Take Control of Your DSLR Using Various Settings
Using the Aperture, Shutter and Manual Settings
Apr 23, 2009
Now that you understand what the settings on your camera do, it is time to learn how you can use them to get better picutres.
Exposure
An exposure setting can be the same with different aperture and shutter settings. A setting of f22 with a shutter speed of 1/8 of a second is equivalent to a setting of f2.8 and a shutter of 1/500 of a second. However, the depth of field in the two shots will be dramatically different. You need to consider what type of photo you want to take and change the settings accordingly.
Low Light
Let’s say you want to shoot your daughter’s gymnastics meet. By increasing the ISO and decreasing the aperture, you will enable more light to hit the sensor. This will in turn allow you to set a higher shutter speed, which will mean you can capture a fast-moving object, like your daughter on the parallel bars, without the picture looking blurry. You can then change the white balance to indoor florescent to get better color accuracy.
Landscapes
The best landscapes photographs are all about depth of field. Put the camera in Aperture priority and set your aperture high, at f11 or f22, so that you have great depth of field in the shot. Depending on the available light, you may need to increase your ISO to compensate. Many professional landscape photographers will use a tripod to minimize any camera shake; some will go a step further and get a remote trigger so they do not have to touch the camera and induce any shake in doing so.
Portraits
Some of the best portrait photographs make use of shallow depth of field to bring the subject of the photograph to the foreground and blur out anything behind him or her. This can create very dramatic shots. Put the camera in Aperture mode and select a low aperture, such as f2.8 or f3.5, to get these types of shots. If you want the background to be in focus, select a high aperture, f11 or f22.
Sports
As noted above, sports shots are all about freezing action to get that highlight reel shot. The best way to do this is to shoot in full manual, or to shoot in Shutter priority and select a shutter speed that captures fast motion, such as 1/1250 of a second. You will need to adjust your ISO accordingly to make sure that you have enough light hitting the sensor, as most sports shots do not allow a flash.
Above all, experiment with your settings. The best thing about digital photography is you don't have to spend a lot of money developing film to find out if you got the shot. Play with different setting for aperture, shutter, ISO and white balance to see what results you get and learn your camera's capabilities and limitations.
