Brian

Right. This is normal when you are in a Auto Mode. It can be Aperture Priority or whatever, like the "Flower Mode." With Aperture Priority, and you are probably set to "A," right? You pick the Aperture (and ISO) and the camera chooses the Shutter Speed to make those settings happen for a "Well Exposed" Photograph. So if you are in dark/indoor lighting conditions, the shutter speed goes to a lower number, which lets light in for a longer period. This is how you get those 1/15th or 1/20 or 1/30th shutter speeds, which DEFINITELY CAUSES BLURRY PHOTOS. If you are outside / bright lighting conditions and are in Aperture Priority, it goes to a higher shutter speed number, 1/500th, 1/1000th, 1/2000th etc. The only way to compensate for this is to shoot in Full Manual OR use the Exposure Compensation feature of your camera. Which I would not recommend. Why? Because if you tell the camera to over-expose by 3 stops (+3.0) to get the Shutter Speed up, something will happen and I guarantee you will take a shot without thinking. The problem is, that next shot will be 3 stops over-exposed. Not a good place to be in, and then you will be in Ask Damien begging for help. Honestly? I think it might be better for you to be in Full Manual Mode. The problem that I can see is, you are looking for a particular setting that you don't have to think. "I'll just set things to f/2.8 and ISO 800 and click away!!" If you do this, you WILL get burnt. So you might want to go back to Full Manual and set the Aperture and Shutter Speed yourself. You can turn on Auto ISO to help with things. This is kinda of a "Auto Mode" that I think you are used to. I got that Viewfinder shot from the damn manual. Can you take a photo with your phone of the back of the LCD AND one of the viewfinder and post it here? Chances are, the lens cap will need to be on to get a picture of the Viewfinder. You should be able to slightly press the shutter button to get the viewfinder to light up. You do have a Nikon D5100, correct? I did give instructions in my first couple of comment boxes in this thread. Perhaps I wasn't clear enough? Hmmm... The next step is for me to see the back of your camera and what the viewfinder looks like and post those images here. I really don't bother with e-mail much these days.

Page 10 of the Reference Manual: #4 is your Shutter Speed. If you are in Aperture Priority, keep an eye on that number BEFORE you take the photo! Now, I'm sure you are aware of this, and I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, but I'm assuming nothing. You need to be in control of your camera come Saturday. Don't think for a second that an Auto-Mode will replace you as a Photographer. IF you don't stay on top of your camera and what settings it's using, it will bite you in the Ass when you go to edit the photos. I'm trying to save you all sorts of trouble and headaches.

THESE ARE THE NUMBERS I'M REFERRING TO: Those are Shutter Speed Values, NOT Aperture. Shutter Speed: 1/15 - 1/30 - 1/60 - 1/125 - 1/250 - 1/500 - 1/1000 Aperture: f/1.4 - f/2.0 - f/2.8 - f/4 - f/5.6 - f/8 - f/11 - f/16 - f/22 ISO 100 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1600 - 3200 - 6400 This is what happens when you shoot in Aperture Priority. You pick the Aperture, and the camera picks the Shutter Speed to make that happen. This can be BAD IF YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION, which I have a sneaky suspicion that will bite you in the Ass come Saturday. So while the "A" Mode (Aperture Priority) is useful, you need to be mindful to what shutter speed you are using in the viewfinder. This is another draw-back to your camera body, you may not have all the read-outs in the viewfinder at your disposal. These consumer-bodies try to do the thinking for you. Which isn't a good thing in your situation. So keep those Shutter Speeds up regardless if you are in Aperture or Full Manual!

Now for the photos and the Shutter Speed stuff. First...YOU NEED KIM'S CLASS!! Stop wasting your time on YouTube, and take her "Learn to Shoot in Manual" Course! But we don't have time for that, you have a Gig on Saturday. I want you to pay attention for what I'm about to write next...ready? While photographing hand-held, NEVER-EVER-EVER-EVER GO SLOWER / BELOW 1/60TH OF A SECOND!! GOT IT?!?!!! Each time your heart pumps blood, you hand moves a little, even if you think you have "Steady" hands. Understand? The lower your shutter speed, the more light you are allowing to hit your sensor, but the less you "Freeze" your subject. Now it's true that proficient photographers can shoot at 1/30th hand-held, but that was back in the film days. Digital is less-forgiving. So I want you to Promise-Promise-Promise me that you won't go beyond 1/60th of a Second! In reality, I want you to be at 1/200th with a flash and no flash, at least 1/250th of a second (or faster.) Got it? Now I know this contradicts what I said above, but 1/60th or 1/80 are only to be used if you want more ambient light / backgrounds included in the photos when using the flash. If the flash is powered off, your Shutter Speed needs to be higher. Got it?!? The slower shutter speeds, like 1/30th, 1/15th, 1/2, 1 Second, 2 Second, etc. REQUIRE A TRIPOD and a stationary subject! Even things like Waterfalls will become the "Dreamy/Blurry" Wisps of Water when a 2 Second Shutter Speed is used. In fact, here is a shot that I took of a Waterfall, handheld: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlWtT9sokR/ Now the ONLY reason I was able to hand-hold it at 1/10th of a Second was due to my lens. The 24-70 f/2.8E VR Lens has a Vibration Reduction Element in it that helps with camera shake. If I was using my Non-VR 24-70, this shot would have been impossible without a tripod. Got it? Again: No Shutter Speeds lower than 1/60th for ANY OF YOUR LENSES!!! This is why a lot of your photos are blurry! Your Shutter Speed is TOO SLOW. But what if you want to keep your ISO low to prevent noise? (I'm sure you are thinking this.) The answer? You can't change the Laws of Physics. You either need to "Open up" (Use a Wider Aperture, like f/2.0) or increase your ISO if you want a faster shutter speed. Why not shoot all-the-things at f/2.8? Because sometimes you don't want a blurry background or one subject that is bokeh-ed out while the other isn't. For example, it would really suck to have the Bride's head in focus during the First Kiss but not the Groom's. Understand? That's what f/4 or somewhere around there is for; that's called having "enough" Depth of Field or "Deeper" DoF. So you need a fast shutter speed and need to use f/4, so in order for that to happen, you need to bump up your ISO. Understand? Kim explains all of this in her class, and I think you would really benefit from it. ---- Man, there are way-too-many "Got Its?" in this comment box. But I want to emphasize. No slow Shutter Speeds for YOU!!! NOT YOURS!!!

