Using Your Digital SLR

How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

In the article, Introduction to Histograms in Digital SLR Photography, we discussed what a histogram is,

Put simply, the histogram is a graphical representation of the exposure of an image. More precisely, it is a graphical representation of the tonal range of an image.

The histogram shows a set of 256 vertical bars with each bar representing a particular tonal value of grey ranging from black starting on the left side all the way to white on the right side. Each bar gives us a graphical representation of how many pixels are in the photograph for that particular tonal value.

So how can this graph help you? It helps in two ways:

To determine if the image is properly exposed
To determine if the image has too little or too much contrast

Histograms For Exposure

As mentioned in the previous article, while there is no “perfect” exposure, most of the time your goal will be to have the histogram tail off (fall to zero) at either end as shown in the above histogram. If the graph butts up to either side, this is called “clipping” and signifies that certain parts of the image have lost detail by being either too dark or too light. Have a look at the following examples:

Exposure Over How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Overexposed - Notice the histogram is clipped to the right

The above image is overexposed as seen by the right side clipping and the fact that the graph is heavily weighted to the right. This signifies that there are parts of the image that are too light and detail is being lost. Much of this overexposure can be seen on the hood of the car.

Exposure Under How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Underexposed - Notice that the histogram is clipped to the left

The above image is underexposed. This can be seen in the histogram with the left side clipping and the fact that the histogram is heavily weighted to the left. In this image, much of the underexposure is coming from the dark background as well as the back of my son’s head – you can see that part of his head gets lost in the background.

Exposure Good How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Good exposure - no clipping

This image shows good exposure. Notice that there is no clipping and the graph is showing most of the pixels in the middle portion of the histogram and tailing off to zero at either end.

Histograms For Contrast

The other nice thing about histograms is that not only do they assist you with exposure, but they also help in gauging whether there is too much or too little contrast. It needs to be kept in mind though, that contrast tends to be more of a compositional issue and thus can be adjusted by changing the compositional elements in your photograph. In other words, if you wish to try and add contrast to a low contrast scene, very little of this can be done through adjusting exposure and instead you will likely have to change many of the compositional elements in the scene. This may involve changing your framing, changing the camera position, changing the lighting or by adding or subtracting color by way of adding or eliminating certain subjects in the scene.

Let’s explore some examples:

Contrast Low How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Low Contrast - notice the histogram is concentrated in a small area

In the above image, you will notice in the histogram that there is no clipping. But most of the pixels are concentrated in a very narrow tonal range. This is an example of a low contrast photo. There is enough contrast in the image to make out the fact that it is sand. While a lower exposure may bring out more of the shadows and improve contrast, a larger improvement could be made (if desired) by waiting until later in the day when the sun is lower and thus creating bolder shadows throughout this scene.

Contrast Good How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Good contrast - notice the histogram is spread out evenly

The above example, shows a histogram that is relatively spread out. This pattern indicates “good” contrast.

High & Low Key

In some cases, you do not want an image with either “good” contrast or “perfect” exposure but instead you desire either a “high key” image or a “low key” image.

Contrast High Key How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

High Key image

While the histogram is not clipped in the above image, you will notice that it is heavily concentrated towards the right (white) side which would normally indicate overexposure and low contrast. But in this case, the overexposure is intentional and is is an example of a creatively controlled “high key” image.

Contrast Low Key How To Use the Histogram to Evaluate Exposure & Contrast

Low Key image

Here you will notice the clipping to the left which would normally indicate an underexposed image, again with low contrast. But again, this underexposure is intentional and is an example of a creatively controlled “low key” image.

Hopefully these examples will give you a better understanding as to how to read your histogram and what it can tell you about your image. It can provide you with a great tool when you are in the field allowing you to make any necessary adjustments whether they be for corrective or creative control.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly with your question!

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Filed Under: Concepts in Exposure Tagged With: Clipping, Exposure, Exposure Settings, histogram

How to Shoot in Manual Mode – Cheat Sheet

So you’ve had your digital SLR camera for a while now. You’ve been shooting using many of the different automatic modes but you want to branch out and start using your camera in the way it was intended by shooting in manual mode. You want to start taking control of the shooting process and gain a better understanding of photography. You’ve even gone so far as to carefully read the following important articles:

Understanding ISO in Digital SLR Photography

Understanding Shutter Speed in Digital SLR Photography

Understanding Aperture in Digital SLR Photography

Understanding Exposure – Bringing ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture Together

Introduction to White Balance in Digital SLR Photography

Simple Guide to Getting the Perfect White Balance

Now you want to start shooting in Manual Mode! Well, to get you started, here is a simple Four-Step Guide to shooting in manual mode. At the end of this article you will also find a link to a downloadable “cheat sheet” that covers the most basic decisions that highlighted in this four-step process. This cheat sheet can be downloaded and saved to your smart phone so you have it handy when needed.

But there are two important points that need to be made. Firstly, in order to shoot in manual mode you must have a reasonable grasp of White Balance, ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture as well as how ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture work together to create exposure. The steps covered in this article do not go into detail about these very important elements of exposure but instead provide you with a reminder of the decisions you need to make.

Secondly, this process can only be perfected with practice. By making a concrete decision to shoot in manual on a continuous basis will allow you to gain a much better understanding of exposure and how you can get the best exposure you can possibly get given the situation you find yourself in. It is only with practice that you will advance your knowledge and be able to make the required adjustments when needed. Having said that, there will always be those situations where getting the right exposure proves difficult and you will need to seek advice on how to best handle those situations. Nevertheless, if you don’t stop reading and instead get out there are shoot, you will never discover those situations!

The Three-Step Process to Shooting in Manual Mode

So here it is:

STEP 1: Set the White Balance

A. The quickest and simplest setting is to start with AWB

B. If after taking the shot you need to make a CORRECTIVE ADJUSTMENT,

a. Try setting the WB to one of the pre-sets to match the lighting

OR,

b. Use Custom WB and use a grey card or white paper to set the WB (see Simple Guide to Getting the Perfect White Balance)

C. If you wish to make a CREATIVE ADJUSTMENT,

a. Set the WB to the OPPOSITE of what you want.

