![\"program_mode_setting\"](\"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/program_mode_setting.jpg\" "\\"program_mode_setting\\"")
<\/a>Our cameras all have different shooting modes.\u00a0 Many people I talk to use Auto pretty much all the time.\u00a0 This is the mode where the camera takes care of everything.\u00a0 In other words, it makes all the decisions.<\/p>\nThe first simple change is to switch from whatever mode you\u2019re using to P (for Program mode) as illustrated here.\u00a0 This returns control of some key functions back to you, the photographer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The camera will still set the aperture and shutter speed based on the light conditions.\u00a0 But you gain access to some key corrections that will result in better pictures.<\/p>\n
Exposure Compensation<\/h3>\n
The second change is exposure compensation.\u00a0 This is the technique of either increasing or decreasing the exposure that the camera determined without resorting to setting the exposure manually.\u00a0 In other words, you can still let the camera determine the exposure (as it does in P mode) but then tell it to decrease the exposure a certain amount.<\/p>\n
The camera determines the exposure using its built in light meter.\u00a0 It generally does a pretty good job but it has certain limitations.\u00a0 The exposures it determines may overexpose the image ever so slightly, resulting in pale colors.\u00a0 So if we slightly underexpose our\u00a0 photographs they will gain a richness of color that is very pleasing.<\/p>\n If your camera is set up to adjust exposure by half stop increments there will be one dot between the numbers as in this illustration.\u00a0 If it is set up to adjust exposure by one third stop increments there will be two dots.\u00a0 I prefer to set my camera to adjust exposure by 1\/3 stop increments.\u00a0 And then I set my exposure compensation to \u20132\/3 stops.<\/p>\n You may need to check your camera\u2019s manual to determine exactly how to set your camera\u2019s exposure increments and how to do exposure compensation.<\/p>\n The third change is to set your ISO setting on Automatic.\u00a0 ISO refers to the sensitivity of the camera\u2019s sensor which in turn affects the amount of light required to produce a correct exposure.\u00a0 The greater the sensitivity, the less light is required.\u00a0 Increasing the ISO increases the sensor\u2019s sensitivity.\u00a0 So an ISO of 100 has low sensitivity and requires more light for a correct exposure.\u00a0 An ISO of 400 has much higher sensitivity and therefore requires much less light for a correct exposure.<\/p>\n Cameras produce the highest quality images at low ISOs.\u00a0 And when the ISO is set on Auto the camera will automatically select the lowest possible setting to give you the highest quality image in the prevailing light conditions.<\/p>\n As with exposure compensation, you may need to consult your camera\u2019s manual to determine exactly how to do this.<\/p>\n I use these settings myself on my Canon point and shoot (G11), the camera I take with me everywhere I go.\u00a0 When I\u2019m doing casual shooting or even scouting for \u2018serious\u2019 photograph locations I\u2019ll use the G11 configured in this way.\u00a0 In times like these I don\u2019t want to be focusing on exposure settings, ISO and all the other things I think about when shooting my big Canon.\u00a0 I want to focus on the image and the compositional possibilities.\u00a0 And these settings allow me to do that and still capture high quality images.<\/p>\n So, try them for yourself and see if you like them.\u00a0 Set up your camera in this way and shoot some photographs.\u00a0 I think you\u2019ll be pleased with the results.<\/p>\n Join me on an upcoming workshop.\u00a0 Click here for more details.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Not all cameras have this capability but if your camera is one that does there will be a button or dial with this symbol somewhere on the camera.\u00a0 Or there will be an exposure compensation menu option.\u00a0 It indicates that you can refine the exposure by increasing or decreasing it.\u00a0 In other words, it allows you to slightly over expose (or lighten) the image or underexpose (or darken) the image.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how it works.<\/p>\n<\/a>I recommend we use \u20131\/2 to \u20132\/3 stop exposure compensation.\u00a0 That is to say, we tell the camera to decrease the exposure by 1\/2 or 2\/3\u2019s of a stop.\u00a0 Your camera will display a scale similar to this one that will show the amount of exposure compensation.\u00a0 On the minus side, 1 means decreasing the exposure or darkening the image by one stop.\u00a0 Two means the exposure is decreased and the image is darkened by two stops.\u00a0 The positive side increases or brightens the image by one and two stops respectively.<\/p>\nAuto ISO<\/h3>\n