4 Frames Per Second Mode... Page 35 of the Reference Manual. Hit the ~ i ~ Button on the back of your camera. Arrow down with the Directional Pad to the Release Mode Options. It should be the one just underneath the "ISO Being Used" Section Select it and Press OK Choose the Second One from the Top and click OK. It's the one that looks like it has multiple photos stacked on top of one-another. (The 10s and 2s is the camera delay mode.) This mode might be helpful in the future, but for now, leave it on the 4fps Mode. The "S" mode is to take a single photo, one at a time. I don't like this Mode for any of my cameras. That's all there is to it!

Sidenote: You have ISO 100-6400 to play with. The lower the ISO, the less noise you will have to deal with in Post and the better the Dynamic Range. I find that ISO 400 is a good place to start with for a "General" ISO with a Wedding. It's sensitive enough to keep that shutter speed up, but doesn't create noise that can't be fixed in Post. Now, ISO 100 is technically "Better," but "Your Mileage May Vary." It all depends on the current lighting conditions. It's another one of those, "It depends..." answers that I give. Sometimes ISO 800 works better. Sometimes ISO 200 is what you want. Or not. Speaking of ISO, and Flash...here is the Golden Rule of Flash: Aperture relates to Flash Power Shutter Speed (and ISO) relates to Ambient Light. One of the things that ISO will do, when using your flash, is include or exclude the background. So if you want to capture photos of the Dance Floor and not have where people sit in a black void, you can raise your ISO to something like 1250 and lower your Shutter Speed to 1/80th or even 1/60th. Normally, I will tell you to set your SS to 1/200th, which is the maximum sync speed of your camera with a flash. You can not set your camera to 1/500th or whatever and expect to use the flash. Now, if you are thinking, "...but I need to keep my SS speed up, to keep things sharp, right?" the answer is yes and no. When it comes to flash, the "FLASH!!!" and it's quick duration "Freezes" your subject. This is why the backgrounds are dark with a low ISO and fast-ish Shutter Speed (1/200th in your case). If you slow the SS and increase the ISO, you are letting more Ambient Light into your photo. This is a Artistic Taste. If you want to make your photos less "Flashy-Looking," include more of the background or learn how to bounce the light off of something. (i.e., Ceiling, Walls, etc.) I try to avoid wood, as the stains used usually create a color-cast that I have to deal with in Post.

Thank God. Now your camera won't make decisions on its own. Yep! I'm so glad I brought this up! You can't get that close with lenses, unless you are using a Macro Lens! Now each lens varies, but a rule of thumb is to be no closer than 3-4 feet to your subject. My Gawd...1.5 Feet. No wonder!! That's TOO CLOSE with any of your lenses!! It won't focus well at all...period. I'm surprised that the camera took the photo at all. (Probably because it was on a Auto Focus Mode.) Yeah, the "Pro" stuff is actually easier to use! Why? Because the Pros do not have the time to be digging through menus and letting the equipment make decisions. That's how you miss shots...those stupid "Auto" modes. The better the camera body, the more external controls you will have at your fingertips. So if you are going to do keep doing stuff like this, start saving for a new camera body. We need to get you to Full Frame. Since you have a 50mm and 85mm, that's a good foundation to start with. The 24-70 and 70-200 can come later if you go that route. But that's a whole other discussion. You have no idea of what "Heavy" is. When I have my D4s, 70-200, SB-5000 and my Flash Rig combined (It's a device that keeps the flash stationary while I flip the camera to a vertical position,) I'm holding / carrying around 7-8lbs of gear. I'm warning you now, you will probably get "The Claw" at the end of the Gig. This is where your hand looks like a Lego Miniature's hand; I know this very well. Your arms will also hurt. Remember when I said the 70-200 is 3lbs all by itself? I wasn't kidding. Just think, the 17-55 is about half of the weight of a 70-200. There is a difference between a Professional Grade piece of equipment and a Consumer Grade model. Likewise, there is a difference between a $200 zoom lens and a $2000 zoom lens. Now you see how I spent so much over the past 14 years. The problem is, I now have all of the "Good" stuff for what I shoot, the next step for me is $10,000 - $14,000 lenses and I don't expect to purchase those anytime soon. Yep, that's typical. Pinterest and Lists from The Knot / Wedding Wire are annoying. But since you are starting out, they can be helpful. Most of them, it's common sense stuff. You are there to document the day, not be a guest. That's the thing that trips up newbies. For example, I knew of a Photographer's Second that would get fixated on the Couple cutting the cake for the 1st time. She was like, "Get your head in the game and start photographing!!!" Yes. Avoid Miller's like the Plague. Why? Because they are stuck in the 1990's and their photos print too warm. They are nearly impossible to get your monitor calibrated against, which is why Damien and I really don't like them. Yes, we know...their customer service is AMAZING. We get it. But what shade of orange/yellow do you want your skin tones to be in prints? Most monitors out of the box are too cool, so you might think Miller's is awesome because they are compensating for you not having a Calibrated Display AND know how to edit properly. Once we get you fully straightened out, you will understand why. But if the prints match your current screen now, I'm not about to tell you to change things, at least not for this Gig. Stick with what you know and like I said, we will get you straightened out. I'm going to do the 4fps / photos in the next comment box...

