PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES: PART 1 | SHOOTING MODES & EXPOSURE
In a world captivated by visual storytelling, the art of photography steals the spotlight. From amateurs to professionals, everyone loves to capture moments through their lenses. It's the harmonious blend of technique and creativity that makes a true photography virtuoso.
Embark on a photographic odyssey with our insightful series, aimed to finesse your skills and elevate your snapshots to frame-worthy masterpieces.
Our first stop: Shooting Modes & Exposure.
As you explore the wondrous world of DSLR cameras, you'll discover an array of shooting modes. Start with auto mode as your trusty sidekick, gradually unlocking your camera's full potential. The pièce de résistance: manual mode, giving you absolute command over every setting.
So, are you ready to paint with light and immortalize unforgettable moments?
BASIC SHOOTING MODES
Discover the Magical World of Auto Mode (A):
Embark on the journey into photography with this user-friendly mode. Perfect for fresh wizards of the lens, Auto Mode takes care of all the controls - leaving you free to focus on capturing magical moments. But soon you'll crave creative control, and the other exciting options will be waiting to unleash your camera's true powers.
Welcome to Program Mode (P):
- the empowering realm where you enter a pact with your camera. It's a wonderful place that blends the best of both automatic and manual photography! Here's how it works: your trusted camera companion sets the shutter speed and aperture, while you claim creative mastery over ISO and white balance. Together, you'll weave enchanting images as you harmonize your photographic powers - the camera's brain and your artistic vision!
Cheers to Aperture mode (AV):
-is a great place to start if you want to give your shots that background blur effect. You set the aperture and ISO, then let the camera do its thing by setting an appropriate shutter speed – no complicated calculations required!
The pièce de résistance: Manual Mode (M):
Dive headfirst into the realm of complete control over your camera! Fear not, for mastering the trio of exposure elements – aperture, shutter speed, and ISO – will bless you with an overflowing sense of "photographer's confidence." Trust us, it's magical, and you can't find it on Google.
The Secrets of Exposure
Here is what you need to know to capture flawlessly exposed images and embrace the power of light as it graces your camera, influencing the shades and contrasts within every stunning photograph.
There are three keys to mastering exposure: the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings.
Unlock perfect harmony and watch how adjusting one key skillfully alters the entire scene. Witness the dance of interdependence in pursuit of photographic perfection.
APERTURE:
Brightness and depth of field.
Say hello to Aperture, the cool camera feature that's all about making light work for you! With the power of this little hole in your lens, you can subtly control the amount of light that enters your camera - and ultimately shape the look of your images.
Feeling mysterious? Go for a large aperture and create gorgeous shots with a blurred background. Want everything in focus? You got it! Just opt for a small aperture and enjoy stunning clarity. What's more, you can easily decipher aperture sizes with this handy tip – in the world of f-stops, big numbers mean small apertures and vice-versa.
Rule of thumbs:
A large aperture results in a large amount of background blur.
A small aperture results in a small amount of background blur.
Aperture is expressed as an f-stop. And this is where it gets a bit tricky as that number represents a fracture therefore small numbers are large apertures and large numbers are small apertures.
For example, f/2.8 is larger than f/4 and much larger than f/11.
A large aperture (f/1.4) will give you a large amount of background blur and a bright image, while a small aperture (f/8) will capture sharp details in both the foreground and background, and will give you a darker image. You will then have to adjust the shutter speed to compensate.
SHUTTER SPEED
Freeze action and Motion Blur.
This is the length of time the camera shutter is open to expose light to the camera sensor. A fast shutter speed means that the shutter is only open for a short period of time; a slow shutter speed means the shutter is open for longer.
So in plain terms: A slow shutter speed will give you lots of light and a blurry image (motion blur) while a fast shutter speed will freeze action and will not allow as much light in.
Shutter speeds are measured in seconds, or fractions of a second. The higher the bottom number, the faster your shutter speed.
ISO
Light and Quality.
It measures the sensitivity of the image sensor; the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light. The higher the ISO number the brighter the photo will be, but this should be your last resort, as it translates to grainy images of low quality. When you can’t alter the aperture and shutter speed (because of low light situations for instance) a higher ISO allows you to shoot at faster shutter speeds, smaller apertures, or in darker conditions.
When it comes to photography the first lesson is the most technical and the hardest one to comprehend. So take your time to understand the essentials, play with your camera, experiment with those three elements and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t always work out.
On the next four parts of our Photography Series we will cover all the fun stuff such as composition, portraits, landscapes and still life photography. Ready to shoot?
Until the next one,
Chelf
