving you advise...

Haydon

catchlight.. wrote:

I find it amusing that when ever someone asks how ... (show quote)

I really don't see people contributing to this thread discouraging the OP in the act. Most including our resident pro E.L. is suggesting to practice at the venue prior to the event. The advise so far has been of a positive nature instead of the traditional RUN...RUN...RUN typically found with amateurs concerning weddings.