STEP 2: Set the ISO

A. If you have a lot of light to work with (outside daylight, no shade), set a low ISO

a. The lower the ISO you set, the slower your shutter speed will be – keep this in mind in case you intend to shoot with a fast shutter speed in order to freeze motion, for instance. You may need to increase ISO in order to increase shutter speed

b. The lower the ISO you set, the wider will be your aperture – keep this in mind in case you intend to shoot with a very narrow aperture in order to maximize depth of field. You may need to increase ISO in order to achieve greater depth of field.

B. If you are in a low light situation, set a high ISO

a. The higher the ISO you set, the faster your shutter speed will be – keep this in mind in case you intend to shoot with a slower shutter speed in order to blur motion, for instance. You may need to decrease ISO in order to decrease shutter speed.

b. The higher the ISO you set, the narrower will be your aperture – keep this in mind in case you wish to shoot with a wide aperture in order to minimize depth of field. You may need to decrease ISO in order to decrease depth of field.

STEP 3: Set Shutter Speed OR Aperture – Which is MORE important?

A. If Aperture is more important:

a. Set to Aperture Priority Mode, then set desired Aperture and Shutter Speed will be set automatically

OR,

b. Set to Manual Mode …

i. then set desired aperture

ii. then set desired shutter speed UNTIL exposure level indicator levels off at zero.

B. If Shutter Speed is more important:

a. Set to Shutter Priority Mode, then set desired Shutter Speed and Aperture will be set automatically

OR

b. Set to Manual Mode …

i. then set desired shutter speed

ii. then set desired aperture UNTIL exposure level indicator levels off at zero.

So there it is. You can download the Manual Mode Cheat Sheet by clicking the link.

Here are some important related articles regarding exposure:

Introduction to Exposure Compensation in Digital SLR Photography

Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography

Simple Guide to Getting the Perfect White Balance

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly with your question!

Filed Under: Concepts in Exposure Tagged With: Aperture, Cheat Sheet, Exposure Settings, ISO, Manual Mode, Shutter Speed, White Balance

Simple Guide to Getting the Perfect White Balance

As someone who is new to digital SLR photography you might find white balance to be a confusing subject and as such you may even choose to ignore it and focus more on the other functions of your digital SLR. But don’t let white balance defeat you because it really isn’t that difficult to grasp and once you do grasp it you will then understand it’s importance to taking great pictures. If you haven’t done so already, please read the article Introduction to White Balance in Digital SLR Photography which will give you a better understanding of white balance, how it relates to the color temperature of light and the effects it has on your resulting image.

This article takes it all to the next step in explaining how you can go about adjusting white balance so that …

you can get those overall color tones in the final image perfect, and …
how you can make creative adjustments to white balance by adding overall color tones.

In the article Introduction to White Balance, it was explained that light has a color temperature, measured in degrees Kelvin (^oK), ranging from warm/red (about 1000K) to cold/blue (about 30000K). Any particular scene will have a particular color temperature which our own eyes are very good at filtering out but our digital SLR is not. The idea of white balance settings is to assist the camera in capturing the scene so that the overall color cast/tone of a scene is “corrected” so as to render the colors as “natural” as possible. The color temperature that gives the most “natural” colors is around 5000K, which is typical daylight. So when you set your digital SLR to automatic white balance (AWB), the camera will read the scene and if it measures the temperature as being too warm or cool, it will attempt to adjust the sensor as to bring the color temperature to approximately 5000K by adding the appropriate amount of warmth (red) or coolness (blue). So if it detects the scene as too warm, it will add blue and if it detects the scene as too cool it will add red.

Take a look at the following chart showing the typical white balance settings found on a typical digital SLR:

Why? Why? Why?

So the most popular question asked when trying to understand white balance is “why have these pre-sets … why not just use the AWB setting and let the camera do the work?” Good question! And this once again comes down to why you purchased that digital SLR! Because cameras, no matter how expensive or complex, are not perfect and you wanted to have more control over the photo taking process! The fact is, AWB does not always get it right and these other settings allow you to match to the light source. So by using the pre-sets, you are giving the camera more precise information about the type of light source and then asking it to act accordingly.

For example, if you are telling the camera that you are shooting under tungsten light, you are effectively telling the camera the color temperature and therefore giving the camera a much better chance of getting it correct. You will notice from the chart above that the temperature of tungsten light is approximately 3200K, which is at the warmer end of the spectrum. Thus the camera knows to add approximately 1800K to bring it up to that “ideal” 5000K temperature and therefore eliminating any reddish color cast in the photo caused by the tungsten light source.

Corrective White Balance Adjustment

What follows are two methods you can use to set the white balance of your digital SLR so that you can get the most accurate and natural colors possible. The important piece of advice about either of these methods is that you need to read your camera’s instruction manual since each camera has a slightly different method for making these setting adjustments. The other important piece of advice is to set the white balance BEFORE setting exposure.

Correcting White Balance – Method 1:

This first method has to do with using the camera’s white balance setting to match the setting to the light source. While this method is not as accurate as Method 2, it will get you a lot better results than the automatic white balance setting.

Step 1: Do you know what the light source is? Is it any one of the presets (see chart above)? If you know the light source, go ahead and set the white balance to the appropriate setting. If you can’t quite pinpoint the light source, go ahead and set the camera to AWB. Take a picture.

Step 2: Examine the result. Does it have more warmth (red) or coolness (blue) than you would like?

Step 2a: If it is too warm, tell the camera its warm by changing the setting to tungsten or fluorescent and the camera will add more blue. (note the color temperatures in the chart above)

Step 2b: If it is too cool, tell the camera it is cool by changing the setting to either shade, cloudy, daylight or even flash. This will cause the camera to add more warmth. (note the color temperatures in the chart above).

Correcting White Balance – Method 2 (Custom White Balance):

This next method is the most accurate way to set white balance since you are effectively telling the camera exactly what the color temperature is. So how do you determine that temperature? By having a white object handy! The best object to use for this is a plain white piece of paper. You will then use the Custom White Balance setting on your digital SLR. It’s important to check your camera’s instruction manual on how to set the custom white balance since each camera will have a slightly different method to this process. Here you will find the basic process which once you learn will take you less than a minute to set the white balance.

Step 1: Place a solid white paper under the same light that your subject will be under, and with the camera set to the Custom White Balance setting, focus in on the paper so that it fills the frame and snap a photo. Two important points: The paper must be under the same light as the subject (which may mean having to walk over to the subject) and it must fill the frame.

