{"id":4401,"date":"2019-06-29T11:46:04","date_gmt":"2019-06-29T19:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/?p=4401"},"modified":"2019-11-20T09:56:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T17:56:35","slug":"mastering-your-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/2019\/06\/29\/mastering-your-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering Your Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m not the only one that contends that mastering your camera is an important first step in mastering photography. You\u2019ll see it in blog posts, articles and videos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s take a deeper, more detailed look at what it means to master your camera and show that it\u2019s not an impossible task, as intimidating as it may seem when you first start.<\/span><\/p>\n

It starts with the question, “What does a camera do?” The hundreds of pages in the camera\u2019s user manual and a similar number of options in its menus make it look like mastering it is a massive if not impossible task.\u00a0 It appears daunting, especially if you are not technically inclined.\u00a0 But in reality, what you need the camera to do comes down to just two things \u2013 control the exposure and control sharpness. Let\u2019s see what core skills are required to master these two things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Control Exposure<\/h2>\n

The purpose of exposure control is to ensure the right amount of light enters the camera so that the sensor can record the image you are photographing.\u00a0 You and the camera need to respond to both bright and dark scenes.\u00a0 The exposure controls are what makes it possible to match the exposure to the kinds of lighting conditions you encounter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell Me More About Exposure\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

There are three variables that can be adjusted to respond to the amount of light in the scene \u2013 ISO, aperture and shutter speed. These three variables form the famous exposure triangle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell Me More About the Exposure Triangle\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ISO<\/h3>\n

ISO controls the sensitivity of the sensor. That is to say, it controls how much light is required to get a proper exposure. Low ISO numbers such as 100 decreases the sensitivity, requiring more light. High ISO numbers such as 1200 increase the sensitivity and require less light.<\/span><\/p>\n

The trade off is that you get higher quality images with lower ISOs but you can photograph in darker situations with high ISOs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell Me More About ISO\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

To control the ISO, you need to know how to do the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Set the ISO<\/span><\/p>\n

Aperture<\/h3>\n

Aperture controls the brightness of the light entering the camera through the lens. It also affects depth of field. The primary concern of landscape photographers is an aperture that will give the needed depth of field. When shooting from a tripod, the shutter speed is usually not that important<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Tell Me More About Aperture\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

You need the following camera skills to adjust the aperture:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Set the aperture<\/span><\/p>\n

Shutter Speed<\/h3>\n

The shutter controls how long the sensor is exposed to the light entering through the lens. Shutter speeds become important when shooting hand held. To get a sharp image you need a shutter speed that is no longer than 1\/focal length.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shutter speeds are also important when shooting blurs as in a waterfall. In these situations longer shutter speeds are needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell Me More About Shutter Speeds\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

You need the following camera skills to adjust the shutter speed:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Set the shutter speed<\/span><\/p>\n

Camera Shooting Mode<\/h3>\n

Most camera give you at least four options for controlling exposure. They are Auto, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual. Each of these modes gives you varying degrees of control over the three exposure variables. They all help you get a proper exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a quick rundown on each.<\/span><\/p>\n

Auto<\/strong><\/h4>\n

With Auto mode the camera takes control of all three exposure variable \u2013 ISO, aperture and shutter speed. It makes the best guess as to what the optimum exposure is. You have no control over it. Serious photographers are generally not willing to give up all control over exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n

You need the following camera skills to photograph in Auto mode:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Set the mode to Auto<\/span><\/p>\n

Aperture Priority<\/strong><\/h4>\n

With aperture priority you set the ISO and aperture and the camera determines the shutter speed. You get the same exposure as you would with Auto but you can control the quality of the image (ISO) and depth if field (aperture). <\/span><\/p>\n

This mode works well when shooting from a tripod as, other than in windy conditions, you don\u2019t really care how long the shutter speed is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes the camera gets the exposure wrong. It may overexpose or underexpose. What then? In Aperture priority mode you can use Exposure Compensation to get a more optimum exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell Me More About Exposure Compensation\u2026.<\/a><\/p>\n

You need the following camera skills to shoot in aperture priority:<\/span><\/p>\n