This is the part where you need to LEARN YOUR GEAR. You tell me. Can you keep the menu settings the same forevermore? Quick answer is "Yes." Long answer is "It depends..." For me, I have found that Continuous Focusing mode works better for my style. When you are on AF-C Mode, when you press the button half-way, the camera continues to focus. Inside or outside, it really depends. Again, short answer is "Yes." The person who I shoot with, she can't stand "Continuous" and prefers AF-S (Single Mode). Remember, YOU as the Photographer make the final decision. Don't think for a second that since "You have a nice camera!" that you can be lazy and let it do all the work. Remember, you are shooting with Consumer Grade equipment. Your camera body has limitations and I want to see these "Blurry" photos you are talking about and what Shutter Speed | Aperture | ISO was used. I need this info, no excuses. What shutter speed are you at? What focus point? What Focus Mode? I'm very concerned. There is no way editing out a missed/blown focus photo. So let's see these current shots, pronto...tonight if at all possible. I won't be around tomorrow and you have the gig on Saturday. You can't be e-mailing me then. Also, when it comes to lenses there is a Minimum Focusing Distance AND a Maximum Focusing Distance with each and every lens. When it comes to a Minimum Focusing Distance, this is self-explanatory. If your subject is too close to the lens/camera, it won't focus well. Likewise, lenses perform their best in terms of sharpness if the subject is within a certain amount of feet before the image starts to fall apart. The Nikon 17-55 lens that you rented is one of these lenses. This next paragraph you need to pay attention! When it comes to the 17-55 f/2.8, subjects that are physically between 5 feet and 15 feet away from the camera/lens are TACK SHARP. (Well, should be, this is a Rental Lens after all and people tend to abuse rental gear.) Subjects that are between 16 feet and 20 feet away are "OK" Sharp. Any subject that is 21 feet or more away, and I'm using my 70-200 lens. So your assignment for tonight is to get a tape measure, one of those 25' ones, and have one of your twins help you. You stand in a spot outside and have them walk away 15 feet from you. Make a mental note where they are standing. Then memorize this. This way you will know come Saturday when you need to physically move in closer to your subject. How do you figure out the Min/Max with each lens? You use them. You shoot with them. Each lens has it's own personality and quirks. No two lenses are identical, they have minor variations. When you purchase a lens, that new lens SHOULD LIVE on your camera. You shoot EVERYTHING with it. You learn what it will and what it won't do. Then when you see a scene unfolding before your eyes, in your mind's eye you can picture which lens you need to take the shot. It takes practice and experience and something you can't learn overnight. You need to fiddle and play. Not watch YouTube Videos; physically pick up the camera and shoot with that lens. Eat - Sleep - Breathe with the 85mm. Then do the 50mm. Then the 35mm. Then each and every future lens / camera body. Bring the photos into your computer and Pixel-Peep. This is how you learn. There is no recipe that I can give you; it's not that easy and I don't care WHAT you have seen on FB or YouTube. This is reality and not some schmuck trying to sell you something to "Take Your Photography to the NEXT LEVEL!!" Those things are usually total Bullshit. As far as high ISO, again...you tell me. Most modern cameras should be fine up to ISO 1600 and "OK" around 3200. When you go higher it really depends on the camera body/sensor. Some perform better than others. I think you mentioned that the Church doesn't allow flash, so fiddle with some test shots tonight. Use the 17-55, set it to f/2.8 and ISO 3200. Then ISO 6400. Then go higher if you need to or can. Some camera bodies max out at 6400, or less. Fiddle and play, bring the images into your computer and see how noisy the images are. Then you will know. That is what you want. I don't think you have many choices for the type of Raw as my cameras do. The Pro-Level stuff has A LOT more things in the various menus. My D4s...I can change WAY more than my other cameras. As long as you are Raw and the WB is set to Auto, leave them there. One last thing before I forget, what AF-Area Mode are you set to? You need to set your camera to SINGLE-POINT AF. If you are on the wrong AF Mode, that can screw with things. Here is page 42 & 43 in the reference manual: Page 42: Page 43: SEE THIS ON THE LCD WHEN YOU GET TO THAT SECTION? The very top one, THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO SELECT!!! This way YOU pick the AF Point and the camera uses that to base focus on. Any other modes are Auto Modes and to be brutally honest, the D5100 isn't that smart. You need to be on Single-point AF. If you are on 3D or any of the other focusing modes, even though you choose the AF-Point, the camera will interject and choose a focus area that it thinks it's better. Often, it's wrong and you will blow focus constantly. To get into this area, you it the ~ i ~ button on the back of your camera and use the directional pad and arrow down to the area. Then select the Single-point AF and press OK. (Usually the center button in the directional dial is the "Enter" button.) Now try taking a few test shots. Move the AF point to different areas, from the center to the outside edges and take a few test shots. Try to be at a Shutter Speed of 1/250th or higher. Post your results here.

I have a late Wedding to shoot tomorrow that’s 2.5 hrs away. 3-11 PM East Coast Time. So if you have questions, better hit me up by this evening because I won’t be around Friday.

Did the rental equipment arrive yet?

Since I’ve been a 2nd shooter (by choice) for the last 5-6 years, I haven’t been good at posting my own stuff. I have the Raw images, but since I’m a “Contractor,” the photos are technically owned by the woman I shoot with. That said, I should get off my lazy butt and post a few of my favorites over the years. I just checked the website that my photos are on. My friend Jacki has a few of mine in her main portfolio/sample gallery. Like the guys with the truck, the 1st one. Basically anything you see with the guys or a wide landscape/environmental shot is probably mine. SilverPixels.com. Our styles are similar and are growing closer as each year passes, and it’s getting tougher for me to remember who’s shot is who’s. That’s actually a tip. If you do end of with a second shooter, your goal is to not be able to tell who shot what. The styles should blend, and as the customer is concerned all the photos were taken by the same person. Basically, I try to give Jacki a whole Wedding minus the Bride. If she needed me to, like if something terrible happened, I can become the Main Photographer in an instant without skipping a beat. Here is the FB Page: https://facebook.com/pages/category/Design---Fashion/SilverPixels-Photography-120921633317/

Yeah, kids aren’t going to be a good idea. You can try, but won’t get much accomplished. Besides, during the day you will be running and gunning. You won’t stop. Any “Plans” you make on Friday night will go out the Window on Saturday. That’s a Wedding. Something always happens. For now, set your camera up and get used to shooting in AF-C Mode @ 4fps. Use what you have, and shoot at f/2.8 - f/4. That is the typical range that I’m at during weddings. Sometimes f/5.6. For the amount of photos, a typical Wedding 8-hr should yield 600-800 photos delivered to the client. Sometimes less, sometimes more. It really depends on how much stuff is happening and how many people are attending. If there are less guests and not much going on, you could have 300-400 delivered to the client with an 8 hour Wedding. Or you can be an amazing $10,000 photographer and deliver 75 photos that are completely amazing and could be featured in an Art Gallery. But this is all very subjective and varies from wedding to wedding. My goal is for 500 photos delivered to the client across the board. That’s why I say a 8 hour Wedding is 40 hrs of editing on the back-end. Figure 3-5 minutes for each photo edited and you work out the math. Today’s Brides want photos on their phone. They want to Humblebrag on FB and make all of their single female friends jealous. LOL!! Modern Brides look for lots and lots of photos. They want pictures of EVERYTHING. My best guess is you are probably looking at 200 photos delivered. Yep, that’s right…suck-it-up-buttercup. Between the getting ready, Bridal Portraits, Formals, the ceremony, first kiss, entrance / announcement of the B&G, table shots of all the guests, detail shots, plus the various other things that happen during the ceremony, 200-300+ photos should be easy to do with a 6 hour wedding. No cheating and just converting some to B&W. At least 200 different and edited photos is your goal. Welcome to shooting a Wedding! It’s no wonder that Photographers charge as much as they do. This isn’t a family session at the park where 50 photos is more than enough, it’s a Wedding that you are documenting.