Step 2: Now go into your camera’s custom white balance setting and you will be asked which image you would like to use as your white balance. Select the image of the white paper which will be the most recent image you have taken.

That’s it! You have now accurately set your white balance by telling the camera by way of the photo of the white paper what the exact color temperature is. You can now proceed to click away and this white balance calibration will remain as long as you have the camera set to custom white balance. The downside to this method is that while it is the most accurate method, you still have to do this each time the lighting changes or you move to a different shooting location.

Creative White Balance Adjustment

What if you want to get creative and instead of taking away red or blue color casts in an image you want to ADD a red or blue color cast? This is actually quite simple.

If you wish to add more WARMTH to an image, set the white balance to a more COOL setting: shade, cloudy, daylight or flash.

If you wish to add more COOLNESS to an image, set the white balance to a more WARM setting: tungsten or fluorescent.

Effectively you are telling the camera the opposite of what you want. Or another way to look at it is that you are telling the camera what you want it to believe is the color temperature. In this way if you tell the camera that the scene is warm/red, it will add blue and if you tell the camera that the scene is cool/blue, it will add red. In this way you are creatively controlling the white balance.

Shooting in RAW

A note about shooting in RAW. It is easy to say that shooting in RAW is the easiest way to correct white balance since white balance is one of the settings that can be adjusted on a RAW image in post-processing. So if you like to shoot in RAW, then you don’t need to worry too much about white balance until you get your image onto the computer after the fact where you can then make any necessary adjustments. But if you generally shoot in JPG, you don’t have this luxury which makes getting it right in-camera all the more important. And if you are someone who likes to spend more time behind your camera and less time in front of your computer, then it is best to learn and understand how to get the white balance right while in the field rather than later. Even if you shoot in RAW, the less post-processing you have to do, the better!

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly with your question!

Filed Under: Concepts in Exposure

Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography

In the article Introduction to Exposure Compensation in Digital SLR Photography, you learned what exposure compensation is and how to take advantage of it to get the exposure you want. Exposure compensation is really a general term to refer to the tweaking of the exposure as determined by the camera’s built-in light meter after you have taken the photo. But there will be times when the lighting in the scene is fairly complex or you just don’t have enough time to fiddle with exposure after the fact. This is where Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) comes in.

“Bracketing” is a general photography term and when used with “exposure” refers to the situation when you take three (or more) photos of the same subject – one at the exposure given by the camera, a second underexposed and a third overexposed. You can perform this manually by adjusting the exposure prior to taking each subsequent photo which effectively is what exposure compensation is all about. But automatic exposure bracketing allows you to set the amount of under/over exposure on the digital SLR prior to clicking the shutter button and all you have to do is click the shutter button three times without making any further adjustments.

Put simply,

Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB) is used to set the exact amount of under and over exposure so that you as the photographer can take three consecutive shots without having to manually re-adjust. You set it once and then click, click, click.

Automatic Exposure Bracketing Examples

Most of today’s digital SLR cameras are set to be able to adjust exposure in 1/3-stop increments. What this allows you to do, at the push of a few quick buttons, is set the automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) to anywhere from plus or minus 1/3-stop, up to plus or minus 2-stops or 3-stops depending on the camera. Once this is quickly set, you then snap three consecutive photos – the first one will be taken at the exposure set by the camera, the second with be underexposed by the amount you set and the third one will be overexposed by that same amount.

As an example, have a look at the following photos:

AEBzero Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography

1/25 f5.6 No compensation

AEBminus2thirds Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography

1/40 f5.6 -2/3 compensation

AEBplus2thirds Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography

1/15 f5.6 +2/3 compensation

In setting up for these photos, the camera was set at an automatic exposure bracketing (AEB) value of -/+ 2/3, which means that the camera will take the first photo at the exposure determined by the camera’s light meter (1/25, f5.6), then the next photo 2 thirds of a stop underexposed (1/40, f5.6) and then a final shot 2 thirds of a stop overexposed (1/15, f5.6), all in three consecutive “clicks” of the shutter button.

It is important to note that automatic exposure bracketing can be used in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program and Manual Modes. Generally, here is what happens in each mode (but check you camera’s instruction manual):

In Aperture Priority, the aperture you set will remain the same and the shutter speed will be automatically adjusted.

In Shutter Priority, the shutter speed you set will remain the same and the aperture will be automatically adjusted.

In Program and Manual Modes, the aperture will remain the same and the shutter speed will be automatically adjusted.

Once you learn how to quickly set automatic exposure bracketing, it can become a valuable tool when you are not sure about the exact exposure or when due to the lighting you are not convinced your camera will get the exposure correct. For example, you may have a scene where there up to 3 stops difference between the darkest areas and the brightest areas in a scene. By spot metering each of the areas separately, you can quickly determine if the difference is too great and therefore when automatic exposure bracketing is the best option. The best advice is to go out and try it so that you gain a better understanding of how it works and who well it works. Note that it will not work for action shots, and because you are taking three shots for each scene/subject, keep in mind that it will quickly eat up storage space on your memory card if over used.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly with your question!

Filed Under: Concepts in Exposure Tagged With: AEB, Aperture, Automatic Exposure Bracketing, Camera Settings, Exposure, Exposure Compensation, Exposure Settings, Shutter Speed

Introduction to Exposure Compensation in Digital SLR Photography

In the article Simplified Introduction to the DSLR’s Light Meter, we talked about how the digital SLR’s built-in light meter works to measure the light entering the camera and how this information is then used by you and the camera to set exposure. But because the camera is always attempting to limit the amount of light based on the information it gets from the light meter so that the intensity of that light is neither too light nor too dark but somewhere in the middle, it is prone to mistakes. Or it may get it “correct” but based on your own personal preference, you may not like the outcome. In other words, when it comes to the final exposure, the camera may or may not get it right depending on the difficultly and complexity of the various light sources in the scene OR because you as the photographer just don’t like the final outcome. In either case, there is a simple way to make adjustments whether they be corrective adjustments or creative adjustments and this is referred to as “exposure compensation”.

Put simply

Exposure compensation is the act of making manual incremental adjustments to the exposure that has been set by your digital SLR camera for either corrective or creative purposes.

Exposure compensation can be used when you are in any of the metering modes (Matrix/Evaluative, Center-weighted or Spot) as well as when you are shooting in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Program modes. You can also perform exposure compensation when in Manual mode but there is a slight difference when compared to the other shooting modes which will be explained below.

