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What Are Digital Camera Modes

Written by Luke Robinson in Learn,Tutorial

Most of today’s modern cameras have the basic settings of Auto, Action, Portraits, Low light, Macro, etc. These settings allow most people to be able to get a well exposed shot. Some cameras will also have the modes P, Tv, Av, and M. These settings are called the “Creative Zone.” These settings allow you to control part or all aspects of your exposure. The photographer is in charge in the Creative Zone.
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Program Mode: (P) This is the “Program” mode. In this mode you have partial control over the camera. The camera adjusts the shutter speed and the aperture automatically to give you what it thinks is a proper exposure. This mode is a lot like Full Auto mode but you have control over things such as Aperture, Exposure Compensation, drive mode, auto focus, ISO settings, Built in flash, etc. You have some control over these settings but you are limited on how much control. In low light situations it will only allow you to increase your shutter speed and stop based on your exposure compensation or adjusting the aperture and iso. You have no direct control over the shutter speed itself.

Shutter Priority: (Tv, S) This is the “Shutter Priority” mode. This mode allows you to control how long you want the sensor to be exposed. This mode allows you to freeze the action. If you need to freeze a fast moving object, like humming bird. You could set your camera to 1/500 of a second (500), and the humming birds wings would be frozen in time. If you want to take a photo of a waterfall, and want the water to look soft like cotton candy, you could set your camera to 1 second (1”). Most cameras allow you to set it up to 30” seconds. If you want to go longer, you might need to buy a separate remote control that allows you to adjust the time further.
The longer the exposure is, the more light will be let onto the sensor.

Aperture Priority: (Av, A) This is “Aperture Priority” mode. This mode allows you to adjust the aperture. The aperture is the hole your camera sees through when it takes a photo. Depending on what f-stop you have your aperture set to, the depth of field will be either larger or smaller. The f-stop also adjusts how much light enters the camera.
In order to compensate for more or less light entering the camera, the shutter speed changes automatically depending on what f stop you have your camera set to. You can adjust how much light your camera automatically adjusts to by changing your exposure compensation.

Lenses usually range from f1.2 – f22 and higher. At f1.2, the most light enters the camera but the depth of field is very small. When shooting a portrait, a persons eyes can be sharp but their nose out of focus. At f4, less light enters the lens, and the depth of field is a bit larger. At f8, you are dealing with quite a bit more depth of field, but less light still enters the camera. There was a saying that photojournalists said to each other. They said “f8 and be there.” Meaning set your aperture at f8 and be where news is breaking. Chances are you got the shot.
At f22, the least amount of light enters the camera but you will also have the largest depth of field. When you have your aperture set to the outer fringes of the lenses aperture range, you may start to lose sharpness. Usually the sharpest f stop is around the center of its range. f5.6-f16.

Manual Mode: (M) This is “Manual” Mode. This mode allows you to have full independent control over every setting of the camera. When you adjust the aperture, and the shutter speed wont change. The picture will get brighter or darker accordingly. The same with adjusting the shutter speed while in Manual mode, the aperture will not adjust automatically. It may take a little longer to set up your shots, but don’t be afraid of trying out Manual mode. It is where the true creativity is.

I usually have my camera set to Aperture Priority. Sometimes I will switch it over to Shutter Priority mode if i need to freeze the action with a fast shutter speed. Or Manual mode if I am shooting with my strobes. The only time my camera goes into Program mode is when my switch accidentally gets turned when I’m shoving it into a camera bag.

Winter Photography

Written by Luke Robinson in Learn,Tips

Winter Photography 1

You can feel it in the air, The nights are getting colder, The leaves are falling from the trees, Winter is coming. Don’t put your camera away just yet, the cold winter months offer amazing opportunities for some outstanding photos. The bleak frozen landscape can make for some atmospheric, and abstract shots. Most people don’t want to venture out when it is cold, windy, and rainy. Instead they want to stay inside watching TV, all while you are outside exploring the beauty of Winter.  There are fewer people out and about during Winter, and hotels are usually cheaper. It is a perfect time to travel someplace new for some Winter photography.

But with the cold weather also comes some challenges to overcome.  Not only is it cold for the photographer, but your camera can start to misbehave in freezing temperatures.

Tip #1: Overexpose the shot
When your camera sees the bright white snow, it will meter off the snow and try to “properly expose” the white snow at 18% gray. This means the snow will look dull and gray instead of bright white snow.  To prevent this, increase the exposure compensation 1 full stop or 1 1/3 stops. Now the camera will see the bright white snow, and instead of trying to “correctly expose” the snow, it will make the snow 1 or 1 1/3 stops brighter. Now the snow will be bright in your photos. But make sure to keep an eye on your histogram and not let the data touch the right side of the chart. If the data of the histogram touches the right side, then you are completely blowing out the whites in your photo and you will lose all details in those spots. Snow is easy to blow out especially when it is sunny out.

Couple walking during heavy snowstorm on the alley under the trees
Couple walking during heavy snowstorm on the alley under the trees

Tip #2: Batteries
Batteries and freezing temperatures do not go well together. When a battery is cold, it can dramatically reduce the amount of power in your battery. When you are out shooting in cold temperatures, try to have at least one extra battery with you. Keep the extra battery close to your body in a warm pocket. Your body heat will keep the battery warm and fully charged. When the battery in your camera starts to run low of juice, swap it with the warm battery and keep on shooting. Take your cold battery and put it back in your pocket where the warm battery was. Your body heat will warm the cold battery back up, and you often keep using that battery once it has warmed up a bit.