When this is over, you are going to take Kim's Learn to Shoot in Manual course. She has all of this stuff written out and I just don't have time. I can give pointers and tell you what to buy, but I have a day job and won't be around much. Plus I have my Weddings to shoot, with one this coming Friday.

That is not an unreasonable number, especially since they now want a "Typical Wedding." (6-8 Hours.) It's one thing to have a Ceremony and some Formals afterwards, it's really a glorified family session at the local park, it is entirely a different thing with "Getting Ready," First Look, Ceremony, Formals, Reception and all of those photos. PLUS!! You have all of the Post-Processing on the back-end. That can be 30-40 hours of work just in itself! You make more money working at a Fast Food Joint. So in the end, you are shooting this thing for free. Man, you love giving away the farm. Now it's one thing that if these are your friends or you are looking to build a Portfolio; these kind of gigs suck but are necessary. But there is a line that you really shouldn't cross and $500-$600 is reasonable. You need to practice now. No excuses. Set your camera up and get out there!! You just bought a 85mm lens. You need to fiddle with it and learn how it behaves. Shoot everything from 1.8 to f/22. Pay attention to your shutter. You have today and tomorrow to practice with it. Then Wednesday will be a whole other thing. Flash Photography is so different than the natural light stuff. Controlling your Shutter Speed is your top priority for today and tomorrow. Then work on Aperture Stuff with the 17-55 / Flash when it arrives.

You then can crank your ISO to 400, Set your Shutter Speed to 1/60th and set your Aperture to f/5.6. Boom! You should able to do Table Shots of everyone at the Reception. Or you can bump up your ISO to 1250. It really depends on the Venue and lighting conditions. Keep in mind, this is only one way to set your camera up. It may not work for you. This is why you need to fiddle Wednesday - Friday. Did you get extra SD Cards yet? How about the AA batteries?

Sometimes I will reverse the Flash Head It twists) around and set it one-click backwards during receptions.

Again, typical Wedding. It-is-what-it-is. You will be using your flash A LOT, probably during the whole Reception. Here are a couple of ways I use my flash during a Reception: i use the Wide Angle Thingy which force the flash to shoot wide and then use the built in bounce card while it’s point to the ceiling: Thiw is what it looks like during the gig. It helps to avoid direct flash and people looking “Icky.”