Let’s look at a typical exposure level indicator as seen through the viewfinder.

As explained in the article Understanding Exposure – Bringing ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture Together, the numbers to the right of the zero represent an increase in exposure where “1” is an increase of 1 stop and “+2” is an increase in 2 stops. Similarly, the numbers to the left of the zero represent one and two stop decreases in exposure. Each of the dots between the numbers represents 1/3rd of a stop. Also note that the small black square under the scale will tell you where your exposure is set by sliding to the right or left under the scale. In the image above, the exposure is “correct” at ISO400, a shutter speed of 1/800, and aperture at f8.

Many of today’s digital SLR cameras have an exposure compensation button which you simply hold down while dialing in the amount of compensation you desire. If your camera does not have an exposure compensation button, you would simply use the exposure dial to dial in the amount of compensation. In either case, when you are dialing in this compensation, you are either adding exposure by moving the exposure level indicator to the right or decreasing exposure by moving the exposure level indicator to the left. In dialing in exposure compensation, here are the general rules to follow:

If the photo is too dark (underexposed) —- add exposure compensation by moving the exposure level indicator to the right.

If the photo is too light (overexposed) —- decrease exposure compensation by moving the exposure level indicator to the left.

Here is the basic step-by-step process for exposure compensation:

1. Take the photo using the exposure the camera gives you,

2. Examine the photo and decide if it is underexposed (dark) or overexposed (bright)

3. Hold the exposure compensation button and turn the exposure dial to desired amount of compensation (or simply turn the exposure dial if you do not have an exposure compensation button). Turn it to the right to add exposure or to the left to reduce exposure.

4. Take a second photo and examine the results.

It’s just that simple! As a matter of fact you can take as many photos of the same scene as you like while changing the compensation each time.

Let’s look more closely at the following example. Here is a series of four photos of the same subject.

In the photo above, you will notice that the camera gave me an exposure of 1/800, f8 at ISO400 (aperture priority mode). But I wanted to push the limits a little more and see if I could darken the tree and richen the blueness in the sky by underexposing so I tried 1/3rd of a stop underexposure (1 click to the left) with the following result:

The above result was better but not a big difference, so I tried one more click of underexposure (notice that because I am in aperture priority mode, it is the shutter speed that is being effected by getting faster in order to reduce the amount of light entering the lens).

In the above photo I am now up to two (2) clicks of underexposure (2/3rd of a stop). You can see how the tree has darkened and the sky become richer in color. So why not try for one more click of underexposure to see what happens!

The above photo is now 1 full stop underexposed which I think is too much underexposure because I am now beginning to lose too much detail in the wooden fence. But given the fact that my exposure compensation was not dramatic in this example, each of the photos really comes down to a matter of personal taste. If I had chosen to compensate by a full stop each time instead of 1/3rd of a stop, the difference in each example would have been more striking.

Exposure Compensation in Manual Mode

If you are in Manual mode, you can take advantage of exposure compensation in a slightly different way assuming your digital SLR uses an exposure compensation button which will not work in manual mode. When shooting in Manual, you have complete control over the exposure. In this regard, you can choose to use the exposure level indicator to set both the shutter speed and aperture so that the indicator sits exactly at zero. OR, you could simply choose to set the exposure under or over the “zero” mark on the exposure level indicator. In this way you would setting exposure compensation by either dialing in one or two stops of underexposure or one or two stops or overexposure. In this way you would achieve the exact same thing as above.

Now keep in mind that under or over exposure can be a very subjective issue and therefore a personal choice. This is where exposure compensation is used for creative adjustments as shown in my example above. It all comes down to your own photographic eye and what you wish to achieve with a particular photograph. And this is another great thing about digital SLR cameras – they allow you to make adjustments to exposure so that you can get the photo just how you like it.

Exposure compensation is a great tool to use when you notice that the photo did not come out exactly how you wanted or expected it. You can view the photo on your LCD screen and look at the histogram and then make an adjustment to the exposure using exposure compensation to see if you can improve on the result. But what if the scene is somewhat complex whereby there is a significant difference in exposure between the darkest areas of the scene and the brightest areas of the scene. In this case you may not know what exposure will work best especially if working in Manual mode knowing that the camera’s light meter will have trouble with such a scene. Or you just may not have enough time to take the photo, examine the result and make the necessary adjustment. This is where “automatic exposure bracketing” (AEB) comes in handy. This tool is discussed in detail in the article Introduction to Automatic Exposure Bracketing in Digital SLR Photography.

Filed Under: Concepts in Exposure Tagged With: Aperture, DSLR Camera, Exposure, Exposure Compensation, Exposure Level Indicator, Exposure Settings, ISO, Shutter Speed

Beginner’s Guide to DSLR Autofocus Modes

While exposure and composition are two important elements in digital SLR photography, you will not achieve great, or even good pictures without proper focus. Focus cannot be taken for granted. Without properly focused photos, all your work in getting the exposure and composition right is wasted. In order to achieve “tack-sharp” photos, it is important to understand the basics behind autofocus as well as understanding the digital SLR’s different autofocus modes. Yes, there will be times when, for creative purposes, you will want to achieve a blurry composition, but the ability to pull off this advanced technique in a meaningful and creative way will only come when you have some experience under your belt and once you have a full grasp of composition. In the meantime, one of your main goals in any photo you take should be to achieve perfect focus. While perfect exposure is a subjective thing, perfect focus is not and as such it is always achievable if you know how to get the most out of your DSLR’s autofocus modes.

Autofocus Points

Before discussing the different autofocus modes, let’s introduce ourselves to the autofocus points you see when looking through the viewfinder. Put simply, the dots you see through the viewfinder that are laid out in some pattern are your focusing points and these points are used by your DSLR to focus the lens when it is in autofocus (AF) mode. The number of AF points will depend on the camera and can range from a very basic system of 7 points on an entry level DSLR to highly complex system of 61 points on a fully professional camera.

Without going into any technical detail in an effort to keep things simple, the way in which these AF points work to achieve focus is that they basically detect contrast. The higher the contrast at the focusing point, the easier it will be for DSLR to use that point to achieve overall sharpness. That is why you may find from time to time that the DSLR just won’t focus. This is because in hunting for contrast, it just cannot find enough to make a distinction.

