The full automatic setting of modern digital cameras usually give excellent results. Occasionally, the light can be ‘difficult’, objects may be moving or your are seeking a particular effect that the automatic setting cannot produce the right outcome, eg; to put the background out of focus or to blur motion. In these circunstances the photographer needs to understand how to set the camera controls to obtain the best outcome.
The sections below include some basic checklists on using different types of camera and some suggested exercises to help you try out and become ‘comfortable’ with your camera’s different setings and capabilities.
Also below are some composition hints to help you take better photographs.
Exercises
Basic Compact Checklist
Before you start
Dials and other settings may not be as you expect so always spend a few minutes with the camera’s manual and checking out the basic settings and control features and check how to do the following.
- Select your preferred ‘shooting mode’ if available eg; auto, aperture, shutter and change s necessary during a photo session.
- Set the image stabilisation [if available might be a button, in a menu or a shooting mode]
- Turn the flash ‘on’ and ‘off’ as desired, and understand flash behaviour with various shooting modes [switch off for less harsh lighting]
- Choose the macro (flower) setting for closeup photograps, [off otherwise]
- Set ‘scene modes’ if an option
- Adjust sensor sensitivity (ISO) settings
To take a photo
- set zoom to suit subject
- focus camera [point at main subject, touch/half press shutter release button to focus] respond if there are warnings eg if too close to a subject for proper focus
- compose photo [keep shutter release button half down to maintain focus and other settings, don’t alter zoom]
- take photo [fully press shutter release button]
Basic DSLR/Bridge Checklist
Before you start
Dials and other settings may not be as you expect so always spend a few minutes with the camera’s manual and checking out the basic settings and control features and check how to do the following.
- Set the image stabiliser to on [if available, might be on the side of the lens or in a menu] – this avoids blurred images from camera shake at slow shutter speeds.
- Select ‘auto’ or ‘manual’ focus as desired [if available this may be on the lens as well as the camera itself] – manual focus can be usefule in ceratin circumstances that will otherwise confuse the auto focus eg; birds against a moving background of a tree.
- Know how to swith the falsh on and off. Usually this is best kept switched off to avoid harsh lighting and inadvertently using flash in prohibitted areas/locations.
- Setting the shooting mode selection as desired (eg; auto, manual, aperture priority, shutter priority or selected ‘scene’ modes)
- Adjusting ISO sensitivity. [generally as low as practical]
- Selecting ‘focus points’ to the most suitable [generally select just the central focus point]
- Knowing how to set ‘light’ metering options to most suitable.
To take a photo
- Set zoom (if available) to suit subject [wide angle – good depth of field; telephoto – narrower depth of field][Depth of field = distance between the nearest and farthest objects in sharp focus]
- If the shutter speed is 1/60 second or slower, find a way of steadying the camera in order to reduce blurring through ‘camera shake’ or change setting to allow a fater speed if this is an option [touch/half press shutter release button to check speed]
- focus camera [point at main subject, touch/half press shutter release button to focus]
- compose photo [keep shutter release button half down to maintain focus and other settings, don’t alter zoom]
- take photo [fully press shutter release button]
Composition Hints
We recommend the following YouTube video on composition –
- Imagine your view finder split into 9 rectangles by two vertical gridlines and two horizontal gridlines. Try and position key parts of your subject on the “thirds” of a picture (where the gridlines intersect). These are the ‘sweet spots’ to which the eye is naturally drawn
- A good picture should “tell a story” immediately.
- Crop! Crop! Crop! What doesn’t help hinders.
- Get in close to your subject. Fill the frame (but remember cut-off by viewfinder and processors).
- Watch out for distractions on the edge of the picture eg light patches, electric sockets, fire extinguishers etc.
- Light in the early morning or late evening is often best, creating shadows, silhouettes and emphasizing textures. Light directly overhaeda is often ‘flat’ leading to ‘bland’ photographs Don’t be afraid of shooting against the light, but if you do, carefuly consider your exposure settings.
- Use Advancing (warm) & receding (cool) colours – to your advantage. The advancing colours eg; Reds, yellows, violets, terracotas creae a warm cosy compact feel, the cooler receding colours eg; lights blues and greys make the space feel bigger.
- Try framing the picture with trees, arches, or other shapes.
- Use differential focus and depth of field, where the photographer chooses to have part of a photograph ‘in focus’ and part of it ‘out of focus’ – to “lose” or “blur” backgrounds or foregrounds. This techniques removes distracting details / objects and permits the eye to concentrate on the key subject matter of the photograph.
- Use natural lines to “lead the eye in” to key parts of the picture. (eg; roads & paths, fencing lines, hand rails etc)
- Consider using portrait format, not always landscape.
- You can “lose” an uninteresting ‘middle ground’ by using a low viewpoint.
- Pack couples or groups closely together in posed people pictures.
- In landscapes, look for some foreground interest, eg perhaps a boulder or a person, to give depth to the picture.
- Don’t have skylines / horizons centred horizontally across the middle of a picture (ie; have different proportions at the top and the bottom of the picture eg; one third to two thirds). Keep skylines and horizons level! (NB; this can often be corrceted in post photo processing)
- If you have an unintersting plain sky withour cloud definition, include only minimum.
Competition hint: A good big ‘un always beats a good little ‘un!
