Metering and what to do when shooting for sharp photos.

[bryce_lee]

<p>Hello Photogs,<br>

I am new to the world of photo. Over the summer I purchased my first camera, a Canon 30D, and have one lens, a Tamron 17-50 f2.8. I'm diving right in without any sort of know how. I found a beginners book and have been reading a ton online. Needless to say getting started in photography can be a little overwhelming, and being one who makes things more complicated than they need to be, my head is spinning. I know practice makes perfect when handling a camera but I could use some clarification on a couple things.<br>

As basic, and stupid, as it sounds, what should I be doing when I am out shooting? I feel like a maniac with the shutter speeds and f-stops. I am all over the place. Is there a general rule of thumb I should be following? And is exposure value something that needs to be taken into account in everyday shooting? I am getting decent looking photos however I feel there is no structure or method behind my shooting.<br>

I'll try and wrap my head around this first before I start asking more questions. I hope I am making sense. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanx.</p>

[zensphoto]

<p>You are probably going to get a bunch of helpful options here.<br /> <br /> My List of Fun Stuff<br /> <br /> Shooting all over the place with a kinds of settings is the way to go. Pay attention to what you use, look at your photograph data carefully to determine what you like in your photographs.<br /> <br /> When I first started out in film I felt the same way. All these settings and things to remember how am I going to remember all this and make great photographs? I started out shooting everything I could find and adjusting the camera and carefully logging what I was using to find out what I liked and what style I would choose to make my photographs look and feel the way I wanted them to.<br /> <br /> Then I took the Professional Photography Course at NYIP and graduated. After taking that course when I went to take a photograph a million things went through my mind before I pushed the button.<br /> <br /> Today, after more than 500,000 photographs or more, it all comes automatic to me. DSLR's make it a lot easier to log valuable photographic data to examine, DSLR's are virtually exactly the same as they were with film cameras. (Naturally Digital Mimics film) There are better buzzes and whistles on DSLR's then there were in the manual camera days.<br /> <br /> When I am out with my Canon AE-1 Program kit I put together for myself, I still enjoy film and developing it in my darkroom.<br /> <br /> When I am out with my Canon 60D I also enjoy making fantastic photographs of what ever I want to capture.<br /> Remember you are painting with light, enjoy every minute of it!</p>

[jaydesi]

<p><em>Understanding Exposure</em> by Bryan Peterson, and its sister, <em>Understanding Shutter Speed</em>, are two great books that help you understand these two areas without making your head spin. I highly recommend both.</p>

[dhbebb]

<p><br />As a semi-retired pro, my advice is this:<br>

1) It is not illegal to use the “P” setting on your camera. In fact it is a great<br />place to start. Even within this, you can vary the setting and choose, for<br />example, a fast speed and large aperture for an action shot, or a smaller stop<br />and lower speed for more depth of field, particularly with the camera on a<br />tripod.<br>

<br />2) The next thing to explore is exposure compensation, which you will need in the 3 or<br />4% of cases where automatic metering does not give an ideal result – for<br />example, mainly light-colored subjects, such as beach or snow scenes, which<br />need 1 to 2 stops more exposure than the meter reading, and mainly dark-colored<br />subjects, which will need 1 to 2 stops less.<br /><br />Don’t worry too much about the different modes on the camera, they are just a<br />different way of doing what I have described above. The golden rule with exposure in<br />digital photography is “Don’t blow the highlights!” Everything else you can<br />learn gradually.<br>

<br /><br /></p>

 

[kris-bochenek]

<p>Peterson's Book is the best. Get one "chew it" and it will open up your mind.</p>

[paddler4]

<p>Shutter speeds and f/stops both control how much light enters the camera. For example, if you open the lens more (smaller f/stop number), you need to make the shutter speed faster.</p>

<p>So, how do you choose?</p>

<p>Shutter speed is important for avoiding blur. Aperture controls depth of field--how big a range of distance appears in focus. Your choice of settings depends on these two considerations. For example, if I am shooting something in motion, I will often use Tv mode, set a shutter speed that is fast enough to avoid blur, and let the camera set the aperture. More often in my shooting, I am concerned about depth of field, so I set the aperture first. To add another complication: suppose I can't get the combination I want because there is not enough light. Then I have to increase ISO, accepting more noise in the image.</p>

<p>You can do plenty of photography in P mode, but if you want to learn photography, you have to learn these principles of exposure. I learned so long ago that I don't have readings to recommend, but the ones above are often recommended.</p>

<p>I suggest you go play with aperture and shutter speed. E.g., set the camera in Av mode and take the same picture several times, selecting different apertures, and then compare the results.</p>

[nick_marzinski]

<p>Agree on Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. He does an excellent job of explaining the fundamentals of exposure. <br>

In terms of choosing shutter speed or aperture, here's a suggestion: Before you take a picture, ask yourself what's more important in this particular image. Motion or focus? If you want to freeze or blur motion, then use Tv mode and set an appropriate shutter speed. If, on the other hand, you decide depth of field is more important, use Av to set an appropriate aperture. <br>

If both are important or you want the image to be brighter/darker overall, then use M mode, and modify ISO and exposure (the -2 -1 0 +1 +2 scale on the bottom of the viewfinder) to get the image that you want. This is one way to start critically thinking about how to approach image capture. <br>

Shooting in P mode will generally get you pretty good images, but I find that it best to keep the camera on a pretty short leash when it comes to making decisions. The camera is not smarter than you and never will be. Good luck! </p>