M: manual mode - being smarter than the camera and realizing that at times when our
auto settings aren't working the way we would like them to that we are able to stop and
manually control our camera....
If my lens is struggling to find contrast in a shot, or focuses on the wrong thing, then
it goes straight to manual. Most digital SLRs will even give you a audible or visual cue
when you’re manually focused correctly. I try to avoid focusing on my subject center
frame, and often try to manually keep my focus while re-framing in accordance with
the rule of thirds. Trusting my auto focus has ruined more shots than I can count. Learn
to trust your eyes.
A: aperture priority - or seen as Av: Aperture Value
Start by looking at the available light and get an idea of what aperture range
to look at. Lots of light means a broader range of choice. Second, think about the
shot itself and what depth of field to want. If you want lots of detail at all depths, then
I’ll drop it down as low as f22. If I want a soft background, with a refined range of
focus, then I’ll open it up to f2.8 or larger. Sometimes you don’t have a lot of choice, so
the wider (lower number) the better. That’s why lenses with apertures like a fixed f2.8
are so expensive – because they’ll benefit you in low light. It’s also important to consider
your subject – fast moving subjects will require lower apertures, so you can achieve
faster shutter speeds
S: shutter priority - or seen as Tv: Time Value
The length of the exposure has huge bearing on the outcome of a shot. I start by looking
at my subject and whether or not I want them sharp or blurred. Some subjects like city
traffic benefit from long exposures, while others suffer. I try to stay at 1/60 of a second
or faster when I’m shooting handheld, and use a tripod for slower exposures. Stillness
varies from person to person, and image stabilizers will help. Fast subjects require fast
shutter speeds.
These definitions and more explanation can be found here.
The variety of our camera modes can vary...
Lets check this site out!..... CAMERA MODES
Expectations: These will be a known for all of us in class.
Monday will be a BIG day for you.... HINT HINT HINT!!!
I am wanting you to know some of the main modes that we may be utilizing:
Macro... why you would use it.
Manual... why you would use it.
Shutter/Aperture... what they exactly are.
White Balance
Optical Zoom vs Digital Zoom
ISO... film speed
Resource the blog and the links available for you to study.
It is important for you to go and seek out information for yourselves... as much as
I want to inform you on everything, you need to be able to read some material on
your own so we can continue chuggin on in class...