All AF focus points are one of two types: either vertical or cross-type sensors. The vertical AF sensors will only detect contrast/sharpness along a vertical axis while the more accurate cross-type AF sensor detects contrast/sharpness along both a vertical and horizontal axis. The AF points you see in the viewfinder will be a mix of the two types, depending on the camera. For example, the Canon Rebel XS has 7 AF points with only the center point being cross-type while the Nikon D3X has 51 AF points with 15 being cross-type. Obviously, the more cross-type AF points, the more accurate and responsive the AF focusing system will be.

Now let’s discuss the different autofocus modes available to you when taking a photo. There are basically three different modes you will find on most digital SLR cameras, with each performing basically the same function but with slightly different names.

Single Shot Autofocus Mode

While Canon calls this focus mode “One-Shot AF”, Nikon calls it “Single-servo AF” (AF-S). They both amount to the same thing. When you press the shutter button halfway, the focus will lock on the AF point you choose as long as the subject remains stationary at that focus point. Once locked you can then recompose the viewfinder if necessary (while still holding the shutter button halfway) and snap the shutter button to take the picture. If the subject moves, the AF point will not be able to acquire focus and therefore the focus will not lock and you will not be able to snap the shutter button to take the picture. For this reason, the single shot focusing mode is best used when your subject is stationary.

Continuous Autofocus Mode

With Nikon, this mode is known as “Continuous-servo AF” (AF-C) and Canon calls it “AI Servo AF”. Again, they both do the same thing by continuously focusing on a moving subject based on the AF point you choose, while you hold the shutter button halfway. This focus mode is great when taking photos of moving objects such as for sports or wildlife, or even trying to get that one shot of your 4 year old running around in the park.

The Hybrid Autofocus Mode

When in this focus mode, the camera will automatically choose single shot focus if the subject is stationary (and thereby lock the focus once it is achieved) but will automatically switch to continuous mode if the subject moves provided that you continue to hold the shutter button halfway while moving the focus point to follow the subject. Canon calls this mode “AI Focus AF” and Nikon call it “Auto-servo AF” (AF-A). This is a mode that gives you the best of both worlds and is ideally suited to situations where your subject is more or less stationary but may move slightly. This is not a mode that is found in high-end professional DSLRs and as such its purpose is to give beginners a little more assistance.

When should you use each autofocus mode? Here is a simple guideline:

Use the Hybrid Focus mode as your default/all-purpose mode.

Switch to Continuous Focus Mode when you are taking a fast action shot where the subject is in constant motion.

Switch to the single shot mode when you know your subject is not going anywhere such as a portrait or a still life photo.

Filed Under: Know Your Digital SLR Tagged With: AF Points, Autofocus, Camera Settings, Continuous Autofocus, Digital SLR, DSLR Camera

Simplified Introduction to the DSLR’s Light Meter

For the beginner to digital SLR photography it’s important to understand what the light meter is and what it does before discussing how to use the camera’s built-in meter to set and manipulate exposure. Like many aspects of DSLR photography, metering can be a somewhat overwhelming or intimidating subject. But it doesn’t have to be. In this introduction to your DSLR’s light meter, I will keep things simple by giving you enough information to grasp the basics so you can move to the next step. Once you progress in your overall understanding of digital SLR photography and advance in your photo taking, you will then have a concrete base on which to move to the more advanced areas of light meters and metering.

The first thing is to define a light meter in its most simplest terms:

A light meter is an instrument that measures the amount of light!

This sounds simple enough but we need to expand on this definition by defining the type of light that is being measured and how this measurement is used. Again, let’s keep this simple. Basically there are two types of light when it comes to digital SLR photography:

Ambient Light – This is the light around us that illuminates objects.

Reflected Light – This is the light that is reflected off of objects.

This is an important distinction. The more advanced hand-held light meters generally measure ambient light. But I wish to stay focused on discussing the built-in light meter found in your digital SLR camera. This meter generally measures reflected light (although one could argue that light from the sky is ambient light, but let’s keep things simple for now).

Now let’s expand the light meter definition:

The built-in light meter found in your digital SLR camera measures the amount of light being reflected off objects through the lens and into the camera.

This measurement is then used by the camera’s computer to determine what it believes to be the best exposure for the scene, with that exposure being the proper combination of shutter speed and aperture (for a given ISO). In other words, based on the amount of light being reflected off the objects and into the camera, the camera will decided how much of this light will be permitted to enter the camera once you release the shutter button by setting the shutter speed and the aperture. Bear in mind that since we are talking about a digital SLR camera, you as the photographer ultimately have control over the final exposure setting.

Light Meters are Color Blind

The important thing to keep in mind is that the light meter is color blind. It only “sees” light in terms of shades of black & white. Color is ultimately determined by the camera’s image sensor [link]. The light meter will take the light being reflected by the object and decide if there is so much light that the object will appear all white, or if the light being reflected by the object it is not enough to the point that the object will appear black, or if the light being reflected will render the object somewhere in between.

Now here is the important part. In measuring the light, the meter will take that measurement and decide on the best exposure. In deciding on the “best” exposure, it is attempting to limit the amount of light entering the camera so that it will be neither too bright nor too dark but EXACTLY in the middle. That “middle” is what is known in photography as “18% grey” (It’s actually 12% grey, but we won’t argue this point). This “18% grey” is typically the middle of being too bright (white) and too dark (black).

Aiming For That Middle Ground

Let’s look at an example. Let’s suppose you are taking a photo of a “ruby-red” car. In taking the photo you want the final photo to show the car color as exactly ruby-red. Now remember the light meter doesn’t determine colors, it will only measure the amount of light being reflected off that ruby-red car. Assume you have no control over the light that is striking the car.

So you aim your camera at the car, focus, wait for the “beep” and click the shutter. Whether there is too much or too little light striking the car, just prior to the “beep”, the camera’s meter will limit the amount of light coming into the camera so that the amount is exactly in the middle – it’s aiming for that 18% grey. After taking the photo you examine the LCD screen to see how it came out. This is when you discover that meters are not perfect! Instead of seeing that perfectly ruby-red car you may either see a car whose color is slightly too bright or slightly too dark. Why? Remember that the meter is color blind – it can only “see” the amount of light and attempt to adjust the amount of light entering the camera and in so doing it is attempting to render the color perfectly but since it cannot “see” the color it can only guess.

