Grateful for tips

Next week i will be the photgrapher at a family function (my first). It will be a night function and outdoors so i am hoping you kind folk can help me with a few tips. I am planning on using the DA 16-45 with the AF-360fgz flash on my K10. I also have the A 1.7 50mm but i am thinking i should use AF. I also have the DA 50-200
What camera setting should i use AV, P, M, etc : and do i just set the flash to PTT-L and go from there.
I want to keep it as simple as i can as i dont want to make a hack of it
Any tips would be gratefully accepted

Clarky, I would set the camera to P and let it take care of everything, I've often done these things with the Ds or the Optio and all has been fine. Presumably you are there to enjoy yourself too!

Ken

If it's dark, AF may not work very well. If you want to capture groups, then the lens is OK. I'd use something longer for individuals and keep about 12 feet away from the subject.

Lighting will be the biggest challenge. I don't like camera mounted flash. You get flat results with harsh shadows and red eye.

I would probably use my Metz 45CL (IIRC) hammer-head on the end of a bar with a big diffuser.

Good luck.

Picking up on what Lenscape rightly says about diffusion, can you not get a Stofen diffuser for your flash, they are quite impressive in effect but inevitably you might lose 1.5 to 2 stops, not ideal outdoors.

www.stofen.com

If you follow this advice . . . make sure your 'P' mode is set appropriately in the custom settings. It can be set to normal, high speed, dof, or MTF.

I've never used any of them so can't advise further. I would probably use Av and set a wide aperture. P-TTL on the flash should be fine, just beware of the loss in output of 1.5 - 2 stops if you use a diffuser (recommended).

Straight flash, even from hot-shoe mounted gun, gives very harsh shadows which are most noticeable when you switch the camera to portrait orientation. When in landscape (flash above lens), the shadows are behind and below the subject. In portrait (camera turned through 90 degrees) you'll get shadows to the left or right, depending on which way you prefer to turn the camera.

You could of course use wireless flash and have an assistant hold the flash above the camera.

thanks for the advice much appriciated. I will invest in that diffuser and i will do some experimenting in the yard before the big night. I generally use my camera in the AV mode most of the time but i have little experience with night time photography and redeye is always a problem but its also easy to fix in PS. Thanks again