Ok, I slipped up and forgot to post on Wednesday, my bad. Here's part three of this blog series. This goes into much more detail on terms and functions of the camera. Once you've read this post, you will more than likely be very confused. There's a lot of basic info here that only scratches the surface of getting the proper exposure. If you find this confusing, let me know in a comment or email and I will answer as soon as possible. Enjoy.
III. Getting the Proper Exposure
A. Exposure Control - White Balance, Aperture,
Shutter Speed, & ISO
1. White Balance - uses the scenes whitest point
for color calibration.
a. Most cameras have these white balance
settings; Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Shade,
Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, Temperature
and Custom.
b. White and Gray Cards can help in achieving
a proper white balance.
2. Aperture - a collection of plates that control
how much light reaches the sensor.
(Landscape & Portrait Mode)
a. The larger the number the smaller the hole,
the greater the depth of field.
b. The smaller the number the larger the hole,
the shallower the depth of field.
c. Setting the aperture is usually done by
adjusting a ring on the lens; however,
with today's technologies most
adjustments are done in camera.
d. Settings are defined by the letter f/
followed by a number. Ex. f/16
3. Shutter Speed - controls the length of time
light hits the camera sensor. (Sports & Night Mode)
a. Usually measured in seconds, the shutter
can be left open for several minutes for
night photography.
b. Fast shutter speed will freeze motion,
while a slow speed can show motion.
c. Technique know as "panning" allows the
photographer to keep his subject in focus
while the background is left blurry.
This should be done with the use of a tripod.
4. ISO - International Standardization Organization -
Sensor or Film Speed
a. Used to measure light sensitivity for the sensor.
b. ISO is defined by numbers 50, 100, 200, 400 and
doubles as it increases, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400.
c. The lower the number, the less sensitive the
sensor is to light.
d. As with film, when using a faster ISO, care
should be taken to avoid digital noise or grain
when using film.
e. Digital noise is the combination of electric
fields generated by most of today’s electronics
and the information being recorded too fast
on the sensor.
B. How to focus your camera.
1. Manual or Auto Focus
a. Auto Focus requires you to press half-way
down on the shutter release to see where
you’re focusing.
b. There should be a set of either focusing
dots or some type of cross-hair used to
focus your subject.
c. Now your camera should either beep or
flash to let you know that you are in focus.
Although some cameras will flash to let you
know what is not in focus. This is typically
on more advanced cameras.
2. Manual focus will allow to control where you
focus and give you more creativity with the shot.
C. Using the On Camera Flash
1. Only use the flash when absolutely necessary.
a. Use the flash in low light situations when a
tripod is not available.
b. Use as a fill flash to help light certain areas
of your subject.
2. The On Camera Flash produces harsh and
unflattering light on your subject, as well as,
throwing a cast shadow on the nearest surface.
3. The light from the flash might seem bright; however,
it loses power the further from the camera it travels.
a. An on camera flash is only good for about 15 to
20 feet. This range is known as the Guide Number.
b. The further the light travels, the darker your
background will be as there is less light to reach it.
4. The Guide Number, simply put, is the power of the flash.
This is a very simplified explanation; there is a lot more
to factor in for the true guide number.
D. Manual Modes vs. Scene Modes
1. What are the manual modes?
a. Full manual allows you the control of every aspect of
your camera: white balance, aperture, shutter, ISO,
focus, etc.
b. Aperture Priority is the same as full manual with the
exception that the shutter speed is determined for you.
c. Shutter Priority, again same as manual, with the
exception that the aperture is determined for you.
d. Program Mode, in turn, does not allow you to set
aperture or the shutter, although, white balance, ISO
and various other functions are yours to control.
2. What are the scene modes?
a. These modes take the human element out and the
camera determines the exposure settings.
b. For the most part, the scene modes are rather self
explanatory and the descriptions for the scene modes
are found in your cameras manual.
3. How to use scene modes creatively.
a. This will require a lot of experimentation, think about
how the exposure settings are used and what scene
mode relates to them the closest.
b. Also know that what one scene mode is designed for,
might actually be good for another situation.
That does it for part three. Next week will be the fourth and final post on the basics of digital photography. Thanks for reading.
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