elmer13

I agree with you!

elmer13

Just keep on shooting Micki.

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

Take a few shots and decide which works best for where or when you are shooting. Then jot down or keep the settings in mid for what worked and what did not.

mgstrawn Loc: Atlanta, GA

So true!

mgstrawn Loc: Atlanta, GA

I so agree! It is rewarding to know how to produce the 'milky' version, but I also like to 'freeze' the motion in order to remember the natural state of the water.

lynn1

I almost always shoot in Aperture priority unless the subject is moving pretty fast.

sjbegres Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

[quote=Bill41]

What do you mean by "I use a 1-4 degree spot incident/reflective to...check exposure"?

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I normally shoot in manual mode but will use aperture priority when I want a certain look to the depth of field but don't want to mess with the shutter speed. I will use shutter priority when I'm shooting waterfalls (and slow the shutter way, way down) and don't want to play around with the aperture setting. I seldom shoot program or auto modes, but would consider program mode in an extremely low light situation when i wouldn't want the on camera flash to trigger.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

So freezing the motion is the natural state of the water? Hmmm. Maybe ice, then?

MtnMan Loc: ID

I'll take the odd man out position. It depends on your skill level with DSLRs. If it is your first I recommend shooting with Auto until you lean how to compose and focus so you are getting pretty clear pictures you are happy with most of the time.

Many new users of the D7000 that post here seem to have trouble getting focus under control. The exposure modes have little to do with that. It depends on your choice of focus mode and how well you use it.

I then suggest experimenting with the other exposure modes as the opportunities present until you know what they all do. I'm not sure of the exact list on the D7000.

Although I'm perfectly capable of using manual exposure mode and manual focus from my years of using a fully manual SLR I only do so when specific situations demand it. I have come to prefer the P mode on my D5100. It lets me choose from a range of exposure time/f-stops that all produce the same exposure by just rotating the thumb wheel. When I want a lot of DOF I turn it to high f-stop. When I want a narrow DOF to single out my focus point (using spot focus, of course) I rotate it the other way.

Perhaps the strongest advice I can give is that whatever you do use your LCD to see if you are getting what you want before you move on. You can blow up the image on the LCD to better check that you are getting the focus right and you can use the blinkies to make sure you aren't blowing out parts of your image.

MtnMan Loc: ID

While I always value your input I finally have one up on you.

I am able to ruin images even using P. Ha!

(It is usually because I left some other setting; e.g. white balance, ISO, metering mode, etc. not where it needs to be.)

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

For the same reason that some people go crazy with Mt climbing and use heavy HDR! ...and no I don't do heavy HDR or go mt. climbing.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

[quote=sjbegres]

Sorry, I did not complete the sentence. I have a light meter that combines reflective metering with an incident meter. The meter, a Sekonic L-508, has an adjustable spotmeter (1 - 4 degrees) for reflective metering. I started out using it with my 4 X 5, but now use it often to adjust exposure of scenes with a wide exposure range; it helps me concentrate on the part of the scene that interests me most. I don't use the camera's spot meter because I'm too old and senile to remember to reset it to evaluative mode.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Freezing a shot does not refer to liquid changing its state to a solid. It means stopping the action with a fast enough shutter speed. You knew that, but I had to make sure.

zip37602

i so agree, the ribbon effect using slow shutter speeds has been worked to death. I have seen very few shots like this lately that work. I use aperature mostly at 5.6 which is the soft spot on my cam. The best advice as already mentioned is to use all different modes and explore the advantages each offers. Best wishes to you.