Now this is why digital SLR cameras are so great! While it may be annoying that it doesn’t always give you a “perfect” exposure due to the limitations of the light meter, it does allow you to do something that you can’t do with a typical digital point & shoot camera. It allows you to make adjustments to the exposure until you have the photo just how you like it. And that can mean making an adjustment so as to have the colors render “perfectly” or making creative adjustments to under or over expose the subject to your liking.

Now let me give you the full definition of a light meter:

The built-in light meter found in your digital SLR camera measures the amount of light being reflected off objects through the lens and into the camera and attempts, with the help of the camera’s computer, to limit the amount of light by setting the appropriate shutter speed and aperture so that the amount of light entering the camera is neither too much nor too little but exactly in the middle.

Trying to get the color correct by limiting the amount of light to that “18% grey” zone is not the only problem the light meter has to deal with. As you can image, there are usually multiple objects in a scene that are reflecting light into the camera. You may be taking a picture of a building in daytime and the meter then has to deal with the building that is not reflecting enough light, the bright light from the sky and the light from the green trees surrounding the building. How does the meter deal with all these sources of reflected light and decide where the middle “18% grey” is? Well, this is where the meter needs a little help from the photographer whereby you have to tell the camera which objects you would like it to take a reading from. This is a lot easier than it sounds and the details of these different “metering modes” are covered in the article Introduction to Metering Modes in DSLR Photography. But basically, by choosing a particular mode, you will be giving the camera one of three options. Either you tell the camera to choose a particular spot in the scene to measure the reflected light, or choose a particular limited area of the scene to measure, or take the entire scene and come up with an average measurement. Neither of these methods is perfect and you may still find you need to make adjustments. These adjustments are covered in more detail in the articles on exposure compensation and bracketing (coming soon).

So I hope this has given you a better understanding of your digital SLR’s built-in light meter. With this understanding you will be better able to understand the concepts of exposure leading to more creative photographic experiences. This knowledge is also important to understanding why a picture has come out like it has and what adjustments you can make to improve it.

Filed Under: Know Your Digital SLR Tagged With: Ambient Light, Digital SLR, digital slr photography, DSLR Camera, Exposure, Exposure Settings, Grey Card, light meter, Metering, Metering Modes, Reflected Light, TTL, TTL Metering

Introduction to Metering Modes in DSLR Photography

In the previous article, Simplified Introduction to the DSLR’s Light Meter, we learnt about how the light meter that is built into your digital SLR camera works. This article will introduce you to the various metering modes that you can set your camera to in order to help the camera’s light meter do the best job it can do in giving you as close to a “perfect” exposure as possible. As mentioned in that article, a light meter’s primary function is to measure the amount of light entering the camera and more specifically it measures the light being reflected from the different objects in the scene. But how does it determine the right exposure when there are various subjects in the scene each reflecting a different and sometimes competing amount of light? This is where the DSLR’s metering modes come in. Each of the camera’s metering modes will handle the scene in a different way and you as the photographer get to decide the “best” mode to use depending on the scene. Sound intimidating? Well, it doesn’t have to be as will be explained below.

To help you decide the best exposure, you can set your digital SLR to one of either 3 or 4 different metering modes (depending on the camera manufacturer):

Evaluative (or Matrix) Metering Mode
Center-Weighted Average Metering Mode
Partial Metering Mode
Spot Metering Mode

Please note that this article focuses on the two most popular manufacturers of digital SLRs, Canon and Nikon. Other manufacturers will have very similar metering modes available and fundamentally function in the same way as those presented here. Before we decide on which of the metering modes to use in which circumstance, let’s first explain each one.

Evaluative (Matrix) Metering Mode

Evaluative Metering (Canon) or Matrix Metering (Nikon) is also known by a number of other names including Segment Metering, Multi Zone Metering and Multi Pattern Metering but they all do the same thing. This metering mode will split the entire scene up into small zones/grids in a matrix and measure each zone/grid individually. The entire matrix is then averaged to determine the best exposure (shutter speed and aperture combination). As seen above, the red square would represent the area that would be evaluated. Given that DSLR cameras are becoming more and more sophisticated, many now not only measure the amount of light when in this mode, but will also consider such things as tone distribution, color, composition and even distance. This is generally the “default” setting for most digital SLR cameras and for most scene generally yields a good exposure.

Center-Weighted Average Metering Mode

Center-Weighted Average Metering (Canon) or Center-Weighted Metering (Nikon) attempts to also measure the entire scene with the difference being that the average that is determined will have more weight placed on the center of the viewfinder than the rest of the scene, as we can see from the progressively darker red circles in the photo above. Thus about 70% of the metering is done around the center of the viewfinder. This metering mode makes the assumption that the important part of the scene is at the center of the viewfinder and as you will discover when it comes to composition, most of the time this is not the case, as seen above.

Partial Metering Mode

As seen by the red circle above, the Partial Metering mode (Canon) covers about 9% of the viewfinder and according to Canon is most effective when the background is “much brighter” than the subject. More specifically, due to its emphasis on the center of the viewfinder, this metering mode is most effective when the edges of the viewfinder/scene are significantly lighter or darker than the center to the point where the edges could unduly influence the exposure of your main subject. But once again, the downside to this metering mode is its emphasis on the center of the viewfinder.

Spot Metering Mode

The Spot Metering mode gives you the finest control over where to measure the light for exposure since it covers only about 4% of the viewfinder, giving you the smallest area of all the metering modes. The main advantage of spot metering comes from the fact that “the spot”, as seen by the red circle above, can be anchored to any of the auto-focusing points in the viewfinder and thus gives you greater flexibility as to the exact point of the scene you wish to meter. Spot metering allows you to meter the specific area where you wish to bring out the most detail and as such is ideal for portraits allowing you to directly meter the light reflecting off the subject’s face.

When To Use Each of the Metering Modes?

So which of these metering modes should you use and when should you use it? Let me just say that in all my years of photography, both film and digital, I almost entirely use either Evaluative/Matrix Metering or Spot Metering. I have rarely ever used the other two. So to answer the question, it really comes down to a personal preference. Ultimately it doesn’t matter which of the metering modes you use! Choose one (or two) and stick to it! It is more important that you gain consistency while gaining an understanding of how your DSLR is handling metering. And as you will understand when you cover the section Concepts in Exposure, that exposure compensation and bracketing are more important than which of the metering modes you use because regardless of which mode you ultimately use, you will likely still find yourself making adjustments through exposure compensation or bracketing.

