Camera metering and exposure explained The first step to getting better exposures is to understand how your camera’s metering system interprets a scene. In this beginner’s guide we answer all the common questions and provide a handy series of cheat sheets to help you along… All images by Marcus Hawkins What does a camera meter actually do? The meter measures a subject’s brightness so that the camera can determine how long the sensor needs to be exposed to record a picture. The problem is that the metering system doesn’t always work flawlessly, and you may end up with pictures that are either too dark or too bright. For more refined results, you can correct these errors using exposure compensation, or dial in the exposure settings – aperture, shutter speed and ISO – manually. SEE MORE: Canon metering modes – how to get perfectly exposed images Why does the camera meter get things wrong? Camera meters are calibrated to what’s called ‘18% grey’. Obviously, not everything you photograph falls neatly into this mid-tone range.
Best camera settings for moving landscapes (free photography cheat sheet) When you first start out in landscape photography, observing a few of the classic conventions can really make a difference to the kind of results you get. Just knowing how to adjust aperture so you get maximum depth of field in an image is a big help, as is understanding some of the classic theories of photo composition. Image by Chris Rutter But eventually you want to break free from convention and try your own thing. Setting up your camera to capture motion in the landscape, however, can be quite difficult to figure out at first. Below we’ve provided a simple cheat sheet with some of the best camera settings for capturing moving landscapes. SEE MORE: 6 camera settings landscape photographers always get wrong For your first shot, try… Exposure mode Manual Shutter speed 1 sec or slower Aperture f/16 Final Tip If there’s too much light to decrease your shutter speed to a slow enough setting, use a filter to stop down the light.
Learning the Methods of Focus in Photography — iHeartFaces.com Let’s Get Focused! One of the most challenging technical portions of photography, especially when you are first learning to use your camera, is FOCUS! It seems so elusive at times and I have seen tons of threads in forums dedicated to figuring out its mysteries. You hear terms like “toggle focus,” “focus and recompose” and “back-button focus,” but what do they all mean? As a disclaimer, I am a Canon shooter (5D Mark II) and so I have based this tutorial on the viewfinder appearance for this model. Auto-Select Focus I admit, when I was first learning to use my camera, I was rather “focusing ignorant.” You can see that the camera activates all of the points that are on the same plane (outlined in red), which may or may not capture the area of focus that you intended. Instead, you can take a bit more control by choosing to focus using a single point (or in some cases, a single zone). Toggle Focus The first method of focus that I am covering is called Toggle Focus. Focus-Recompose
Manual mode: is it relevant to the digital photographer? Using manual mode can be slow and fiddly. So in this tutorial we ask the question: is manual mode still relevant to the digital photographer? Click on the infographic to see the larger version Your camera provides convenience and control over exposure when used in its semi-automatic shooting modes. Whether you’re taking pictures in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Program, you can lock the exposure, quickly make subsequent pictures brighter or darker using exposure compensation and then call up the brightness histogram to check for over- or under-exposure. So why bother using Manual mode, where you have to spend time dialling in all the exposure settings, always with an eye on the exposure indicator in the viewfinder? Simple: Manual exposure gives you consistency. SEE MORE: Understanding the Exposure Triangle: aperture, shutter speed & ISO explained This is particularly useful when you’re shooting active subjects. SEE MORE: How to use a camera – exposure modes made simple
Best camera settings for window-lit portraits As our series of pre-shot checklists continues we take a look at some of the best camera settings for window-lit portraits. Speed and connecting with the subject are the keys to capturing great people shots. This means that the fewer settings you have to think about while you’re shooting, the better chance you have of getting the perfect portrait. While you’ll usually have more control over the conditions when shooting indoors, that’s no reason to go in unprepared. Things you can pre-set Having your camera set up so you can get shooting straight away will also make the whole process more enjoyable for your subject, as even a professional model will get bored while waiting for you to get ready, and this can show in their expressions and attitude to the shoot. As with most portraits, getting the right depth of field is the key to successful indoor portraits, so start by setting your camera to aperture-priority mode, and selecting a wide aperture such as f/2.8 or f/4.
8 Tips to Take a Sharp Photo Make sure your shutter speed is AT LEAST 1/125. I know we talked about this when we discussed shooting in manual mode but it can’t be said enough. If you are photographing a moving subject you need to stay above 1/125. I have even read some people say they don’t go below 1/250 if they are photographing kids. However, sometimes the lighting isn’t in my favor to shoot that fast. Personally, I don’t go below 1/125 if I’m shooting my kids. ss 1/640, ISO 100, f 6.3 I should have lowered my aperture number so I could have increased my shutter speed. Notice how low the shutter speed is which caused her to not be as sharp - ss 1/50, ISO 100, f5.0
8 Tips For Getting Professional Indoor Photos Every Time Shooting indoor photography can become a chore when you don’t know what you are doing. Lucky for you, that’s where we come in to help! 1) Understand your camera as much as you can! Get to know it like that girl/guy you wish you talked to more often from your English class. 2) Get out of automatic mode to take control of the all-important shutter speed If this was not something you are already implementing into your daily photography routine, then it is time to get started! 1/60 to 1/200 is a nice range, because it affords you enough speed to capture a sharp image without motion blur, and it avoids capturing that nasty light frequency interference. Shooting on aperture priority or manual mode indoors is incredibly helpful as well because you can then control the depth of field. If you haven’t yet mastered manual mode, then read Jim’s excellent in-depth photography basics tutorial. 3) When you have the advantage of daylight, make the most of it! 4) Use a reflector! 6) Modify that flash!