Yep. This type of thing is a bit out-of-the-ordinary, but not unheard of. That's why I disagreed with Kim about visiting the Venue 1st. While in certain situations it can help, but honestly? Things never go the way you expect to on the day of the gig. ESPECIALLY when they change the venue at the last minute. I'm not going to come down on you with the wrath of all photographers. The truth is, you aren't the first person to go through this and certainly will not be the last. Professionals make things look so easy and with today's cameras/technology, you can get "good enough" in a short amount of time. This is completely different when I first started back in 1986; way back then you didn't have a LCD, Histogram...there wasn't ANY AUTOMATIC FOCUSING SYSTEMS, and you either had 24 tries or 36 tries to get it right!! But I'm digressing here. You need confidence right now and me getting in your head isn't going to help the situation. So let's make the best of things. "M" is always the "Best" mode, IF you have mastered your camera and know what it will and won't do. It is also needed when you disagree with the settings that your camera will be requesting/recommending. Sometimes my camera will practically be jumping up and down saying I'm either way over-exposed / under-exposed, but I'm not. It takes time and experience to figure out your own recipes which results in the images you are trying to create. But for you, Aperture Priority might be your friend and that isn't a bad thing. Turning on Automatic ISO might be another. You also might want to put your camera in M Mode, Turn on Auto ISO and keep your Shutter at 1/250th or better and use f/2.8 - f/5.6 with the 17-55. That's also another recipe. It's all subjective and that's the hard part. The cool part is with having a Crop Camera, you can "f/2.8 All the things!" This is due to that pesky Angle-of-View change and it will help you this coming Saturday. You can't get away with shooting everything wide open on a Full Frame camera, in fact the over-all look that f/2.8 produces on a crop body is more like f/4 on a Full Frame Camera. Likewise, if you are used to shooting at f/1.8 with your 50mm, you are going to be in a world-of-shock when you find out just how razor-thin the DoF is when you shoot at 1.8, let alone 1.4! Knowing your limitations is a good thing, it allows you to have a goal to overcome them. I can say this, Compositional-wise, your photos are "OK," but your posing and such need improvement. This takes time and experience. I will give you a tip that I learned from Jerry Ghionis himself / in-person: Never Broad-light a Broad. Women want to look pretty/beautiful (I call this Prettyful) and Guys just want to look cool in photographs. That's it. For example, the bride sitting in the chair, that was a bad pose for her. You never want to make a Bride look large in the photos, especially when shooting with a wide-angle. It's not a joke that the camera adds 20lbs. We live in a 3D world, the camera is 2D. All of that "Pudge" needs to go somewhere and it is your job as a Photographer to minimize it. She is in the "Masculine" or "Standard" Pose and the Groom is in the "Feminine" Pose. You have them backwards! LOL!! There is a reason that the "Feminine" Pose exists; you've seen the photos, the light source is pointing at the bride but her back is pointed towards it. Then she looks over her shoulder and towards the light. Boom! She is in the Feminine Pose. From what I can tell, you are not paying attention to the shutter speed being used. This photo screams it: See the background? It's like you are panning a Racecar shot. Here is one of mine that I'm talking about: So learning you shutter speeds and focusing on your hand-holding technique is what you need to do this week. Your camera needs to live in your hands. The good news is, your shots aren't completely terrible; you just need A LOT more experience and practice. I mean, yeah...they are out of focus which leads me to the next section... Your Gear. While it's true that "The Best Camera is the one in your hands..." Your equipment is lacking. You not being in the correct modes with your camera, and not just shooting Manual, but using the correct Autofocus Mode, and not having a complete grasp on the Exposure Triangle is a bit unsettling. But since the Bride has seen your work and is OK with it, you might be able to pull this off and I hope that you do. The good news is, a 17-55 is on the way and I'm hoping you get a good copy. Your lenses are holding you back. The 55-200 just isn't a good lens and you will get a taste this week of what I'm talking about. As far as Kim's Course, I don't think you have time. She has assignments and such to help you get better and I'm thinking you taking her course won't help you this week, but you still need it. So do sign up for it. Master Manual Mode. Learn your gear before you go buying stuff. I can say this with authority...I have all sorts of fancy and expensive equipment. All I do now is take crappy photos with expensive equipment. It's not about the gear, but your Technique and Craft that matters. As I've stated above, Professionals make it look easy, but they are also consistent in producing quality photos again-and-again. That's the difference between a Pro and a Amateur. Just because you have fancy shit doesn't automatically mean that you will get immediately better. Well, they will be "better," as better glass is better glass, but It really just means that the shots you are after will be easier to take. For example, you will be surprised on the focusing speed and how a pro-grade lens locks on and doesn't hunt in low-light conditions. There is a difference between a $200 lens and a $2000 lens. Believe me. Indoor Photography is all part of shooting Weddings. You will be indoors at some point during the day. It frustrates me to no end when a Photographer says, the "Specialize in Natural Light" or only "Shoot Outdoors." That just screams lack of knowledge and technique. You need to keep an eye on your shutter speed at all times. Your ISO too. When photographing the Bride getting ready, you will be using that flash. Try bouncing it too. Get creative. Oh, there is something called Flash Exposure Compensation. You will be adjusting this up and down during the day. usually -0.3 to -1.0 on the average when using TTL. Sometimes you are at 0.0 with the Flash Exposure Comp. So look at the SB-5000 manual and figure out how to change this. Why? I'm so glad you are wondering... TTL Mode is a Auto-Mode with a Flash. Believe it or not, the camera's built-in meter is completely worthless when it comes to Flash Photography. The reason is, the Meter is a Passive one; it takes a reading of the Ambient Light and gives you it's thoughts of what a "Proper" exposure would be. The Flash hasn't fired yet, so the light isn't present. So how do you get a Auto-Mode then? You create a algorithm that takes 1000's and 1000's of photos that are supposed to be "Properly Exposed" and create a formula that gives the Camera a "Best Guess." So right before the shutter opens, the camera sets the flash power. Sometimes it gets it right, other times it doesn't. That's where Flash Exposure Compensation comes into play. If you need the Flash to be less/more powerful, you adjust the flash accordingly. Make sense? Yeah, at this time of year, the Sun hangs around, which you can use to your advantage. In a small venue like that, a 70-200 isn't required. You can photograph the whole Ceremony with the 17-55. You will just be standing in the Aisle. Speaking of Aisle, here is another tip: Tell the Bride to "Float" down the Aisle. The reason is, most women do not like being the center of attention and they have a tendency to MARCH AT A BRISK PACE when walking down the Aisle. Since this is a small wedding, you probably won't have that issue, but it still could happen. Meaning you aren't ready for her walking down the Aisle and before you know it, you've missed the shots. Now for the Checklist: It's your typical Wedding. For me, I'm rolling my eyes. For you, STUDY IT. Believe it or not, the hardest part will be you working by yourself. You will be arriving 2-3 hours before the ceremony. Why? Not only for the Bride getting ready, but if she wants shots of the Groom getting ready, it's only you!! So you will need to plan time accordingly to go from where the Bride is getting ready to where the Groom/Groomsmen are, if there are any. You might get lucky and they just meet up at the Church. Or not. It really depends. Welcome to Weddings! See how a "Small Wedding" is going to turn into a 6-8-hour gig? I'm sure you are probably charging $300 or so. Which is fine, due to your experience. But think about this in the long run, $300 for 6-8hrs of shooting and then 30+ hours on the back-end. For $300. Let that sink in. See why you need to stand up for yourself and say, "NO!" when it comes to answering the question, "Do you shoot Weddings?"

