Basic Digital Camera Shooting Techniques II

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Basic Digital Camera Shooting Techniques II

Using the Correct 'Shooting Modes'...

by Robin Nichols

Snapping Portraits

Set the controls to Portrait Mode if the camera

has one. This ensures that, although the

subject of the portrait remains clear, its

immediate background and foreground

becomes fuzzy. The idea is to 'isolate' the

subject using sharpness.

For greater control over this fore- and background sharpness, set the camera to 'Aperture Priority', (usually denoted by a

‘A’ or an ‘Av’ icon).

This setting is usually located on the main command dial on the top of the camera. Dial in an aperture of f5.6 (or

thereabouts) using the thumbwheel. This f-stop number gives a reasonable depth of focus so that the figure that’s focuse

on is sharp (clear) but the background will be of focus (blurry).

The lower this f-stop number is, the less you get in focus in the shot and the more careful you have to be when focusing!

Note: Setting the camera to Portrait Mode does this for you without your having to think about it ...

Stuff to remember:

Don’t go too close, it can be intimidating. Step back and zoom in with the lens zoom lever.

Never use the wide angle lens setting on the zoom for single people shots. It produces very

unflattering results. (It’s OK for groups though).

Avoid using flash on the face, it can be very unflattering.

Portrait Mode Icon

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In fact, NEVER use flash in a portrait if it can be helped.

Landscape Mode

To make sure that your distant scenes (landscapes,

cityscapes) look their best, set the focus button to 'Mountain

Mode' or 'infinity' (the infinity symbol looks like the figure

eight (‘oo’) lying on its side).

Do this either in the menu, or by pressing the mountain symbol button or the MF button. This

should give you failsafe sharpness for all distant objects (especially when shooting at night

because the camera can’t see), and in low light.

Remember, cameras have difficulty focusing on far away scenes and in low light.

You could also try setting the camera to Landscape Scene Mode, if there is one.

Use the wide angle setting ('W') on the zoom lens to get more of the

scene in.

More Stuff to Remember

Avoid shooting through glass (i.e. don’t be lazy, get out of the car!)

Don’t shoot within three hours of midday if it can be avoided (Early

morning and late afternoon are the best times). The examples you see here were taken at 11am

(way too bright) and again at 6:30 pm, one of the best times of the day for landscape

photography.

Flash Off, Please & Format the Card!

Never use flash, it’s a waste of good electricity!

Landscape Shooting

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Best Time of Day© Robin Nichols

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Formatting the Memory Card

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Press the flash icon button till you see the symbol at right. This shuts off the flash. Once the

camera is turned off, and then on again, the flash will revert to its default 'Auto mode' once more.

Get in the habit of always reviewing pictures so that bad shots can be deleted (usually by pressing

the small Trash can icon). TIP: You can delete images one by one, all at once or, by far the best

method for wiping everything off the card, is to use 'Format'. This deletes everything. Only do thisif you are sure that everything has been transferred to the computer. Re-formatting will extend the

life of your memory card.

About Author / Instructor / Photographer, Robin Nichols

Like many other instructors at BetterPhoto.com, I’m in the envious position of combining

one of my life’s passions, photography, with my job, photography and publishing. And,although I’m normally in front of the computer way too much for my liking these days, it

remains one of the best jobs in the world.

Originally from the UK, I’ve spent the past 20 years living in Sydney, Australia, working

initially as a rostrum cameraman in the audio-visual business, then as freelance photographer. More recently, I’ve worked (struggled) as a freelance writer, then as a full-

time magazine editor for eight years. For the past six years, I have run my own small

publishing business, Better Digital, producing Australia’s largest-selling specialist digital

photo publication. (As an interesting side note, Better Digital is not affiliated withBetterPhoto.com - we simply have similar good tastes when it comes to names!)

With the launch of Better Digital, I have passionately pursued the goal of producing clear,

well-illustrated publications written in "plain English". I have continued to develop this plain-speaking style in another specialist magazine devoted almost exclusively to

Photoshop, called Better Photoshop Techniques. Recently I added Digital Photo ART

to the list of publications. This deals more with project-based techniques for the digital

enthusiast whose interests, those with a crafty bent wanting to do something more withtheir shots.

I have also written several books, including www.imaging, efficient photo preparation

for the world wide web (Watson Guptill, ISBN: 0-8230-5855-7), co-written with Philip

Andrews, Paint Shop Pro 8: a guide to creating professional images (FocalPress/Elsevier Press, ISBN: 0-240-51698-2), and recently, Paint Shop Pro 9 for

Photographers, co-written with Ken McMahon, (Focal Press/Elsevier Press, ISBN: 0-

240-51981-7).

When I’m not out shooting, travelling, or writing for one of my publications, I teach

digital photography! In fact, there’s nothing I like better than showing newcomers how to

fine-tune their shooting skills and how to get the best from their gear. The beauty of

digital photography, of course, is that students can appreciate their efforts almostimmediately, a fact that fuels greater exploration of the craft.



References : http://www.betterphoto.com/article.asp?id=95

Basic Digital Camera Shooting Techniques II

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