How to use Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO Info Graphic | The Official London Photography Tours Posted Sunday, 10 March, 2013 | Author: Luke Chapman Photography Setting Info Graphic How To Use Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO Here is a cheat sheet to help explain how each of the camera settings effects your pictures. In this info graphic I have related the camera to the human eye, in so much as the lens of the camera sees the world as a human eye does. I have compared the ISO on your camera to a pair of sunglasses, the shutter speed to the speed at which you blink your eye allowing light in, and the aperture being the equivalent to your pupil getting wider and narrower as it controls the amount of light entering your eye. I hope you find this info graphic useful and use it as a reference point to help better understand your photography. Embed this info-graphic on Your Site: Copy and Paste the Code Below Photography Setting Info Graphic How To Use Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO Here is a cheat sheet to help explain how each of the camera settings effects your pictures. Aperture.
Photography 101 Tutorial: How To Use Aperture | Beck Impressions Photography Aperture Priority Mode. You might find it on your camera as A or Av for “Aperture Value”. This is my favorite shooting mode, and it’s the one I recommend to anyone who wants to learn to take photos out of AUTO mode. But first, let me explain what “aperture” means. Note: Here’s the tricky part to remember, though. Now let me define Depth of Field (DOF). Aperture Priority mode means that you choose your aperture, and then the camera will use its built in light meter to adjust the shutter speed accordingly. How low/large you can go depends on your lens. Camera Lens Information So, which aperture should you use? If you want to experiment with a shallow depth of field, start with the largest aperture (smallest number). Smaller apertures (larger numbers) will increase the depth of field, keeping more of both your foreground and background in focus. Here’s just one example of how the aperture value can affect an image. Aperture Value (Av) Depth of Field Comparison
How to photograph anything: best camera settings for perfect portrait photography In the second part of our Shoot Like A Pro series on how to photograph any subject you want we take a closer look at the best camera settings for portrait photography. Our guide takes you through blurring backgrounds, setting up your camera for moving subjects, indoors vs outdoor portraits, and more. Best camera settings for outdoor portrait photography Blurring the background is the key to classic portrait shots, to direct attention to the main subject. While the aperture and the depth of field are important, you also need to watch the shutter speed. How to set up your camera for outdoor portraits Exposure mode Aperture Priority (A or Av) To take control over the depth of field, select Aperture Priority. Autofocus point Single point Set to single point autofocus, then select the AF point closest to the subject’s eye. Shutter speed Set by camera Aperture f/4 Lens 50 to 100mm Focus mode Single or one shot Drive mode Single shot White balance The preset to suit the light source
How to Take Sharp and In-Focus Action Photos You guys know I love taking photos of Miley and Howie running around like lunatics in the backyard. If you’ve ever wondered what the best settings to use to get action photos sharp and in focus were, here’s my go-to recipe for tack-sharp action photos. I use these five simple settings every single time. I still take a lot of photos, and I still get a lot of out of focus shots, but with these settings I get a whole lot more in focus than out of focus, and playing with my camera in the backyard with the pups is a much more pleasant experience. ;) Ingredients: *These are the “ingredients” I personally use for my action photos, but you can definitely achieve similar results with the equipment you already own. 1. For my money, the Canon 7D is one of the best cameras out there for fast action photos. 2. 3. You’ll need lots of light for action photos, which requires a fast shutter speed. Directions: 1. On a Canon, turn the dial at the top to TV.On a Nikon, turn the dial at the top to S. 2. 3. 4.
8 Tips for Shooting in Low Light » Wonderlass 4 comments Ah yes, shooting in low light. Something that can be terribly frustrating if you don’t understand how to make the most of the situation! (And even when you DO know how to handle it, it can STILL be frustrating some times!) I remember the queasy knots in my stomach during the first SUPER DARK wedding reception that I shot when I first started shooting weddings- it wasn’t a good feeling. But because I come across all types of less-than-stellar lighting situations as a wedding photographer, I’ve had to learn how to make low light situations my bitch. Yeah, I said it. So fear not. 1. The more you open the aperture on your lens, the more light that comes in! 2. The longer your exposer, the more light you let into your shot. I often use long exposures at wedding receptions to capture some of the details without losing the moody, low-lit ambience: 3. The more you increase your camera’s ISO, the more sensitive your camera’s sensor will become to light. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Feeling inspired?
7 ways to create beautiful depth of field in your photos | submarines and sewingmachines: 7 ways to create beautiful depth of field in your photos Wanna make photos like the one below? Then I have 7 great tips for you. These are things I learned during photography and from other articles like this. Depth of field is the the area that is in focus in your photo. So Wen you have a shallow depth of field only your subject is in focus, when your depth of field is very big, everything is in focus. 1. All DSLR's have an option to set the size of the aperture, mostly its called aperture priority mode or just A. 2. get close to the subject The closer you get to your subject the blurrier the background will become. 3. create a bigger distance between your subject and the background This will make the background less in focus and therefor less sharp. 4. zoom in When you zoom in on your subject the effect will be similar to getting your camera closer. 5. get a camera with a bigger sensor The size of your sensor has huge impact on your photo quality, and also on the depth of field. 6. I hoped this helped you guys!