{"id":15565,"date":"2017-04-14T09:33:05","date_gmt":"2017-04-14T14:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/?p=15565"},"modified":"2017-04-13T12:25:43","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T17:25:43","slug":"photo-tips-get-to-know-your-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/2017\/04\/14\/photo-tips-get-to-know-your-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Tips -Get To Know Your Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"untitled-8915\"<\/p>\n

Would you like to get your camera off the automatic settings and take control of your camera? \u00a0I am going to teach you about the different features that are available on most DSLR cameras (digital single-lens reflex) in this post and then I will do a more detailed post on some of the most important components of manual photography. \u00a0The first step is to go to the dial on the top of your camera and turn the dial to “M” and away from the “Auto” or the green box option.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Digital cameras are mini computers and you have probably heard the term, the computer is only as smart as the operator, well the same holds true for cameras. \u00a0The comment has been said to me, “What type of camera do you have to shoot those photos?” \u00a0We would never say this to a musician, “What kind of guitar do you have to create music like that?” \u00a0The photos we create with our cameras are like music to a musician. \u00a0As the photographer you have decided on the composition and the settings for that photo, the camera did not do that for you! \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are many factors that control what the finished photo will look like when you switch your camera from automatic to manual (M on the dial on your camera). \u00a0The three big ones are \u00a0f-stop, shutter speed and ISO. \u00a0This is where\u00a0the creativity begins!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

F-stop or Aperture<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

I am going to talk first about aperture or f-stop which is the size of the opening for your shutter and the f-stop refers to actual number related to the size. \u00a0So, the larger the number the smaller the opening and the smaller the number the larger the opening. \u00a0The opening that I am referring to is the size of the shutter opening which allows light into the camera. \u00a0The other term you may hear for aperture is depth of field.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Shutter Speed -Time<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

The shutter speed is a measurement of time and it is the amount of time that the shutter is open. \u00a0The numbers representing SS are fractions of a second.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

ISO – International Standards Organization<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

The ISO makes your camera more sensitive to light and the higher the ISO number the brighter the photo. \u00a0This number may be familiar to you from film days when we would buy different types of film. \u00a0The most common ones that I would buy when buying film was 100 or 200. \u00a0Just like with film, the higher the ISO value the more grainy the photos become. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

All three of these values work together to create the look you are trying to achieve in your photos. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"untitled-8905\"<\/p>\n

A few of the other important tools on your DSLR are:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Light Meter<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

In manual photography you get to use your light meter which is the little scale inside your viewfinder that tells you when you have a correctly exposed photo. \u00a0Digital cameras want to make everything gray or neutral so your light meter is a handy tool to help you get the correct setting. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Auto Focus(AF) vs Manual Focus(M)<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Manual focus sometimes gets confused with manual photography and they are two different things. \u00a0When you flip your camera to manual settings you are still on automatic focus. \u00a0I mostly use automatic focus because I don’t want to miss the shot by fiddling with the focus ring on my lens to get the subject in focus. \u00a0If you would like to manually focus you will need to switch your camera to MF. \u00a0An example of when you might want to use MF is when you are trying to focus on something very small or specific in the frame.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"untitled-5442\"<\/p>\n

Exposure Compensation<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Exposure compensation is only used in the automatic setting. \u00a0In manual mode the photographer is the exposure compensator. \u00a0This button has a +\/- symbol on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"untitled-5440\"<\/p>\n

Meter Modes<\/h2>\n

There are 3 different meter modes in digital cameras where your camera automatically measures the reflected light and determines the optimal exposure. \u00a0The three most common modes are matrix (Nikon) or evaluative (Canon), center-weighted or spot metering. \u00a0The best one to start on is the matrix\/evaluative meter mode as it takes a general reading of the light in the viewfinder. \u00a0On my camera the meter button is beside the Exposure Compensation button. \u00a0(please refer to photo above)<\/p>\n

A or AV\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Your camera dial will have an A or AV depending on your brand of camera. \u00a0I shoot with Nikon so I have an A on my dial. \u00a0This setting is where you choose the f-stop you want and the camera will choose the shutter speed \u00a0– 50% manual.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

S or TV\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Your camera dial will have an S or TV depending on your brand of camera. \u00a0Nikon has S. \u00a0When you are in this setting you choose the shutter speed and the camera chooses the f-stop – 50% manual. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These 50% manual modes are a great place to start if you have never tried fully manual photography. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

White Balance(WB)<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Adjusting the White Balance in your camera is important to take control of the colour of the light in your photos. \u00a0Different light sources create different casts on your photos. \u00a0Fluorescent light is very blue light whereas incandescent bulbs cast a yellow light. \u00a0It is always nice to get the white balance correct in the camera and cuts down on the amount of editing that has to be done once we get them to the computer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"untitled-5441.jpg\"<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Some of these terms may be familiar to you and you may know how to change them. \u00a0If you are unsure of how to change the settings or where to find these functions in your camera please refer to your owner’s manual that came with your camera. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Please stay tuned for more detail on some of these functions and how to get started in Manual Photography.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

\"sig_beth\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Would you like to get your camera off the automatic settings and take control of your camera? \u00a0I am going to teach you about the different features that are available on most DSLR cameras (digital single-lens reflex) in this post and then I will do a more detailed post on some of the most important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107021403,"featured_media":15585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[436,117068],"tags":[5189587,56000,325242,723500084,16940],"class_list":["post-15565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-photography","category-photography-tips","tag-camera-settings","tag-creative-memories","tag-photo-tips","tag-photography","tag-scrapbooking"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6542.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6NsZA-433","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16487,"url":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/2017\/04\/21\/photo-tips-aperturef-stop\/","url_meta":{"origin":15565,"position":0},"title":"Photo Tips – Aperture\/F-Stop","author":"Beth Thomander","date":"April 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Ready to learn about aperture\/F-stop? I am going to share a few tips with you about how to get started setting your aperture. The first step is to decide what you are trying to achieve from the photo you want to take, blurred background, everything in focus, stop action, blurred\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Photography"","block_context":{"text":"Photography","link":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/category\/photography\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/untitled-6548.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56658,"url":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/2020\/12\/16\/5-must-know-tips-for-photo-taking-organization-cameras-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":15565,"position":1},"title":"5 Must-Know Tips for Photo Taking, Organization, Cameras & Video","author":"Creative Memories","date":"December 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's blog post is a real tip-tastic treat \u2014 we've got 5 must-know tips for snapping photos, taking photos on your cell phone and camera, tips for photo organization, tips for video (perfect for this virtual time we're living in!), as well as a Day-in-the-Life project that you're sure to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Photography"","block_context":{"text":"Photography","link":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/category\/photography\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cm_q2catalog14670.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19954,"url":"https:\/\/creativememories.com/apps/thepages\/2017\/06\/29\/photo-tips-isolight-sensitivity\/","url_meta":{"origin":15565,"position":2},"title":"Photo Tips – ISO\/Light Sensitivity","author":"Beth Thomander","date":"June 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 With today being National Camera Day---let's finish up with series of Getting To Know Your Camera. 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