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Experimenting with your digital camera settings.
By Steven Pike
Experimenting with the settings on your digital camera can lead to better photographs, but more importantly it can increase the enjoyment you receive from actually taking the pictures.
By adjusting the settings it is possible improve your images a great deal, or to create effects that add to the image.
Most modern digital cameras have the following listed features and it's not too difficult to access them, especially if you have the camera's user guide with you.
Automatic mode.
The camera automatically adjusts the settings required to take the picture. All the user needs to do is line the shot up, zoom in or out and hit the button. Most cameras will let you know, by way of a symbol on the LCD, if you need flash.
A great feature that lets you take good pictures without having to worry about the settings. It can be limiting, however, and sometimes leads to photos being under or overexposed.
Manual and Automatic focus.
The majority of digital cameras have automatic focus which works very well. Usually, pressing the shutter button half way down will engage auto focus, and then pressing further will take the shot.
Digital SLR cameras are likely to have a manual focussing ring, along with the SLR film cameras. There are now some digital cameras, the "point and shoot" variety; that have this feature also.
Manual focus is good when you have plenty of time to take the shot or are on old hand at photography and are accustomed to the manual focus. Some photographers state that manual focus is also quicker when used properly, but auto focus works very well, with the more modern cameras auto focus operating quick enough in most circumstances.
Aperture priority.
This enables you to select the aperture value and the camera will automatically select a shutter speed to suit.
So if you wanted to take a picture of a subject with the background blurred, then you would select a lower aperture value, eg 2.8 instead of 8. This would give a shallow depth of field, focussing on the subject, blurring the background. It would also increase the amount of light into the camera, so the shutter speed will be higher to compensate.
If you wanted something behind the subject to also be in focus, or at least identifiable, then depth of field is needed. A higher value aperture setting, like 8, would be selected and the camera would set a slower shutter speed to compensate for the reduced amount of light.
Clear as mud?
Experiment and you will soon get the hang of it.
Shutter priority.
Similar to aperture priority, but you select the shutter speed and the camera looks after the aperture.
Higher shutter speeds are useful for capturing moving subjects. They are also handy if you tend to move the camera when taking pictures. Blurriness tends to be reduced with the higher shutter speeds.
Bear in mind that, in selecting either aperture or shutter speed, you affect the exposure of the shot. If the picture is going to be badly under or overexposed with the setting you have chosen, the camera will let you know, usually by way of a beep, or the setting appearing in red on the LCD.
If it's its underexposed, then more light is needed, so you will have to either increase the aperture (which means select a LOWER value) thereby increasing the amount of light in, of decrease the shutter speed.
If the picture is overexposed then the amount of light needs to be reduced, so the aperture needs to be decreased (a HIGHER value aperture setting) or the shutter speed increased.
If your head hurts and your eyes are crossed, don't worry. You will see what I mean when you put it into practice.
Manual exposure.
Here we go again.
Using this setting, you set both the aperture vale and the shutter speed and the camera will decide on the exposure.
Once again, if you get the values wrong, the camera will let you know, with some displaying an exposure indicator, which will allow you to see whether the picture, with the values you have set, will be underexposed or overexposed or spot on.
Scene Mode.
You may find your camera equipped with a Scene Mode feature.
This allows you to select a scene, such as portrait, sports or night and the camera will select the correct settings for each mode.
White Balance Mode.
This allows you to adjust the white colour of the picture so that it more realistically reproduces the light at the time.
For example, under this setting, you will probably find headings such as daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, halogen and candlelight.
If you are taking a photo in any of the above conditions, then adjusting the white balance to the appropriate setting may produce a better overall picture. Experimentation is the key here.
ISO sensitivity.
Theoretically, the higher the ISO setting then the better results your camera will produce in low light situations.
Not all cameras allow this feature to be adjusted manually.
The big downside to this feature in digital cameras is the amount of noise produced by many cameras at the higher ISO settings. This is a problem because if your photograph has a lot of noise, then it will appear grainy and there will be loss of detail, especially in areas such as skies or oceans.
The higher quality digital SLR cameras produce less noise, but of course are much more expensive. There are software programs available that can reduce the amount of visible noise on a digital photograph, but this comes with a loss of picture quality, albeit minor.
There is really no way around the noise problem, with even the SLR's producing some noise. It's all to do with the sensor in the camera. Basically, a good quality sensor will produce less noise than a poor quality sensor.
Using the setting to your advantage.
Once you are comfortable with your settings, you can out them into practice and improve your photographs.
As already mentioned, depth of field is one area where results can be achieved by altering your settings.
In all areas of photography depth of field is important. If you were a nature photographer and wanted to take a photo of a bird on a fence post, then consider depth of field. A good photograph would show the bird filling the frame, perfectly in focus so all available detail of the bird was on show. The background should be blurred out so it does not detract from the subject. In this instance, a shallow depth of field would be the desired effect, A large aperture (LOW number setting) and a higher shutter speed to compensate, along with being as close to possible as the bird, would produce good results.
If Sports Photography was your thing and you wanted to capture an athlete in full flight then you would be looking at a high shutter speed to capture the athlete in a specific moment in time without blurring. You could be following the athlete's progress with the camera when you take the shot, which will produce "in motion" effect.
Sometimes, deliberately altering the settings can produce great images.
If you wanted an image of flowing water and were looking for something a bit different, try taking the photo in night mode. Using a slow shutter speed and exposing the sensor to more light, will give the water a misty effect, which can look great, especially if taken at sunrise or sunset.
There are many other ways of manipulating your settings to produce great photos. Practice is the key and don't be afraid to experiment. One of the great things about digital cameras is that the photographed can be previewed immediately. If it didn't turn out as planned, delete it and try again.
Modern digital cameras are equipped with many more settings and features than listed here. I think though, if you can understand and master aperture, shutter speed and exposure, you can't go far wrong.
About the Author
Steven Pike spends all of his spare time visiting country areas of his home State, South Australia, taking photographs. His interest in nature extends into the areas of camping and fishing, but his focus is on the magnificence of nature. He hopes to portray some of this beauty in his photographs and encourage people to view their surrounds in a different light.
http://smp.photostockplus.com
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