Tomorrow i am photographing a wedding of a family friend...there will be a photographer there already, they are just giving me some experience opportunity....I own a Canon Rebel XTi and I have read the manual over and over and i just don't understand how to change the aperture...and I would also just like some pointers/advice/tips on how to get the maximum quality an amateur could get....please help! =)
switch to av mode on the mode dial - that is aperture priority mode. In that mode you can change your f number (aperture) using the values wheel (that wheel in front of your mode dial). You can also change in in manual mode by holding down the Av button on the back of the camera and turning the values wheel at the same time. Can't help with the latter problem save to say practise, practise and then practise some more!
To change the aperture, set the camera to Aperture Priority mode (I believe Canon calls it Av on the dial) or full Manual mode. I would recommend using aperture priority and let the camera handle shutter speed settings. Once set on A priority, you can use your scroll wheel to adjust your f stops. Just remember, the smaller the aperture (higher f number) the longer the shutter will have to be open.
Overread and bullitt make good points; practice and DoF. Appropriate DoF is key to good wedding shots. In addition to requiring longer exposures, smaller apetures will give you a greater DoF (more of the image is sharply focused). This is good, right? Nope, not always. Often there is an unattractive background that you want to obscure. The best way to do this is to leave it out of focus. Spend some time learning how to control your camera. Others may disagree, but my suggestion is to use your camera in Shutter Priority (Not sure of the Canon-ese for that) and set it at between 1/125 and 1/200. That is fast enough to freeze movement. The danger, IMO, of using apeture priority is that you can lose track of the shutter speed when adusting your apeture to get that critical DoF and wind up taking a whole series of shots at 1/30 or lower and finding them too soft to use. Better to have a little less than ideal DoF and a crisp shot. Keep your ISO as low as you can, but don't be afraid to crank it up to get 'that shot' if you need to. Do some research/practice, and find out what your camera's acceptable high ISO threshold is. Take an hour or two and surf the 'sites of wedding photographers; look at different poses and and styles they use; ensure you know (either from the main shooter or the family) if there are any special poses, requirements, etc that they want captured. There are a LOT of really good wedding photographers here; I hope they pitch in. Good luck!
Yes, I talked to the photographer at my cousin's wedding just to make a friend and be nice and not to get in the way. If you kind of ignore him get in his way he might get mad... Im not suggesting to talk to him/her but im suggesting to stay out of way. I try to stay behind him or to the side, never infront. Try not to be on the opposite side of his subject (lets say during a dance) I had to run and jump outa the way cuz the photographer was on the other side about to take a picture
