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Shooting Modes Pt 2 Basic Zone

brady oshiro — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:15:32 +0000

Now that you have learned and practiced shooting in the automatic mode, lets take it a notch up and broaden your skills. the icons highlighted in by the red line in the image above is know as the basic zone, according the Canon users manual that came with the camera that nobody reads.

we will go over each mode and further explain what it’s is good for and when to use it.

Tip: as you shoot in each mode the aperture, shutter, and iso with change automatically according to lighting conditions. if you make a note of the these settings, it will make it easier when shooting in the creative and manual modes.

Portrait
The (Portrait) mode blurs the background (shallow depth of field) to make the human subject stand out. It also makes flesh tones and the hair look softer than with the (Full Auto) mode.

Shooting Tips

The further the distance between the subject and background, the better. The further the distance between the subject and background, the more blurred the background will look. The subject will also stand out better in front of a plain, dark background.

Use a telephoto lens. If you have a zoom lens, use the telephoto end to fill the frame with the subject from the waist up. Move in closer if necessary.

Focus the face. Check that the AF point covering the face flashes in red.

Landscape
Use the (Landscape) mode for wide scenery, night scenes, and to have everything in focus from near to far (wide depth of field). The greens and blues also become more vivid and sharp than with (Full Auto).

Shooting Tips

With a zoom lens, use the wide-angle end. When using a zoom lens, use the wide-angle end. This will have objects near and far in focus, better than at the telephoto end. It also adds breadth to landscapes.

Shooting night scenes. Since the built-in flash will be disabled, this mode is also good for night scenes. For night scenes, use a tripod to prevent camera shake. If you want to photograph a person against a night scene, set the Mode Dial to <> and use a tripod.

Close- Up
When you want to photograph flowers or small things up close, use the (Close-up) mode. To make small things appear much larger, use a macro lens.

Shooting Tips

Use a simple background. A simple background makes the flower, etc., stand out better.

Move to the subject as close as possible. Check the lens for its minimum focusing distance. Some lenses have indications such as <40.28m/0.9ft>. The lens minimum focusing distance is measured from the (focal plane) mark on the camera to the subject. If you are too close to the subject, the focus confirmation light will blink. Under low light, the built-in flash will fire. If you are too close to the subject and the bottom of the picture looks dark, move away from the subject.

With a zoom lens, use the telephoto end. If you have a zoom lens, using the telephoto end will make the subject look larger. Shooting Tips

Sports
To photograph a moving subject whether it be a child running or an auto race, use the (Sports) mode. this mode is focused on shutter priority and AI Servo focusing mode.

Shooting Tips

Use a telephoto lens. Using a telephoto lens is recommended so you can shoot from afar.

Use the center AF point to focus. Aim the center AF point over the subject, then press the shutter button halfway to auto focus. During autofocusing, the beeper will continue beeping softly. If focus cannot be achieved, the focus confirmation light will blink. When you want to take the picture, press the shutter button completely. While holding down the shutter button, continuous shooting (max. approx. 6.5 shots per sec.) and autofocusing will take effect.

Night Portrait
To shoot someone at night and obtain a natural-looking exposure in the background, use the (Night Portrait) mode. Using a flash is highly reconmend (580IIEX, 430IIEX, 220EX)

Shooting Tips

Use a wide-angle lens and a tripod. If you use a zoom lens, set it to the wide-angle end to obtain a wide night view. Use a tripod to prevent camera shake.

Keep the person within 5 meters/16.4 feet from the camera. Under low light, the built-in flash will fire automatically to obtain a good exposure of the person. The effective distance of the built-in flash is 5 meters/16.4 feet from the camera.

Shoot also with (Full Auto). Since camera shake is prone to occur with night shots, shooting also with (Full Auto) is recommended.

Flash off
In places where flash photography is prohibited, use the (Flash Off) mode. This mode is also effective for candlelight scenes when you want to obtain the candlelight effect.

Shooting Tips

If the numeric display in the viewfinder blinks, take care to prevent camera shake. Under low light when camera shake is prone to occur, the viewfinder’s shutter speed display will blink. Hold the camera steady or use a tripod. If you have a zoom lens, use the wide-angle end to reduce blur due to camera shake.

Taking portraits without flash. Under low light, the person must not move until the picture is taken. If the person moves during the exposure, he or she might look blurred in the picture. Shooting Tips

Shooting Modes Pt 1 Automatic

brady oshiro — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:09:26 +0000

If you are reading this, you should have a camera and ready to go out and make beautiful images. Where do you start? if you have no experience with a camera, except with a point shoot, turn the dial on the top of the camera with all the little icons. line up the green square with the white square on the side of the dial. this is what is called the automatic mode.

This mode is not the best mode to shoot in, but if you have any experience with shooting with manual DSLR, like aperture, shutter speeds, white balance and ISO. The automatic mode is a safe setting to guarantee you won’t get a bad exposure. When you are ready to take a shot press down the shutter button half way, this will allow the camera to auto focus on your subject, you will see the little squares in the viewfinder light up red. this means that the camera is focused on these points in the photo. From here, the camera will automatically adjust using the built in light metering system and adjust all the setting accordingly. Continue to press the shutter down completely and abracadabra! you have taken your first digital image.

just a little warning, when shooting in the green square mode, it’s not very flexible. while shooting in the automatic mode, settings are locked and preset. For example, If there is not enough light to take a photo, the on board flash will automatically open to correct the exposure. so if you are shooting in a dark or poorly lit places and flash photography is prohibited, be aware, you have been warned before hand.

In part 2 of shooting modes, we will cover all the other little icons and what they do.

so go out there and make some beautiful images, the more you shoot the better you will become as a photographer.

good luck and thanks for reading.

Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

brady oshiro — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:25:07 +0000

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 don’t want to start preaching, but just like God we want you to understand how important both natural and artificial light is in photography. To create an image both on film or digital, there needs to be a light sorce. Without any light there is no way to create an image, therefore in photography terms, Light = God.

The 3 main factors that effect the the outcome of a image and how the camera reacts to light, is aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The three photography terms can be defined by the following:

Aperture is a hole or an opening through which light is admitted. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.

Shutter Speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective amount of time a shutter is open to allow expose an image.

ISO is the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light, the higher the ISO the more light that the camera sensor can read.

The three are in perfect balance, if you change one it effects the others and vice versa. so, you can’t just focus on one principle, like the “aperture” is what makes a good image. It’s a combination of all three that make a good exposure.

We will not go over in detail how each setting will effect another setting in reference
to another. For now we want to convey the importance of how each setting effects the exposure of how an image will turn out.

Mahalo for reading, happy shooting!