Given this, my advice to you as a beginner to digital SLR photography is to start with Evaluative/Matrix Metering and stick to that for a while, at least until you get a solid understanding of how your camera handles exposure in varying environments and make adjustments through exposure compensation and bracketing. Your next step should then be Spot Metering.

Filed Under: Know Your Digital SLR Tagged With: Center-weighted Average Metering, Center-weighted Metering, Digital SLR, digital slr photography, DSLR Camera, Evaluative Metering, Exposure, Exposure Settings, Matrix Metering, Metering, Metering Modes, Multi Pattern Metering, Multi Zone Metering, Partial Metering, Segment Metering, Spot Metering, Zone Metering

How To Use the Shooting Modes on your DLSR

So you’ve just purchased your new digital SLR camera, and you’ve thoroughly read the owner’s manual! You now have some understanding of what each of the icons means on the main shooting mode dial. This dial is important because it is often the first thing you will adjust on your camera before taking a picture.

The main objective of this article is to give you an understanding of the important shooting modes and when to use them, along with which shooting modes NOT to use!

A typical shooting mode dial on the two most popular digital SLR cameras look like this:

On the bottom half of both these dials you will notice typical icons which you likely know from your point & shoot/compact camera. On the Canon, you will have icons that represent the following shooting modes:

Fully Automatic, Portrait, Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, Night Portrait, Flash Off

On the Nikon, there are now many more “auto” shooting modes than those found on the bottom half of the dial pictured above. For example, on the Nikon D7000 there are the following:

Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Pet Portrait, Candlelight, Blossom, Autumn Colors, Food, Silhouette, High key, Low key

Wow! This is a staggering number of pre-set “auto” shooting modes! The common issue with all of these shooting modes, regardless of the digital SLR camera, is that each of these settings will fix every possible adjustment on the camera so nothing can be changed while the camera is set in any one of these modes. The ISO is set, the white balance is set, color saturation is set, focus mode is set, the shutter drive mode is set, and of course, aperture and shutter speed are set. In essence, your brand new digital SLR camera becomes a point & shoot. Now ask yourself, did you spend all this money on this camera to remain in the point & shoot mode?

So my biggest piece of advice to you is skip this part of the owner’s manual and NEVER use these shooting modes!

Learn to use the top half of the shooting mode dial as pictured above. The only way to “learn” is to “do”. Without “doing” you will never “learn” and get good at it. In a previous article, I talked about getting to know your camera intimately – getting to know where every dial and button is so you can make quick adjustments on the fly while you have your eye buried in the viewfinder. So while some will say it’s OK to use these fully automatic pre-sets when you are in a rush and need to take a quick photo, I will counter with “learn to do without”. Because once you start to become familiar with your DSLR, and you begin to become familiar with how to at least set a starting exposure, you will find that you will never use these modes in any case. So don’t start now! Besides, you can always use the Program mode (P) as will be explained below.

The Four Main Important Shooting Modes

Now moving on to the top half of the shooting mode dial. Let’s go through each mode one by one, and I will focus on the four main and most important shooting modes:

P – Program mode

This mode will set the aperture and shutter speed for “ideal” exposure. Note that this is different from “Automatic” mode in that, unlike automatic mode, with the Program mode, aperture and shutter speed are the only two items set by the camera’s computer – you can still adjust many other features such as ISO, white balance and focusing mode. So basically, the camera looks at all of the camera’s existing settings and based on the camera’s through-the-lens (TTL) light meter, comes up with what it believes to be the best aperture and shutter speed for the scene.

When you are in a hurry or just wish to take a quick snap shot, use the Program mode.

The great thing about this mode is that you can still adjust ANY setting and the camera will adjust the aperture and/or the shutter speed accordingly if needed. For example, if you decide that the scene is a little dark and you want to adjust the ISO, the camera will automatically adjust the aperture/shutter speed. But also, let’s say you want to adjust the shutter speed (or the aperture), you can do so and the camera will automatically make the corresponding adjustment in aperture (or shutter speed). Again, this is a great mode when you just want to get a few quick snaps of a scene or subject.

Tv, S – Shutter Priority mode

In this mode, you are telling the camera that you will set the shutter speed and you need it to automatically come up with the corresponding aperture.

Use the Shutter Priority mode when you are dealing with motion.

For example, if you want to freeze motion (fast motion or otherwise), set a fast shutter speed. If you wish to create motion blur, set a slow shutter speed. The camera will then come up with what it thinks is the “best” aperture. As with the Program mode, in the Shutter Priority mode, you still have access to other exposure settings such as ISO and white balance as well as other functions such as focus and drive modes, if you wish. Based on all these settings, the camera then decides on the best aperture.

Av, A – Aperture Priority mode

In this mode you are telling the camera that you will set the aperture and you need it to automatically set the shutter speed. Again, you still have access to all the other camera/exposure adjustments and the camera will automatically set the shutter speed based on this setting and the aperture that you set.

Use the Aperture Priority mode when depth of field is a priority and you wish to have control over the depth of focus.

For example, if you want a blurred background, you will want a wide open aperture (low number). Once set, the camera will come up with the “ideal” shutter speed.

M – Manual mode

This mode is the Aperture Priority mode and the Shutter Priority mode wrapped into one with a little added twist! In Manual mode, you have the ability to adjust BOTH the aperture and the shutter speed, and the camera will then tell you by way of the “exposure level indicator”, based on your settings, whether you are over-exposed, under-exposed or “ideally” exposed. There are two advantages to Manual mode. One advantage is the obvious – that you can adjust both aperture and shutter speed to your liking until you find that “ideal” exposure. The second advantage is that it allows you to easily compensate exposure by either under-exposing or over-exposing based on your creative choice. With the other modes, you also have the creative option to under or over exposure BUT, you first have to press the “exposure compensation” button and dial in the desired amount of under or over exposure. The nice thing about Manual mode is that the camera will tell you where your exposure is WHILE you are choosing both aperture and shutter speed (in real time). In this way, you will know as you are setting aperture and shutter speed whether you are under or over exposed and you can decide how much exposure compensation you want (if any) as you set these two parameters. Therefore, the great thing about Manual mode is that it still gives you the opportunity to set either aperture or shutter speed as your priority, while at the same time allowing you to decide on how much exposure compensation you desire by simply following the exposure level indicator as you set either aperture or shutter speed first, then the other.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the most important shooting modes of your digital SLR. After all, this is why you purchased the camera in the first place – to gain more creative control over your photography. Admittedly, it can seem a little daunting at first, but it is important that the more you “do” the more you will learn. If the Manual mode still seems a little intimidating, start with the Program mode and work your way to using the Aperture and Shutter Speed Priority modes. Once you begin to grasp those modes while in the field, you can then begin diving into Manual mode!

