mgoldfield wrote:
...A good learning tool is to take shots in Auto and examine the histogram and other exif data. This can help the inexperienced get a feel for exposure settings as they relate to subject and lighting...
Someone else mentioned that also; it's a really interesting idea. Thanks!
mizzee wrote:
...Because my Oly is live view all the time, I can see what I’m going to get before I shoot. This lets me fine tune with EC, etc. I don’t worry much about noise as my images aren’t going to appear on a bus.
Me too re the Oly (and me neither re the bus
). Many thanks for your participation.
pappleg wrote:
Good discussion, Linda. I believe there is at least one more option that I have not yet seen and that is shooting HDR in high contrast circumstances.
Gorgeous photo! Thanks so much for explaining your process.
bastro wrote:
Great thread imho... it is great to hear what others with more experience think and do...
Very gratifying to know you are enjoying the discussion!
genocolo wrote:
Great discussion for most of us. Thanks for the topic and opportunity to learn.
Much appreciated.
NCMtnMan wrote:
...Can't fix out of focus or blurry ot DOF.
Succinct and spot on.
lsupremo wrote:
...we can keep playing around with all these buttons on our cameras and see what comes out. Or maybe it doesn’t matter, we can fix anything in photoshop.
Hmm, I might need a few more lessons
camerapapi wrote:
... I seldom set my cameras to shutter priority. It works for me that way but I can also understand that my approach will not work for everybody.... If I go manual my humble experience tells me, according to the subject, which aperture will be preferable and that also applies to aperture priority.
Appreciate your sharing your knowledge, William!
philo wrote:
I believe that your main discussion pertains to M mode and not A or T mode.
I use A mode 90 % of the time. However I have to be careful about my S speed while shooting in shade. As one gets older it is a good idea to increase S speed.
Thanks very much for your comments, philo. I've had to increase shutter speed; my limited experience with tripods was not enjoyable
John_F wrote:
There is a Third approach - it called for want of a better word, baffled.
Nooo, everyone who reads this thread will walk away ready for prime time!
RRS wrote:
...I strived for SOOC (straight out of camera) I guess but when that didn't work I learned how to do darkroom magic, dodge and burn along with other tricks. Today we have Photoshop and many other wonderful tools at our disposal and setting the aperture and shutter speed is just the beginning of a long process.
Unless someone is striving to become a pro and needs to please their clients, I'm all for "it's your image, do what you want to it" (the other link in my signature). Thanks for your comments.
2mdman wrote:
I'd say my approach is more Adaptive - i.e. shoot based upon what I'm trying to do (what you call "active") and what the conditions dictate. ... I'm particularly displeased that I failed to adjust properly to conditions after stepping out of a museum...Good thread Linda and a nice discussion.
I'm pretty sure everyone, regardless of years of with a camera, has experienced one unpleasant oops moment with settings. Glad you're enjoying the discussion; happy you joined in.
GrannyAnnie wrote:
...May I never become so arrogant as to think I have nothing more to learn......and I have a lot more to learn. Thank you, Linda, for opening a very helpful and interesting discussion!
Delighted to have you!
bertloomis wrote:
I use the active method. I have yet to choose both the shutter speed and aperture by adjusting the ISO.
Appreciate your posting.
jaycoffman wrote:
... I've found that I have to use auto-ISO most of the time because my needs switch drastically from shot to shot...
Many thanks for your detailed and valuable information. Good stuff!
cjc2 wrote:
As a sports photographer I know a couple of things going in. First, in most cases, I want a Shutter Speed of 1/1000th (Or faster). Secondly, as I wish to lead the viewer to the subject, I want to shoot wide open...
Appreciate the glimpse into your work decisions. Many thanks for participating.
BboH wrote:
...Preparing to retire (at 72) ...what I have since perceived is that raw is about being an artist which I am not! ...finally, I have grown rather averse to spending time in front of a computer...
Anyone who doesn't retire until age 72 has well earned the right to do it his way
foxfirerodandgun wrote:
... Linda, your question, and the responses to it, have now sparked a new interest in using other modes and settings. I'm sure that I'll have a number of questions as I pursue this area further. At my age I need to keep my brain veery active. ;~)
Very gratifying to hear, and I'm positive all who have participated here will be happy to help you if they can. Thanks so much!
cambriaman wrote:
...I was raised by an artistic mother ...In today's world I do use P or A or S settings when I photograph family snapshots, but my serious photography is almost always M.
Thank you for sharing your background and shooting habits. Very enjoyable to read.
Toment wrote:
I’m the lazy kind: I look in the EVF and adjust til I like the look😄😄
We are not here to judge
juanbalv wrote:
I know this has been recommended before: Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is far and above one of the best books on the subject...
It has received consistent praise during the time I've been on UHH. Never hurts to mention again; thank you!
Tex-s wrote:
...Yearbook images are rarely viewed and printed at large scales, so some noise is acceptable to be sure we get 'fun' action shots.
Thanks so much for your detailed outline about various shooting situations. Terrific information.
Anhanga Brasil wrote:
...Anyway, I let light take me and my camera HAS to do what I want, except when I am wrong.
I enjoyed your humor, Otto, and as I mentioned to you recently, it's a great treat that UHH is a worldwide forum. So glad you joined this particular discussion.
Photocraig wrote:
So, I'm assuming f8 and be there needs some extra thought.
I believe that topic has been already covered
Photocraig wrote:
Back in the manual focus day, we used Zone Focusing where with a small enough aperture and focusing on a spot (or picking a distance off the scale) we had a reasonable chance of getting moving subjects into a "zone of apparent focus." Perhaps using similar conceptual thinking, a photographer could set up the camera in a given location/situation so even a quick (non Auto) snap has a good chance of surviving the delete button. Maybe that's an exercise I'll try today...
Sounds intriguing; please report back with your result!
TheShoe wrote:
Since my hands are partially paralyzed and therefore unstable, shutter speed is the first order of business for me. A fast shutter gives fewer pictures that are tossed because of camera motion. How about "neophytes" in place of "newbies"?
Thanks so much for sharing your solution for your physical challenges. Another suggestion for newbie was novice. A lot of options beginning with N it seems
Thank you for commenting in the topic.
jackm1943 wrote:
I normally use what you call the "active" method by setting the shutter speed and aperture in manual, then either setting the ISO to a specific value as desired based mostly on the histogram or setting it to Automatic depending on the specific situation for the shot(s). This system has worked well for me IMO.
Thanks very much Jack!
graybeard wrote:
Except for low light situations, I keep the ISO set to 100 or 200, never higher, in order to minimize noise. You have enough light left to choose between, as you say, dof or blur/freeze. I prefer TV (shutter speed priority) since I hate blur in most situations and like to shoot 500 or better SS. But again, you still have a wide selection of SS/f stop selections in all but low light. One of the first things I noticed when changing from film to digital is the need for 1.4 or 1.8 lenses to get low light/night shots decreased.
Except for low light situations, I keep the ISO se... (
show quote)
Thank you for this information, Graybeard. Appreciate your participation.
Fstop12 wrote:
I usually use Aperture Priority on my camera. I leave an ISO range I want then set what aperture setting I want and let the camera decide what shutter speed to use to accomplish my settings.
Thanks very much for posting.
BlueMorel wrote:
I am always looking for closeups of the odd object or wildflower...Trouble with my shooting style is that changing settings for subjects out of my usual realm takes thinking and experimenting on my part...
I happily used just an 18-55 kit lens for four years, mostly shooting flowers - but always seeking interesting light. Appreciate your comments!