Hey guys, here are 2 items you asked for.

Hope the weddings go well for you.

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D200 and SB-800 Wedding Shooting Settings

Common notes:
1. I Shoot in JPEG , Large / fine for all the formals and church pics.
At reception I change to medium / fine.
I keep to fine because it is the least compression ratio of 1:4
2. I use the D200 body and SB-800,
3. I keep the diffusion dome on all the times when indoors. I remove the diffusion dome outdoors when farther than 7 feet.
4. Outdoors I keep flash head straight at subject.
5. Indoors I rotate the head up 1 click
6. I am using a Fotogenetic curve EV3 v.1 , adding + 1/3 exposure
Try these settings. I find them very accurate, easy to use, and give repeatable excellent quality exposures and white balance.

Scenario A. Outdoors with fill flash:
1. Matrix metering on camera
Shutter priority. Set shutter speed to 1/250 sec. This is the sync speed of the D200.
2. ISO beginning at 100 or 200, 250 if darker day
3. SB-800 on TTL BL. Exposure comp at 0 to begin with
(see note in right hand column) 
4. White balance : “Flash” , 0 comp (No, I’m not crazy)

Scenario B. Indoors with flash

1. Change SB-800 to TTL
2 . Manual metering on camera. I use 1/80 or 1/100 second at
f6.3 or f 7.1.
I usually use ISO of 400 indoors
3. Don’t use too large an aperture. You want to nail focus
during dancing and such.


4. SB-800 Exposure comp at 0 to begin with (see note below).
5. White balance: Flash, +1 comp (very accurate white balance, try
it)
The SB-800 is adjusting its flash output by light reflecting back at the camera.
 With neutral subjects (clothing) leave flash exposure comp at 0.
 Brighter subject (bride) adjust up + 1/3 or + 2/3.
 Darker subject (couple wearing black for example) adjust down – 1/3 or – 2/3
You don’t want to overexpose with a flash shot. Learn to evaluate what the subjects are wearing and adjust up or down. If you learn this “zone” system of flash comp you can always get a very well exposed shot, very good consistency from picture to picture.

Examples:
 Picture of just wedding cake + 2/3
 Picture of just bride + 2/3
 Picture if bride and brides maids wearing light colour dresses, + 1/3
 Picture of groom (dark suit) alone, - 1/3
 Picture groom and his guys in black tuxes, - 2/3
 Picture of bride and mom (wearing dark dress) “0”
 Picture of bride and mom (wearing light dress) + 1/3 to + 2/3
 Picture of bride and groom cutting white cake + 2/3 with white table cloth
 Picture of dancing couple wearing black - 2/3

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Advanced Outdoor Fill Flash

It is easy and sometimes very simple to shoot in matrix metering outdoors and for fill set the flash to TTL BL. Many use program mode, some aperture priority and some shutter priority
.
1. When using this method it works best when subject is in the shade and not in bright sun.
2. Make sure all exposure comps and flash comps are set to 0 to begin with.
3. ADD or subtract flash by using the + - button on back of the SB-80/ 600.
I find when shooting subjects that 0 comp is where I begin.
your settings of -1 and such will produce underexposure in this situation of a subject
in the shade.
4. Using matrix and TTL BL will at times give inconsistent results.
Just turning the camera from horizontal to vertical can give different exposures
because the matrix areas are reading the scene differently.
5. This method is quick, easy and sometimes can give a darn good exposure.

6. Sometimes this method can NOT give good pictures. One time is when the background is very bright and the subject is in the shade. This matrix/TTL BL method works best on overcast days when the difference between the background
and subject is not too different
7. Use white balance of "flash”. This usually gives a nice look.

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Now here is what many pros do in a bright background subject in shade shoot.
It is a bit more advanced but gives always repeatable results.

1. Camera in metering mode of matrix
2. Manual mode on camera.
3. Meter off the bright background and close 1/3 stops. This is 1 click to the right
on the metering scale in the viewfinder.
4. Use TTL BL flash setting.
5. I start with flash comp at - 1/3 and work from there.
6. I find that when I use this method I never blow out the bright backgrounds and get better fill flash look.


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Sam
www.samjsternphotography.com