Originally posted by davemdsn Lastly, shoot everything! Don't wait for "photo opps" or for people to line up and smile. Shoot everything and edit them down later. Shoot RAW, you won't have time to say "lets do that again, I think I can get the exposure better".
I'm with Dave on this one. I was reading an article on luminous landscapes a few days ago....
The Magic Bullet You Suck! (Me Too)
Since most of my (and according to this article, everyone else's) pictures suck, shoot first and ask questions later. I've never shot a wedding, but I have learned a few things about capturing moments. A 10% non-suck factor isn't too bad, especially if that 10% translates into 30+ really special shots. The following is in regard to the reception:
1) Unless your manual focus skills are really good, use autofocus and shoot with enough light to allow the camera to lock in quickly (hunting: bad). An f2.8 20-70 or so zoom would give you enough speed to shoot in moderately low light with no flash when you want to, and enough versatility/range so that you don't have to change lenses and miss moments. Maybe you could get the new Pentax f2.8 16-50 by June, which by all rights should have the best autofocus the company has ever produced.
2) Decouple the shutter and autofocus. Don't let the camera's low light "hunting" allow a moment slip away.
3) For the no flash shots, I would think that shooting in Av mode wide open at f2.8 with such a zoom could work out quite well: limit the DOF to enhance interest and max out the shutter speed to reduce motion blur as much as possible.
4) Watch your metering- it seems to be hit or miss for me, but that's probably because I'm still learning. If you are going to shoot in relatively static light, then consider shooting in manual mode, finding the best shutter speed (use the green button and digital preview/histogram), and leaving it there until you move to the next spot. RAW should provide ample exposure latitude. Keep the ISO to 800 or slower.
Good luck!
John