I have been struggling with this lately and was hoping to get some advice or suggestions...
I work on making sure everything is right for the shot (right shutter speed, aperture, ISO balance with correct WB) before I take it, but sometimes by the time I have all the right settings, the moment for the capture has passed. I do my best to prepare in advance before I start a shoot, but sometimes I just can't account for something amazing I come across where my settings should be changed.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
@tinatmmc - Probably not good advice from an amateur here, but when I really want to catch something I just throw it on auto, and adjust it later on the computer....I like to play with the manual settings when I can take my time, but I am still learning and have an 8 month old, so sometimes any shot is better than no shot!
Before turning off the camera, I make sure that it's in Aperture priority mode with aperture somewhere around f/4 to f/5.6, Auto WB, AF, Auto ISO. This maximizes my chances of getting the shot next time in case I have to act fast. If time allows, I prefer to override most of these settings.
@imrelumiste I agree with Imre here. When you're in a situation where things are constantly changing or moving or lighting isn't consistent, shooting in manual mode can be your worst enemy. In situations like this I (and a lot of pros I've spoken to) will use Av mode most of the time. You set the ISO and aperture to get the DOF you want and then let the camera choose the shutter. As long as you're paying attention to what shutter speed the camera is selecting you'll have a pretty good idea if it's fast enough to either stop any action or minimize camera shake. And if it is giving you a slower shutter than you need it's as easy as bumping the ISO one or two stops.
@tolpol that made me giggle. and I agree, also with @tx_mendoza if it's a quick capture that I really want, I go auto and fix it up in lightroom. if i am going out to shoot for a day, i will take my time and really try to get the settings correct before shooting.
If it is something important I put the camera on auto, if I'm in a hurry or the light is changing and the scenery is changing, like sunset or something. Then I'll check the shot quickly to see how the camera metered the shot, and put it in manual mode and adjust the shutter speed up and down to see if that makes a difference in how I want the photo to look. Then I play with it on the computer if I totally muffed up the exposure. My husband has also told me that sometimes my shots are better when I'm not fooling around with all the settings and I "just take the picture" already. haha
My camera resets itself with flash, white balance, iso, f stop when I turn it off, so I actually leave mine on auto so when I turn it on, I can get a quick shot, or at least turn off the flash. I may have options to not have to do that, but have not learned yet with the new camera.
@brumbe --- That is my only compaint using the Olympus point-and-shoot cameras. I don't know if others are similar but I always have to turn the flash off before taking a picture. 99% of the time I don't use a flash. I don't have that issue with the Nikon and I am super happy. I do fiddle with the settings and have to remember to set to "easy auto" when I'm done using it. That way it's ready in a flash. Ha! Pun intended. ;-)
@tolpol Too funny! @tx_mendoza Very true...I have a 9-month old so I have the same issue :) @imrelumiste@marubozo@lislee75 Great advice, thank you so much! @vikdaddy Thanks - I always shoot RAW, which is very helpful in post-processing. I just really want to cut down as much as I can on post-processing.
@dmortega my Canon Power Shot has to have the flash turned off also, but it may be close to six years old about now. Still works and takes excellent photos. I also hate having the glare, blow out and reflection of the flash on my photos.
You learn. When I first got started in photography shooting events as my university's student photographer, I was having to shoot five photos of the same exact thing before I could get my camera settings right. I had to write down what settings to use for shooting basketball in the coliseum versus shooting photos of students in the library.
Eventually, I just learned to make this an automatic reflex. Now, when I see a great moment, I can adjust ISO, white balance, aperture, and exposure in the blink of an eye without hardly any thought. I get the photo's settings right about 90% of the time and never miss the shot.
Figuring out your camera's settings is a lot like learning how to drive a car. When you get your learner's permit and start driving around town or the post office, you think about everything. Stay between the lines, push the gas, press the brake, change gears. look left right up and down. A million things run through your mind every second and driving just ten minutes down the road is exhausted.
And look at us now. Well, most of us anyways. Driving is a second-nature. We pay attention to the traffic, but switching on the headlights or windshield wipers is second-nature now. We barely give it a thought.
Learning your camera's settings is the same way. Eventually, it will become an almost instinctive reaction. Just give it time and practice!
@tinatmmc
These (digital) days I shoot first ask questions later, sometimes you won't have time to make adjustments, you will lose the shot. The important thing is 1). learn your camera, the more you know it the faster you'll be able to make adjustments 2). have your camera ready to shoot. If you're going out to do photos at a family picnic outside, don't have it set to fluorescent! If it's bright you know you'll need a lower ISO and daylight wb, those are two things you can be ready with, then worry about other adjustments later.
Some things can of course be fixed fairly easily, but of course it's always better to get the shot right the first time.
This is one time when I knew I had the wrong lens on my camera for how close I was standing, and since it was an animal doing something rather unexpected (the wombat that is, my hubby is always known to have the iphone in his hands) I didn't even know if I'd be able to step backwards in time to get a better focal distance. Or knowing my relationship to gravity fall off the ledge...
Luckily it get a shot, not the best comp, would of course been better had I had more time, ect. But I got the shot. Often I find that the first in a series tends to be the best anyway *shrug* Sometimes we just overthink things.
The more you get used to your camera the easier it'll be *nod* till you get a new one anyway!
@tinatmmc I am only a beginner so I don't really know what I'm doing but I go for quantity over quality :-) I will start on auto, and then start fiddling with aperture and shutter speed and watching how it changes the photo and then I will play around with focus. In the end I have about 60 pics of the same blasted thing but hopefully I get one that resembles what I was hoping to get. It drives my husband mad as he is a set everything up and take it once kind of person. The thing I find most frustrating as a mum taking photos is that inevitably I will finally get everything right, framed up and someone will; stomp through, scream, cut themselves, vomit, hit their brother over the head or run in the opposite direction :-)
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Eventually, I just learned to make this an automatic reflex. Now, when I see a great moment, I can adjust ISO, white balance, aperture, and exposure in the blink of an eye without hardly any thought. I get the photo's settings right about 90% of the time and never miss the shot.
Figuring out your camera's settings is a lot like learning how to drive a car. When you get your learner's permit and start driving around town or the post office, you think about everything. Stay between the lines, push the gas, press the brake, change gears. look left right up and down. A million things run through your mind every second and driving just ten minutes down the road is exhausted.
And look at us now. Well, most of us anyways. Driving is a second-nature. We pay attention to the traffic, but switching on the headlights or windshield wipers is second-nature now. We barely give it a thought.
Learning your camera's settings is the same way. Eventually, it will become an almost instinctive reaction. Just give it time and practice!
These (digital) days I shoot first ask questions later, sometimes you won't have time to make adjustments, you will lose the shot. The important thing is 1). learn your camera, the more you know it the faster you'll be able to make adjustments 2). have your camera ready to shoot. If you're going out to do photos at a family picnic outside, don't have it set to fluorescent! If it's bright you know you'll need a lower ISO and daylight wb, those are two things you can be ready with, then worry about other adjustments later.
Some things can of course be fixed fairly easily, but of course it's always better to get the shot right the first time.
This is one time when I knew I had the wrong lens on my camera for how close I was standing, and since it was an animal doing something rather unexpected (the wombat that is, my hubby is always known to have the iphone in his hands) I didn't even know if I'd be able to step backwards in time to get a better focal distance. Or knowing my relationship to gravity fall off the ledge...
Luckily it get a shot, not the best comp, would of course been better had I had more time, ect. But I got the shot. Often I find that the first in a series tends to be the best anyway *shrug* Sometimes we just overthink things.
The more you get used to your camera the easier it'll be *nod* till you get a new one anyway!