It's definitely something you should try today. Set your camera to "A" Mode (Aperture Priority) and mount your 35mm 1.8 lens. Set the Aperture to f/2.8. Now, just take a few generic photos. I have a question, it has been over 11 years since I had a consumer-grade camera with a pop-up flash, does the pop-up flash automatically pop up and fire off while in A Mode and low light? We need to make sure now, this way it doesn't accidentally fire while you are in the Church. This in turn will probably freak you out, and then you will be in your head / camera's menu screwing around during the gig and... Let's not go there. So we need to find this out today. The reason that I ask, is that since your camera has a built-in flash, and it's a consumer-grade model, it assumes you don't know much about photography and wants to "help." So the stupid pop-up flash will often kick on in low-light settings. The D5100, like the D3100 is meant to be a "Bridge Camera." Just enough technology-wise to get you hooked on DSLRs and away from Point & Shoot Cameras, but not so advanced so that you buy a more advanced and more expensive camera. See how that works? What I want you to do is put your camera in Continuous Shooting Mode so that it takes 4 photos a second. (Page 35 of the Reference Manual). If you are on Single Frame it just takes one photo at a time. If you set it to Continuous, as you lay on the shutter button, it will take multiple photos. You can just fire off a single shot on Continuous, you just have to let go. It takes a bit of practice but it's easy to get the hang of. Now, I want to make sure you are shooting in the Continuous "AF-C" Focusing Mode and not "Single." (Page 39 of the Reference Manual.) You know what? Post some of these blurry photos, along with the settings that were used. I need to see. Aperture | Shutter Speed | ISO | Lens Used. Something may not be set correctly in your camera, as many people never take the time to RTFM. (READ the Fucking Manual.) Then they wonder why their photos don't turn out well. For instance, you are set to the wrong focusing mode and your subject is moving. Or your shutter speed is to slow, you need to either bump up your ISO to get that faster or open up to a larger Aperture. Stuff like that. It is depending on the lighting conditions and time of day. I once photographed a Wedding on Top of a Mountain (Well, nothing like you would think of as a Mountain, it was at a Ski Resort) at 1PM. FULL SUN. No clouds in the sky what-so-ever. No shot looked "Good." Everyone had "Panda / Racoon Eyes" if I didn't use my flash for fill. Hopefully your light will be better. That's what I'm here for. I will warn you, I'm VERY GOOD at spending other people's money. It's a Gift / Talent. Even in the real world, I can be quite convincing. But to be honest, I live by the "Buy it Right-Buy it Once" Philosophy. I HATE-HATE-HATE wasting money on this Shit. It's not worth it in the long run. I always tell people to resist an impulse-buy, save up and get the item that you want, as you save money in the long run. No sense forking out a $1000 now only to blow $2500 on another camera body because the $1000 didn't do the job. In the end, you spend $3500 and not $2500. Understand? So when I say to expect to pay around $5000 to "Switch to Full Frame," I mean it. It's better than wasting a few grand with an impulse buy. This is where you scare the hell out of me. You should know this stuff if you are shooting a Wedding. The short answer is "Yes." The long answer is, "It depends..." Both are basically saying yes. Once you get the 17-55 f/2.8 Lens this week, I want you to mount it and shoot the hell out of it. You will be amazed on the quality difference between a pro-grade and consumer-grade lenses. I will warn you, that lens is a solid one and the weight will throw you at first. Hopefully it will come with the lens hood. USE THAT LENS HOOD, EVEN INDOORS. As I've stated before, remove the UV Filter that is being used for "Protection." Just remember to mount it before you send the lens back. Oh, why am I telling you to not buy a 17-55? Because it's a DX Camera Body only lens. It's not meant to work on a Full Frame camera, that's what the 24-70 lens is for. Since you have a DX camera, that's why we went with the 17-55. Got it? The only lens that you really shouldn't be using is the 55-200. Now, you can use it, but the widest Aperture when zoomed out will be f/5.6 and that's not enough for dark environments. That's where f/4, f/2.8 and the other wider Apertures come into play. You either "Open Up" your Aperture, or bump up the ISO to compensate to get that Shutter Speed Higher. If you haven't figured out the "Exposure Triangle" by now, I'm really worried. That's Photography 101 type of stuff. You should know this before shooting a Wedding. But let's not dwell on that, you have a Gig in less than a week. You can take Kim Howell's Learn to Shoot in Manual Course here in Ask Damien, or you can do a crash course with a YouTube Video or two. I do hope you take Kim's LTSIM Class. I think you will get more out of it than a YouTube Video. BTW, that link goes to her website, but the course is hosted here in this forum/website. When you are approved for the class, it will appear in the list along with "Ask Brian." Ah the dreaded list. Every Bride usually has one, but in this case I think you will benefit from it. After you do several Weddings, you should know to take photos of the "Bride getting ready," "The Bride posing with her Bridal Party," "The Groom & Best Man," "Walking down the Aisle," "Cutting the Cake..." stuff like that. LOL!! I will say this, and I learned this the hard way: If they are present, make sure you take a nice portrait of Grandma & Grandpa or the B&G's Parents. Both together and by themselves. A single nice head-shot is what you are after. Something that will work as a 5x7 or 8x10 Photo. Why? Because sooner or later, one of them will die and the family will be scrambling for a photo for the Funeral or to put in the newspaper. Trust me. My Mom died unexpectedly last year, and nobody thought to take a single photo of my Mom when I got remarried a few years ago. Fortunately, I was able to look through an "Outtake" where my Wife & I had weird looks on our faces, but my Mom was just far enough away and had a nice smile to crop her out. That photo was destined to be deleted or never seen. So my advice to you, is unless you have completely blown the shot, keep those outtakes, you never know when you will need source material from them. This is why I jump up-and-down about not shooting a Wedding until you are ready. Weddings sound so easy to do. "You have a nice camera!! You must take awesome Photos!!" I hear it all the time. Especially when I walk around with my huge Nikon D4s and 24-70 lens mounted: To give you an idea of scale, that's a 27" iMac. The Nikon D4s is WAY bigger & heavier than your D5100. Weddings combine all sorts of photography, Photojournalism, Macro, Sports & Action, Event, Portrait, Family/Groups Photography...it all intermingles & intertwines. You need to be a Jack-of-all-Trades type of Photographer, be really good at one or more of them, and be really decent at the others. Even to this day, I'm still working on my "Detail Shots." I'm used to capturing emotion and drama, shooting wide...not small and precise. My Ring Shots are a little better, but I still need work in that dept. That's a form of Macro Photography. Instead of Bugs or other small things, you are photographing Rings and trying to make them look interesting, which is harder than you think. So I can give you pointers, but in the end, you are in the hot-seat. I won't be there shooting next to you. That's why I'm telling you to "Shoot what you know." as you are used to Photojournalism. Don't worry about the list; well worry...you don't want an un-happy Bride, but tell the story of the day. Beginning to Middle to End. Every good story has each of those. Right now what concerns me is your "Blurry Photos." Actually it downright terrifies me that you don't know why. When you shoot Raw, and you should, there is a certain degree of wiggle-room to save your Ass in Post. If you blow focus or have subject movement, there is nothing for you to recover from. That shot is lost...for good. So let's concentrate on these blurry photos that you speak of. I think that will help you out the best at this point. Saturday is coming quickly. Yep! Actually, these setting that I've recommended you will probably end-up using the majority of the time. Or not. You need to fiddle with them in place today and tomorrow. Even if it's just a photograph of your Coffee Cup. Photograph SOMETHING. You need to fiddle and practice. I want to see well exposed and in focus photos. Take your kid to the park or go to one. Photograph running kids and make them Tack-Sharp. Pay attention to what Aperture, what Shutter Speed and what ISO you were at. All that stuff. Photograph moving Cars, flowers if it's windy...ANYTHING. These shots aren't meant for IG or other social media, they are for you to learn and pick-apart. Hell, photograph a lamp against a lamp on a blank wall and try to make it interesting. I'm originally from NJ, which partly explains my bluntness and honesty (other part is genetics.) I currently live just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If you want to see more of my photos, I'm on IG: @jennie.brian.seetheworld

