There's so, so SOOO many good tips on here already from people who know what they're talking about, I feel slightly out of my depth. But hey, I'll throw my 2 pence in as an amateur just getting into photography who has just taken some fun shots at two friends' weddings in the past month. At both, there was a pro present so there was no pressure on me.
First off, expect to be out of the action as has already been said. You need to be hopping around. Have a plan for what to do, where to go, what lens to use and what camera settings to use. Have a shot list. Remember, even if you're a friend they'll be really hoping for wonderful pictures and, as such, you need a professional attitude to the event.
Learn from what I did: I shot indoors on my Fuji 6900z (yes, I know I'm an interloper) at ISO400, then moved outside... and forgot to change the ISO setting back to 100 for about 10 shots. Previously, I've made the basic error of not checking the capture size and quality. Check all this. Forgive me for branding you with my own lack of experience, but I found a sticker on the back of the camera with a list of things to check focused my mind. You're probably beyond that, but in the heat of the moment you really don't want to forget when the pressure is on to get the picture.
Getting people to feel comfortable and smile naturally is a talent. At a recent wedding, the pro used a small bird that tweeted as the prop to make people smile. It worked, despite being tacky. Get your own prop, be comfortable with it, and use it no matter how stupid you feel.
Take secondary storage, such as a laptop, with you. I have a Libretto which is about the size of a video casette, and I upgraded the hard drive to 20GB. It goes everywhere with me, much to my wife's chagrin. I have both CF and Smart Card PCMCIA adaptors so dump everything from everyone on there. Also have more batteries than you could possibly need
Use "drive" if you can, especially outside in natural light where you have determined you don't want a fill-in flash. You can then pick the best.
You may be able to review your picture immediately to determine whether you want to take the shot again for posed shots - maybe discuss this with the bride and groom? I'm unsure as to whether this is an advantage or not, but it's something you may want to consider.
If the guys are in morning suits with top hats, do get them to throw the hats in the air. It is a cheesy shot, but in every shot I've seen so far the bride's face has been an exquisite mix of happiness and cringing to make sure that she avoids the falling hats.
Finally, always have a camera switched on and ready to take for those candid shots. I don't know what the D60's startup time is, but keep something switched on for those "must have, once in the event" shots.
Good luck, take loads and loads and LOADS of photos and you'll get some unforgettable shots in there.
Nick.
First off, expect to be out of the action as has already been said. You need to be hopping around. Have a plan for what to do, where to go, what lens to use and what camera settings to use. Have a shot list. Remember, even if you're a friend they'll be really hoping for wonderful pictures and, as such, you need a professional attitude to the event.
Learn from what I did: I shot indoors on my Fuji 6900z (yes, I know I'm an interloper) at ISO400, then moved outside... and forgot to change the ISO setting back to 100 for about 10 shots. Previously, I've made the basic error of not checking the capture size and quality. Check all this. Forgive me for branding you with my own lack of experience, but I found a sticker on the back of the camera with a list of things to check focused my mind. You're probably beyond that, but in the heat of the moment you really don't want to forget when the pressure is on to get the picture.
Getting people to feel comfortable and smile naturally is a talent. At a recent wedding, the pro used a small bird that tweeted as the prop to make people smile. It worked, despite being tacky. Get your own prop, be comfortable with it, and use it no matter how stupid you feel.
Take secondary storage, such as a laptop, with you. I have a Libretto which is about the size of a video casette, and I upgraded the hard drive to 20GB. It goes everywhere with me, much to my wife's chagrin. I have both CF and Smart Card PCMCIA adaptors so dump everything from everyone on there. Also have more batteries than you could possibly need
Use "drive" if you can, especially outside in natural light where you have determined you don't want a fill-in flash. You can then pick the best.
You may be able to review your picture immediately to determine whether you want to take the shot again for posed shots - maybe discuss this with the bride and groom? I'm unsure as to whether this is an advantage or not, but it's something you may want to consider.
If the guys are in morning suits with top hats, do get them to throw the hats in the air. It is a cheesy shot, but in every shot I've seen so far the bride's face has been an exquisite mix of happiness and cringing to make sure that she avoids the falling hats.
Finally, always have a camera switched on and ready to take for those candid shots. I don't know what the D60's startup time is, but keep something switched on for those "must have, once in the event" shots.
Good luck, take loads and loads and LOADS of photos and you'll get some unforgettable shots in there.
Nick.
