Your Camera Hates You

Your camera hates you. Well… maybe that is a little extreme but, he/she severely dislikes you.  Your wond rous machine is doing all the work for you and your photos are losing their creative flavor.   Your manual focus toggle is gathering dust and you have yet to venture out from the comfort of your camera’s “pre-sets.”  You have a nasty habit and in order to break it you are going to have to make it a point to grow a few more skill sets.

First things first:

If your setting knob/button/doohickey is set to a some sort of graphic or icon on the little wheel thing, change it right now.  Even if you are not taking pictures at this very moment or plan to in the near future, change it from the flower, mountain, or portrait silhouette!  What you are really looking at using are the M, Av, or Tv settings.  Here is a quick run-down of when you would use them.

Tv: if for Shutter Speed

This means the camera’s priority is the speed at which your photo is being taken, also known as shutter speed.  Once you have manually set the speed of at which you will be taking pictures, you camera will calculate the remainder of the variables needed for “correct exposure” (please take this with a grain of salt as your camera’s correct exposure may not necessarily be what you are looking for).  This setting is most effectively used when you are trying to freeze a particular motion and making sure your subject stays sharp.  When Tv is selected as your priority, you won’t have to worry about your camera switching the settings on you if there is a shadow.

Av: is for Aperture Prioity

The camera is now focusing on the aperture, or how much light you are letting into your picture.  As in Tv, your camera will adjust everything based on the aperture value you set.  I like using this setting for shooting street scenes inconspicuously; I remove the camera from my face and I shoot at chest level pretending that I am playing with the settings.  Since I am not looking at my subject, I can’t be sure what is in focus and what will be blurry.  So, the smaller the aperture (the bigger the number on the camera) creates a greater depth of field, which increases the chances my photo will not be a huge blur.

M: is for Manual

Manual mode is my favourite setting but, unfortunately, requires the most work.  This means you are in complete control of what is coming in through the lens.  You are going to have to adjust both of the previous variables.  I tend to use this setting when I have enough time to compose the shot and the lighting is not likely to change.  If you are shooting a wedding on a partially cloudy day and the clouds are constantly changing your natural light (this is as close to photographer’s hell as I can possibly think of), you will be forced to carry a light meter or be able to predict which settings will lead to the most eye-catching photograph (which is really the ideal way to capture images).

Secondly, you have to be comfortable with adjusting your ISO.  Your ISO, in both film and digital mediums, adjusts the sensitivity to the amount of light being presented to your camera.  You cannot just leave it on whatever setting it was on when you bought it.  When I first started taking pictures, I was working with a film camera and always bought 800 ISO film.  I never understood why my photos captured those night scenes better than everyone else’s but my pictures always seemed to be grainiest.  When you are outside in bright daylight, you want to keep your ISO levels between 100 and 200 (anything higher is too much for outdoor sunlight and you risk washing out your picture).  For lower light situations you probably don’t want to drop below 400 and avoid going over 1000.  Once over 1000, on most entry level and some prosumer models your pictures will start to get pixelated, also known as noise.

Third thing: it is essential you free yourself of the auto-focus on your lens(es).  Most lenses auto-focus work quickly and well however, you are an aspiring artist and want to perfect your craft.  While your hand should be used to the zooming in and zooming out, your fine motor skills often need to go into overdrive for the minor adjustments needed for perfect focus.  There are many times when the autofocus does not zoom in on the area thatyou wish to highlight.  The last thing you want is to have a shot lined up only to be delayed or ruined as the camera tries to guess what you want to shoot.  Go on.  Move the button-thing to MF.  I dare you.

Finally, a great first step towards mastering your craft is being able to adjust the white balance.  Your camera is smart, but only to a certain point.  Like a clueless guy trying to figure out how he angered his girlfriend and how to fix it, your camera can be quite clueless and will not be able to figure out the light as you see it.  Neon lights have a different temperature from regular light bulbs.  Daylight at 8am has a different temperature than at noon and again at 6pm.  Each one of these lights will photograph differently and will have an impact of the outcome on your photo; that’s the reason when taking a picture of a candle you will get a soft yellowish glow.  Remember that in order to change the white balance on your camera, you usually have to be in manual mode, otherwise your camera takes on the decision making for you.

Hopefully, you are looking at continuing growth as a photographer and these Fuel Your Photography tips point you in the right direction.  One thing is for sure, your camera thanks you.  From what it tells me, a new found respect, love, and admiration are currently being nurtured and encouraged.  Your camera appreciates you pulling your weight and making use of all the buttons and features available to you; they hate it when they don’t live up to your potential.