Probably not in the sense that you are used to. This isn't a family session at the park where you can set your 50mm lens to 1.8 and blur the hell out of everything. f/2.8 will give nice Bokeh, but you can play with that Aperture Setting now. Mount your 50mm, set it to f/2.8 and take a few test shots. Zoom lenses typically don't go beyond f/2.0 and the reason is the size and weight of the lens. If you were to have a f/1.8 Zoom Lens, that sucker would probably weight 7lbs or more. You probably couldn't get your hands around it. But f/2.8 is better than nothing. You will get decent subject isolation with f/2.8, but not the buttery blurry backgrounds that so many are used to. Especially ones who shoot with Primes. Subject placement, distance between the background and subject AND between you and the subject will affect how much blur. If you move the subjects further away from the background, set the lens to f/2.8 and Zoom in, Compression will help with the Bokeh. This was taken with my 70-200 at f/2.8 zoomed into 200mm. She was a good bit away from the grass in the background: Typical shot of what to expect with f/2.8. Also taken with my 70-200 and I was a good distance away. Compression is your friend when it comes to zoom lenses. (BTW, I didn't edit this photo, but I did take it. I just realized that her dress is blown out and lost detail.)

Been there, done that. You are fucked. Inform the Bride. There are reasons that I shoot with the professional bodies. They can deal with High ISO's pretty easily. Chances are, you are going to be at ISO 6400 or more during the whole ceremony. Hopefully they have big windows. GET CF CARDS OUT OF YOUR HEAD!! Your camera doesn't take them. The CF Cards were for another camera that you aren't buying. You want to purchase a couple of 32GB SD Cards.

If you are used to shooting in M Mode / Full Manual, keep using it. Aperture Priority just helps make things a bit faster in where you pick the Aperture and the camera picks the Shutter Speed to match as best as you can. Personally, I shoot in Manual Mode 99% of the time. The only time I switch to Aperture Priority is if I'm bouncing back and forth between a really bright area and then immediately spinning around and shooting an area that is dark. Sometimes an "Auto" Mode like Aperture Priority makes things easier since rotating dials can open the proverbial door for you to miss a shot. I don't think this Wedding with be like that for you, so stick with what you know. Uh, yeah! You will be adjusting your settings all day long!! Speaking of settings, your camera's Sync Speed is 1/200th of a Second for a Shutter Speed. So set your camera to 1/200 (the camera will do this automatically if you set it up correctly in the menu). Here is the D5100 Manual in .PDF Format. Now we need to set up your camera to work with the SB-5000. First, I want you to turn to Page 38 and follow the steps. The Flash Mode that you need to set in your camera is Rear Curtain Sync. From Nikon: Rear Curtain Sync is A LOT more forgiving than the other Flash Modes. It fires the flash just before the shutter closes. What does this do? Your subjects will be "frozen" with the quick Flash Duration, but things in the background might be a little blurry. This is perfectly normal. If you are on Front Curtain Sync the Flash fires when the shutter opens and this can lead to your subjects being blurry if they are moving, like walking down the aisle and things in the background sharp. THIS IS VERY BAD. It's much better to have a frozen and in-focus subject and a blurry background than a blurry B&G and sharp background. Got it? I just read the User Manual of your D5100. Holy Smokes! I forgot just how Consumer Grade that camera is!! I actually just found the real manual and this is the one you need to read Cover-to-Cover. Nikon D5100 Reference Manual. I want you to start on page 149 and go through each of the settings. In fact, on page 151 is where we need to be. You want setting A1 to be set to Focus and not "Release." This makes sure that the camera only takes the photo when it thinks things are in focus when using AF-C Mode. Chances are the AF-C mode will be the one you use the most during the day. As you press the shutter halfway down, the camera keeps focusing. You might be used to the other mode, AF-S which is single focus mode. This is good for subjects that are standing still, like for Portraits. That said, if someone moves just a little bit, the focus can be off so I'm always using AF-C for Weddings. BTW, I don't bother with AF-A mode. You want setting D2 set to On to display your current ISO in the viewfinder instead of shots remaining. Menu Setting E1: SET THAT TO TTL. This is Through-The-Lens Metering, which puts the Flash in a Auto Mode. You do not have enough time to learn how to properly control Full Manual Flash. Seriously, you need like 6 months or more of practice. USE TTL Mode! The F1 Menu Setting, I'd switch that to ISO. This way all you would have to do is hold the FN button and rotate the Rear Control Dial. This makes adjusting your ISO a breeze. Setting F4. This by far, is one of the most important settings on Nikon Cameras. You should set this option to RELEASE LOCKED!! Why? If you set it to Release Locked, the camera will only take a picture if a Memory Card is installed in the camera! You don't EVER want to take the risk of taking a photograph and not having a card in the camera, because as soon as you power off the camera, those photos in the camera's buffer are permanently gone. Again, Menu F4... "RELEASE LOCKED!!!" Now we should be in the Setup Menu, the "Wrench" Icon. Monitor Brightness. I'd set that to -1 or even -2. Photographers get caught in the trap of using the Camera's LCD to judge exposure. THIS IS VERY BAD. As I've stated before, the Camera's LCD Display's the JPEG Preview that is embedded in the Raw file, and not the RAW File Image itself!! Always remember, your camera's LCD is a lying and cheating Whore who will sell you down the River if given the chance!!! The camera's LCD brightness is adjustable, which causes you to think you have obtained proper exposure, but you haven't. So by setting it to -1 or -2, will help ensure better focus, because it's really hard not to view the LCD and not judge exposure. People do it all the time. Other settings! I would change the "Info Display Format," page 168 to "CLASSIC." This mode is much easier to read and allows you to get to various settings without having to dig through the menus. In fact, Page 169 has a breakdown of what all the settings are. Memorize them!! You should shoot RAW. If you can, select 12-Bit Uncompressed. But I don't think the D5100 has that option. I think it's 14-bit only. Oh well. Regardless, SHOOT RAW.

Yep. That is the one. Umm...with the switch on the back of the flash? You attach it the flash on the Camera's Hot-Shoe. I will be you have the protection cover still on top of the camera. Slide it backwards and you should see something like this: See this thing on top of your camera? Slide it off (Backwards.) It's just the contact cover. That's where the flash mounts to: Now, here is the Manual for the SB-5000. I want you to download it right now and READ IT.

