Best universal settings for an assignment..

[Arjay12345]

Hi

I recently took pictures at a friends wedding (I wasn’t the official photographer). There was lots of moving between indoors and outdoors and I found it difficult to keep on top of having white balance and shutter settings optimal all the time. I found that if I stuck with one of the following settings, I was less likely to miss important shots. Problem was, each option had it’s downside as well as benefit >>

1) Shoot in P mode without a bounce flash – best tonal colours but pictures blurred too often due to slow shutter speed
2) Shoot at a set higher shutter speed in Tv mode – sharper but darker pics, needing photoshopping (lots of pics = lots of post-prod time!)
3) Shoot in P with a bounce flash – sharp pics always but colour not always natural

Have others had the same prob and what was your solution?

Thanks
Arjay..

[sk66]

What, no ones yelled at you for using program mode yet?

I would generally shoot in aperture mode and set aperture for effect/shutter speed. Auto ISO and Auto WB. Fill flash(bounced/diffused) as necessary. To get "balanced" lighting colors, you are also looking at flash gels. And a faster lens would certainly have helped your situation.

[cphoniball]

In situations like this there isn't really one camera setting that will provide optimal results throughout the day, and it's one of the reason's wedding photography is so hard. You have to remember to change your settings as you go along. Shooting in RAW can help because you won't have to worry about white balance so much (although it's still good to set it), and if you're shooting with a large-aperture lens then shooting in AV mode will probably be your best bet, although you'll have to be careful inside that your shutter speed doesn't drop too low. The best solution is to change your settings as the conditions change - and for that, manual mode is usually the best.

[teaking]

You could use EV compensation as conditions change as all the EV compensation is doing is what your doing in manual but with less buttons. If in Aperture Priority mode and you add +2 EV it slows the shutter if you take -2 EV it increases the shutter. And it will only meter for available light with out taking in to account your flash. P mode will take into account the flash and meter with that included.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by sk66

What, no ones yelled at you for using program mode yet?

I would generally shoot in aperture mode and set aperture for effect/shutter speed. Auto ISO and Auto WB. Fill flash(bounced/diffused) as necessary. To get "balanced" lighting colors, you are also looking at flash gels. And a faster lens would certainly have helped your situation.

Nothing wrong with "p mode"-should be renamed "Pro-mode",as alot of pros use P mode when no-one is watching.P mode enables you to control white balance,exposure compensation,etc

[wulf]

The most important setting is E for Experience. You can make all the adjustments you need if you don't have to ponder too long when you are doing it and more so if you anticipate changes of scene, giving yourself more time.

Also, don't forget to review your images from time to time, especially if you have moved to a different lighting setting. Blinking highlights and histogram views will give you a quick way to see if you are getting decently exposed shots. If you forget to check the LCD screen, you could be blowing lots of shots because you are missing out on the instant feedback available.

Wulf

[sk66]

Originally Posted by kencaleno

Nothing wrong with "p mode"-should be renamed "Pro-mode",as alot of pros use P mode when no-one is watching.P mode enables you to control white balance,exposure compensation,etc

No argument from me!
I almost never use manual mode and I often use modified program...

[Arjay12345]

Thanks guys.

To put into context, it was an indian wedding I was shooting. For anyone who's shot an indian wedding they'll know it's mandatory for it to be super long, with at least three different things going on at the same time. Hence, time for long pondering in M mode would be almost impossible (I'd be in awe of someone who could pull that off).

I've never thought about keeping Av as my base setting. Makes sense though if I can keep the aperture as large all the time.

Wulf - that's exactly what I ended up doing: as the day went on, I grew to know which settings worked best for which room/environment, then snapped away with frequent reviews and adjustments.

Also tried different EV settings as teaking suggests - all helped but increses setup time

I posted my original message as some of the shots came out great but others not as expected, but like you say, there doesn't seem to be a single universal guaranteed approach.

[lakeshoreman]

before the days of digital, shot weddings and everything manual. used hasselblad manual focus,no metering or batteries.manual flash. you shoot enough, you know what asa 160, or asa 400 film will do in different situations and you go for it. no looking at what you have until you develop the film.....A whole different world then. Digital is great and easier and a lot of fun!!! when you shot a wedding then you really had to keep your mind two steps ahead of what you were doing.

[erniehatt]

Most digital cameras today alow you to set up two or three different setings, that can be switched to when needed why not use these. Ernie