ok, here's the deal. I have a very generous friend of mine who is letting me tag along and sort of be a second shooter on a wedding gig this Friday night. Now this will be the first time I have ever shot at a wedding as well as use my 580EX flash. I really don't have much experience using my flash. I really don't want to get in his way I just want to come back with some good shots that he might be able to use and that I might be able to put in my portfolio someday. I have done some reading of different Canon flash articles and it seems like so much to take in, in such a short time. I do know i need to defuse my flash some which is why I'm going to get a Fong-Dong thingy.

Other than that I'm lost. Can anyone recommend a straight forward safe setting that I could use to start with. Should I shoot manual or AV? Should use the flash in manual or TTL? I just want to get my feet wet and have some sort of settings to start with. Here is my equipment:
30D
17-55 2.8IS
70-200 2.8IS
580EX
Here is the link to hotel I wil be shooting at. Any tips on what I shold concentrate on? Should I just go around getting candids? Maybe shoot details?

http://www.hotelderek.com/?src=ppc_adwords_property


Help....please...

Well there is not a generic setting that will work for all your situations. I would recommend to put your flash on ettl and dial down the flash some. Then keep an eye on your histograms and dial up if need be or down.
I think you need to practise before this wedding so you have an idea of what you are doing with it.

Thanks, I plan on doing that tomorrow. I know it's a really wide open question I was just looking for a starting point. Thanks again for the help...

don't forget to adjust your ISO!! I just made that mistake....

I made a "better bounce card" it works great and costs 1/50th of the Fong one. Search for it on google and you'll find instructions.

For the ceremony, if it's low light, bring a tripod.
for reception type shots, dial down your flash a bit, and drag the shutter to let in more ambient light. the flash should freeze the action for you. Practice and chimp while you're there... you're second shooting, so you have less pressure, and you can take your time to get good shots.

Shoot what appeals to you. Look for moments--good interactions, details, etc... Work on your compositions with the details, try some different techniques so you can see what you like for later.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the help everyone. And you're right, there is no pressure on me. Thats a good thing.. I just want to make the most out of my oppurtunity.

I would also second the practice before hand and dial down your flash for a more natural feel. Flash takes alot of playing with to achieve your own desired result.

Good Luck!

Second shooting is a great way to experiment with less pressure.

Cheers,
Shawn

Since you get to play with no real pressure, I'd try my hand at both AV and M mode. M mode will probably give you more predictable results. It seems kind of counterintuitive but when you are shooting with a lot of white in front of you, you need to add some FEC to get the whites white and when you have a lot of dark or black in front of you, you need to subtract some FEC so your blacks aren't grey.

Crank that flash head around and do some bouncing. Bounce it off the walls and ceilings. Drag the shutter around 1/60 or so with a pop of flash to freeze close action but blur the background. If you are using a zoom, zoom in and out while doing this with a real slow shutter speed for different effects. Twist the camera side to side and see what you get. Be deliberate and pay attention to what you are doing so you can repeat it again if you like what you get.

Biggest tip I can give as still new to this myself is always know where the main shooter is and don't get in his shots! I made that mistake once and still feel bad about it. Got caught up in watching the first dances. Oh well, I learn from my mistakes. If you don't make any, you aren't doing anything.

Thanks! Great stuff. When dragging the shutter what mode should I put the flash on? E-TTL or manual?

You can leave it on E-TTL. You might want to try second shutter with it also when doing this.

mucho gracias!

You've gotten some great advice. I love shooting at Hotel Derek - the orange couches in front of the ballroom get the best natural light. The ceilings in the ballroom are relatively low so you won't have any problems bouncing. Also check out this site for some great articles:

http://www.planetneil.com/faq/index.html

Have fun!

-janelle :-)

Today is the day! I'm so nervous...lol Anyway....here is a quick question. In my hurry to get out the door this morning I left my rechargeable flash batteries at home. I won't have time to go back before going to the wedding. Can I just pick up some Non-rechargeable ones to get me throught tonight? If so how many should I get?

I really don't want to go and buy another recharger and all if I don't have to.

Well let me just say that I have the utmost respect for wedding photographers. WOW...I had no idea how much work that was. I'm exhausted!

As for my photography skills I still have a lot to learn. Shooting in a low light type setting completely baffled me and had me changing my settings all over the place. It caused me to lose focus on what I should be doing. I think I spent more time looking at the controls of my camera than anything else. The flash system totally had me confused. Photos were too bright or too dark. I tried shooting with the flash off and on using ambient light. I had my ISO anywhere from 800-1600 and the photos are just too noisy. I'm guessing because most of them are under exposed which brings out more noise? Just not impressed with my shots. Oh well, I will learn from it and move on and maybe the next time I can improve. I guess you have to start someplace... Maybe I'll get brave and post a few so you can see just how bad they were....or maybe not...LOL

Thanks for all the advice, it really did help.