Focus Exercise
Preparation
Read the parts of your camera manual on focusing and close-up (macro or flower setting) and become familiar with how your ‘auto’ focus and ‘focus points’ operate (if fitted)
- With ½ pressure on shutter release watch the camera autofocus. Does it beep when focused? Can you switch the beep off?
- Find out how to adjust where your cameras focuses ( eg; multi-spot/single centre spot?) Does it focus on the nearest part of the subject?
- Find out if your camera has manual focus capability. This is useful in certain circumstances where background items can ‘fool’ the camera to focus incorrcetly.
- Compact camera users: Try out the macro (flower symbol) control for close up photgraphs. Cancel macro after use.
- DSLR Users: Find out how close you can focus. Does it vary with different lenses?
- How does your camera tell you you’re too close? (light/beep?)
- Compact users: Use tele setting to get better out-of-focus backgrounds ie; creating a shallow depth of field.
- DSLR Users: Set a wide aperture (low f/Number)and/or use a long lens to create depth of field and blur backgrounds
- Try moving the focus point in your camer if fitted, this is usually a small rectangle visible in the view finder that can be moved around the view finder and will create a ‘focus point’ at the part of the subject where the rectangle is situated.
Exercise *
- Take two hand-held photos, with and without macro (flower symbol) control as close up as possible for an in-focus image. What is the difference in the distances and in the depth of field?
- Repeat the previous step with the camera on a tripod (or on a firm surface) so you can assess the effect of camera shake.
- If your camera supports it, adjust the focus point and repeat one of the choices above (DSLR users can do this. Compact users may not be able to.)
- Compare the various images (view on PC). How do sharpness and depth of field vary? How can you use this knowledge?
*Write down your choices so you know which images correspond to each setting. Where (view on PC) is shown this part may have to be completed later.
Exposure Exercise
Preparation
To understand how exposure is affected by aperture, shutter speed and ISO, see camera exposure [new window]
Read the part of your camera manual on exposure (Some compact cameras may have none of these – but don’t worry!)
- Check if you have got both automatic and manual exposure control.
- Check any different metering settings ( eg; evaluative/spot) – these determine the area of your photgraoh that the camera will take into account when setting its’ exposure.
- Have you got Full Auto (green) and Program (P) settings?
- Have you got shutter priority (Tv) or (S) and aperture priority (Av) or (A)?
- Read about ISO settings (sensitivity of the camera sensor) – these help take better pictures in poor light settings
- Establish how to adjust the camera aperture settings (f numbers). Small f numbers allow more light into the lens and biger f numbers less light (this is important when using aperture priority) settings
- Establish how to change the shutter speed of you camera, this determins the amount of time for which a photograph will be exposed. Note; hwne using aperture priority you set the aperture and the camera will auto slect the shutter speed and vice versa when using shutter priority.
- Some cameras have a fully manual settings enabling the photgrapher to select and combination f shutter speed and aperture they wish
- Yor camera may have ‘exposure compensation’ (+/- ve) – this is very usefuly to make slight exposure agjustments.
Exercise *
- Take several photos with a range of exposure settings.
- Take several photos with a range of ISO settings.
- Try experimenting with exposure compensation (+/- ve)
- Try using spot meterings and evaluative (wide area) metering
- Compare the images (view on PC) for sharpness, depth of field and digital noise. How can you use this knowledge to take better pictures?
*Write down your choices so you know which images correspond to each setting. Where (view on PC) is shown this part may have to be completed later.
Flash Exercise
Preparation
Read the part of your camera manual on flash.
- Check how flash ‘toggles’ between always on/off/auto/red eye.
- Red eye occurs when the flash is in direct alignment with a persons eyes, some cameras have red-eye supression, otherwise it wil be necessary to angle the flash out of alignment of a person eyes (if adjustable) or to move the position from which you are taking th ephotograph.
- Rather than use flash you may be able to increase the sensitivity of your camera sensor by ‘cranking up’ the ISO setting to higher number values eg; ISO 800, ISO 1200, ISO 3,200 etc
Exercise*
- Take a couple of photos – one with flash and one without. Compare (view on PC) to see the differences. Which do you prefer? What might you do to get the best of both methods in a picture?
- Take several pictures of the same object with and without flash at different distances (eg 1 meter, 3 metres, 10 metres, 30 metres – perhaps easier outside). Compare (view on PC) to see the differences. Are any parts overexposed or underexposed? What is the maximum distance for your flash to be useful? Is there a minimum distance?
- Try taking photos without flash at a high ISO setting and check this with the same phot taken using flash
*Write down your choices so you know which images correspond to each setting. Where (view on PC) is shown this part may have to be completed later.
Other Settings Exercise
Preparation
Read the parts of your camera manual on file size/quality settings/scene modes or creative modes
- Find out how to set your camera to the best file size/quality settings (Always aim for superfine quality and large file size.)
- Change the settings if need be (or bring camera and manual and we will help)
- Find out what scene/creative modes you have (eg landscape/portrait/snow/night)
Exercise*
- Take the same photo for several file quality settings, if possible using a tripod. Compare (view on PC) the sharpness of each image by zooming in. Why do they differ?
- Take the same photo using several scene/creative mode settings, if possible using a tripod. Compare (view on PC) depth of field and colour. How do they differ and how might you use what you have learnt?
*Write down your choices so you know which images correspond to each setting. Where (view on PC) is shown this part may have to be completed later.