Tip #3: Protect your gear

Winter weather can be brutal, rain, freezing rain, hail, snow, wind, freezing temperatures, all things that can damage your expensive camera. It is important that you keep your camera as dry as possible. Some cameras even have a weather sealing to keep water and dirt out. It basically means there are rubber seals on all the ports to keep moisture out, but it does not mean you can go swimming with your camera. Rain covers are excellent at keeping your camera try. Think of it as a rain jacket for your camera. I suggest this one. It is extremely affordable and the #1 selling rain cover on amazon. That rain cover will protect your camera, but what about all your other gear? Make sure your camera bag has a rain cover. Many bags come with a built in rain cover that you can pull over your bag when it starts to rain.

MtHood-9903-2Tip #4: Sunny weather
When the sun starts to shine, if you can, move into the shadows and keep shooting. Sunlight causes glare on all of the snow which causes you to lose detail in the snow. If you can not move into the shade, a polarizer filter will help reduce glare.

Tip #5: Stay warm
Make sure you are dressed for cold weather. You don’t want to be focusing on how cold you are instead of focusing on your photography. Nothing drains you of your motivation to take pictures than being cold. You are there to shoot, nothing else. Wear a warm jacket, wool socks, a warm hat, warm gloves, Long underwear, and warm pants.  I also like to bring a hot drink in a good Thermos.

Tip #6: Condensation
So you have been out in the cold shooting all day, and it is time to take a break and head back indoors to warm up. When you go inside with a cold camera, condensation will collect on the lens. It is just like a pair of glasses, when you walk into a warm room from the cold, they fog up. The same thing happens to your camera lens. One nifty trick to prevent that is to put your camera into a plastic bag then go indoors. This will cause all of the condensation to collect on the plastic bag but not on the camera itself. After the camera has warmed up to room temperature, you can now remove it from the bag fog free.

Tip #6: Footsteps in the snow
Your footsteps will show up in the snow. So before you go marching out into the fresh snow to compose that perfect shot, decide where you want to take your shot from and what of, Now you know where to walk so you can avoid having your footsteps cut right through the frame. It may take a few minutes to walk to your destination, but it will save you a lot of time not editing footsteps out of your picture in Photoshop.

 Now with these tips, you are ready to face the frigid temperatures and get out there to make some amazing winter photos.

11 Tips For Better Sunset Photos

Written by Luke Robinson in Featured,Learn,Tips

Sunset Photo Tips1

Sunsets are one of the most amazing and beautiful things on earth. The sky suddenly lights up into a fiery red, pink, and orange glow, then fades into a deep blue color and on to darkness. No two sunsets are ever alike, some are magnificent, and others are less spectacular. It is no wonder people love to take pictures of those amazing sunsets.

Here are some quick tips to help you capture those once in a lifetime sunset photos.

  1. Underexpose your photo. Your camera will want to have a perfectly lit exposure when you are shooting sunsets, But if you let the camera make all the decisions, you will end up with a pale washed out photo with none of the colors you see with your eye. Instead, underexpose the photo 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop and all of those brilliant colors will be seen in your photo.
  2. Find an interesting foreground. It can be a tree, a rock, a person, A river, just about anything. This will help create depth in your photo and make it that much more interesting and stand out from the crowd. This may include getting down low to the ground. Most photos are taken about 5 feet off the ground, why not try to be different.
  3. Arrive early. It is best to arrive at your location 30 minutes before sunset, and be prepared to stay 30 minutes after sunset. You will secure your spot, and most of the other people will clear out once the sun dips below the horizon. More often then not, the best colors happen after the sun sets. Nothing is worse than frantically scrambling to find that perfect spot to shoot the sunset all while the sun is setting. If possible, scout out your location earlier in the day, or days earlier so you can just show up and shoot.
  4. Try a different focal length. When most people are photographing the sky, they put on the widest lens they have and photograph the entire sky. The problem with wide angle lenses, they make everything in the distance look tiny.  next time you are shooting a sunset, try a mid range or telephoto zoom lens. The sun and the colors will fill the frame creating an even more amazing photograph.
  5. Use your histogram. The bright sunlight may play tricks on your eyes and the LCD will look either darker or lighter than the final image. With the histogram, you will be able to see if you are blowing out the highlights or losing details in the shadows.
  6. Keep the horizon level. The real horizon is perfectly level, and so should be the horizon in your photo. You can use a bubble level that fits into the hotshot on your camera, or some cameras have an electric level built in. Do not have the horizon line go directly through the center of your frame. Use the Rule of Thirds. It is more pleasing to the eye.
  7. Turn around and look to see what is happening behind you. That amazing sunset you have been shooting might be lighting up that mountain in the distance. Or reflecting off the windows on a building. As a photographer, it is our duty to see amazing photos where most people wouldn’t. Everybody will see that pretty sunset, but nobody will think twice about what is happening behind them.
  8. Use a Smartphone App to help you choose the right location, and to know what time the sun is setting/rising, My favorite tool is the The Photographers Ephemeris http://photoephemeris.com/
    It is free for the desktop, but there is also an iPhone and Android version.
  9. Use a Graduated Neutral Density filter to darken the sky, but still allow light from the foreground to shine through. This will allow you to get the vivid colors in the sky while not losing details in a dark foreground.
  10. When shooting a portrait at sunset, make sure you use a flash or reflector to illuminate the persons face. Otherwise you will just end up with a silhouette of the person and no details in their face.
  11. Remember to set the camera down for a moment and just enjoy the beauty unfolding before your eyes. Don’t just think about camera settings and composition, be in the moment.

Not all sunsets are created equal. Sometimes you will witness the most amazing sunset you have ever seen. While other times the sky will just fade to darkness without much excitement. No two are ever the same, and that just makes them that much more special.

 

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