SB-700 is fine. It should work for your situation and with things not being in stock, you may not have a choice. 70-200 / 24-70...technically you need it all. The main problem is, you are going to be "Performing on-stage" within a week and you know how to play Heart and Soul and can play a C Major Scale on a Piano. People think Weddings are easy, they've all been to at least one in their lives, well at least by the time they are adults. It's a completely different experience when you are the one documenting the day. It just is. You can shoot an entire Wedding with a 24-70 lens. You can get creative with a 70-200 lens and things like the first Kiss are much easier with a 70-200. But like I said, a 24-70 will cover an entire Wedding if you think outside the box. Since you are on a Crop Sensor, you need a Nikon 17-55 f/2.8DX lens for this Gig. That lens compensates for the Angle of View Change with a DX Sensor and gives you the equivalent focal range as a 24-70 would on a FX Sensor. Understand? Bring your 35mm and 50 and 85mm. You might be able to pull this Wedding off without a 70-200. Most of the time, my 70-200 gets used for when I'm on the outskirts and the Woman that I shoot with is in the middle aisle during the Ceremony. Often she has a 24-70 mounted and I have a 70-200. I also zoom in like a Sniper for the "Ugly Crying Groom's Face," or to get in a tight shot of a Mom in tears. Then for a Reception, the 70-200 also helps me capture the emotion while the couple is on the dancefloor for the 1st time. One lens is simply "better" than the other when it calls for a certain situation. It is also based on what look you are going for. Blurring out the backgrounds and using compression to your advantage makes for easy and creative B&G Formal Shots with a 70-200. But shooting the Formals with everyone in the Wedding Party? Heck no, you are standing too far back with a 70-200. You use the Right Tool for the Job you are doing/Photographing. That's why I have a 14-24mm, 24-70, 70-200, 85mm 1.8 and a 50mm 1.8, Main Camera Body plus a backup camera body and a SB-5000 Flash with a SB-910 Flash as a backup for each Wedding Gig. In the car I have another 24-70 and 70-200. But you aren't there yet. I'm not going to tell you to spend $16,000+ in the next week for this mess you have gotten yourself into. That wouldn't be fair. So let's keep things simple. You have so much to cram in the next few days you can not afford to have a major "Brain-Fart" during this Gig. You need to figure out how to bounce your flash!! That's on Wednesday. As for the 85, I said it's great on a Full Frame Sensor, but it "Too Long" to be of really any use on a Crop Body. But that is based on my shooting style and I'm more of a Zoom Person. You might find that 85 is the "Bee's Knees" and prove me completely wrong. I hope that you do! I want you to blow this Gig out of the Park and have a happy client!! Bottom Line: Head to LensRentals.com, rent a 17-55 f/2.8G DX and a SB-700 for the week. Hold off on the 70-200 unless you feel like forking out the cash. The 85mm that you purchased might work in place of the 70-200. Sometimes my 70-200 sits in my bag all day if the venue is small. The 24-70? Hell No. It's my most used lens during a Wedding and that's why you need to rent the 17-55. Got it?

The SB-700 should work "fine." It's a good flash and I bought one for my Brother as a Christmas Gift to work with his D5200. I'd check to see if another site has a SB-5000 or a SB-910. With any of those flashes, it will be WAY BETTER than any pop-up flash. At this point, you really don't have time, you need something by the middle of the week. I've used Borrowlenses.com and LensRentals.com. Getting setup with them is a bit of a PITA, as they need your Driver's License and other Documentation to prove you are you, which is understandable as they are sending things to unknown parties on the internet. So plan on jumping through a couple of hoops today to get your accounts setup. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM YOU ARE GOING TO RUN INTO IS YOUR D5100 AND THAT CROP SENSOR. You don't have "Wide." 35mm is kinda wide on a Full Frame, but not on a crop sensor. Small churches, getting ready shots in people's bedrooms...all of that stuff you need wide. For a Crop Sensor, that's around 16mm to get a 24mm equivalent's "look." In reality, you need the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 Zoom Lens as that is the "24-70" for a Crop Sensor Camera Body. Holy Shitballz!!! I FOUND ONE!!! Lensrentals.com has a Nikon 17-55 f/2.8G DX lens in stock!! I know you like your Primes and you seem to be a Prime shooter, but honestly? You need a Zoom for this gig. So ignore my recommendation for a 24-70 since you bought the 85mm and rent that damn Nikon 17-55 f/2.8G DX lens. Don't argue. Trust me. Here is a photo taken with my 17-55 f/2.8 when I shot with my D300s for a Wedding years ago: https://www.instagram.com/p/BKJ_RUVDlnZ/ I was standing about 6 or so feet away from them with my SB-600 camera right on a lightstand. (Off Camera Flash.) Just before I took the photo, I told the Groom to "Grab her ass!" and he happily complied. Her reaction is genuine. You are working in uncharted territory and it's not going to do you any good standing on a ladder in a corner or in a closet trying to get further back because you aren't "wide" enough. I've been there, it sucks. I've missed shots due to not being "wide" enough because of a damn Crop Sensor. Getting ready shots almost always require a 24mm lens, and with your crop body, that's going to perform like a 35mm would on a full frame. I know I'm going on-and-on about this, but I'm trying to save you a headache & heartache. You have no idea of what you got yourself into. As I've stated on FB, being a Guest at a Wedding and Photographing it is Romantic, being a Vendor Documenting the Day is a Pain in the Ass. Honestly? Stuff like this is completely normal when it comes to a Wedding. You think it's just a small ceremony in a Church, and a simple Reception. HA! Then the "Oh, by the way, I'd like you to take photos of...." starts to happen and then it blows up in your face. This is the reason that Wedding Photographers charge as much as they do! But you will get through it, you have no choice and at least you know to expect the un-expected. CF Cards are just different and is one of the older formats for Digital Cameras. Going forward, new cameras are XQD / CFExpress Type B and SD cards. It really depends on what your camera body takes. The only reason that I recommended CF Cards was if you were going to purchase a used D700 body; that camera ONLY takes CF Cards and I think your D5100 only takes SD Cards.