Filed Under: Know Your Digital SLR Tagged With: Aperture, Aperture Priority, Camera Settings, Exposure, Exposure Settings, Manual Mode, Program Mode, Shooting Mode, Shutter Priority, Shutter Speed

How to Hold a Digital SLR

Ok, ok … so who doesn’t know how to hold a digital SLR camera? It’s simple, right? Just firmly grab both sides of the camera … hold it out at arm’s length … look through the LCD live viewfinder, and take your shot! That sounds logical, especially seeing that’s how you would hold your point & shoot or compact camera. Well unfortunately, that’s not how it’s done. When graduating to a digital SLR from a point & shoot or compact, it’s easy to get this wrong and it’s one of the most common mistakes DSLR beginners make. Learning how to hold a digital SLR will go a long way to taking great pictures.

The Importance of Proper Grip

Why is it important to hold your new digital SLR correctly? Here are a few reasons:

A digital SLR camera is generally heavier than a compact/point & shoot camera. Add to that the fact that your new camera now has the ability to take photos with longer shutter speeds, it becomes important that the DSLR is held firmly so as to minimize camera shake and subsequent blur in the photograph. Yes, pretty well all DSLR cameras now have image stabilization either in the lens or in the camera, but it’s up to you, the photographer, to give the camera a fighting chance. Don’t get lazy and let the camera do all the work or you will soon find the camera letting you down!

When you have the correct grip on the camera, it becomes more comfortable to hold thus allowing you to focus more on composition.

The correct grip gives you the ability to quickly and easily access all the controls of the camera. Your index finger on your right hand will be able to access the shutter button along with the controls on the top of the camera. Your thumb will have access to the controls on the back of the camera. And your left hand will control the focal length and lens focus along with any controls on the front of the camera.

A Steady Camera Equals Better Photos

The main and most important goal in achieving the proper grip is to maintain as much as possible a steady camera while allowing you, the photographer, to focus on composition while at the same time giving you immediate access to all of the camera’s controls. So, how is this done? Follow these tips and procedures on how to hold a digital SLR:

Hold the right side of the camera with your right hand and your forefinger touching the shutter button.
Take your left hand, and with your palm facing up to the sky, place it under the camera and grasp the underside of the camera so that the back part of your palm is supporting the left side of the camera from underneath and your fingers are supporting the lens with your thumb on the left side of the lens and your fingers on the right side of the lens. This allows you to change the focal length of the lens and to manually focus the lens if required. If the lens is long, you may not be supporting the camera body at all, only the lens.
Both elbows should be tucked in close to your body.
Bring the camera’s viewfinder to your eye to the point where the top of the viewfinder is pressing against your eyebrow.
And don’t forget your feet! They should be at least a shoulder’s width apart.

Fotolia 32084692 S How to Hold a Digital SLR

Notice the hand and elbow positioning. While it's important to have your feet at least a shoulder's width apart, this photographer's feet are in an extreme wide stance because he is attempting to lower the camera's height without having to bend his knees too much.

Here are some other important tips:

DO NOT use the LCD live view finder to take a photo! ….. Ok, I’ll be fair. Only use it when the situation calls for it which would be if you need to hold the camera higher than eye level, or when you need to hold it very low to the ground – lower than you can reasonably squat and still get your eye to the viewfinder, or you have to hold it off to one side. In these situations, it’s best to have an articulating LCD screen otherwise the screen becomes difficult to see when viewed from an angle. Why not use the LCD live view finder? When you force yourself to use the optical viewfinder, you force yourself to become better at composing your photographs since the viewfinder itself focuses your eye through a narrow opening. Also, using the LCD screen forces you to hold the camera away from your body thus increasing the likelihood of camera shake. In other words, it’s less stable.

Never have your left palm facing to the right when holding or focusing the lens. In other words, never have the thumb of your left hand UNDER the lens. Next to holding it with one hand, this is the most unstable way to hold the camera and the lens.

When you have to hold the camera vertically (in portrait position), you have a choice of either turning the camera counter-clockwise so that your right hand is at the top or turning it the other way (clockwise) so that your right hand is at the bottom. It is better to hold it so that your right hand is at the bottom because this automatically forces you to have your right elbow against your body for better stability. But I, for one, prefer to have my right hand at the top in the vertical orientation only because it is way more comfortable for me and my bad wrist. So choose whichever way is comfortable for you.

Fotolia 23988972 S How to Hold a Digital SLR

Never have the fingers of your left hand on the left side of the lens!

One last quick tip: Before taking the shot, breathe in and hold it. Then snap the shutter button.

If you follow these techniques and tips on how to hold a digital SLR, you will definitely go a long way to “getting a grip” on your digital SLR and to improving your photography.

Filed Under: Know Your Digital SLR Tagged With: beginners, Digital SLR, DSLR Camera, How To, Shutter Button, Viewfinder

Histograms For Exposure

Histograms For Contrast

High & Low Key

The Three-Step Process to Shooting in Manual Mode

STEP 1: Set the White Balance

STEP 2: Set the ISO

STEP 3: Set Shutter Speed OR Aperture – Which is MORE important?

Why? Why? Why?

Corrective White Balance Adjustment

Creative White Balance Adjustment

Shooting in RAW

Automatic Exposure Bracketing Examples

Exposure Compensation in Manual Mode

Autofocus Points

Single Shot Autofocus Mode

Continuous Autofocus Mode

The Hybrid Autofocus Mode

Light Meters are Color Blind

Aiming For That Middle Ground

Evaluative (Matrix) Metering Mode

Center-Weighted Average Metering Mode

Partial Metering Mode

Spot Metering Mode

When To Use Each of the Metering Modes?

The Four Main Important Shooting Modes

P – Program mode

Tv, S – Shutter Priority mode

Av, A – Aperture Priority mode

M – Manual mode

The Importance of Proper Grip

A Steady Camera Equals Better Photos

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