outdoor photography

Snowy Egret Yesterday when I was at Jetty Park I came across a Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret walking along the dark rocks that lined the inlet.  And the photos made me decide to do a post about exposure compensation.  How you set your exposure compensation depends in part on the metering method you use. Here are two of the more common metering methods for shooting wildlife: Spot Metering: This metering method acquires exposure values from the center "spot" of the frame.  In this method, you can put your subject in the center and adjust your exposure to make sure your subject is exposed properly.This is a good way to work, but I don't normally use it, since it's often hard to keep my subject in the center of the frame. Matrix/Evaluative Metering:  This metering method acquires exposure values from throughout the frame.  To use exposure compensation, you have to make judgments about the whole scene and adjust accordingly.  It is therefore somewha...

Guitarist Michael Raitzyk If you haven't already gathered from my other posts on the three exposure elements : aperture , shutter speed and ISO , photography is an art of compromise.  You can't always get what you want most without giving up something you want less.  This is a dance we all must learn.  Let me explain the need for compromise with a couple examples. Bright Light Situations. Suppose you want to get that nice, silky effect on a waterfall on a bright, sunny day mid-afternoon.  The sun is shining directly on the the falls, and it looks so pretty you have to get the picture.  Here's the problem.  On a bright, sunny day, there's so much light that can be impossible to make your ISO slow enough and your aperture small enough to get your shutter speed in the 2-3 sec. range.  If, on top of that you want a narrow depth of field (large aperture), well, you may as well ask for the moon. This situation forces a compromise--the best solution...

Aperture Priority Mode gives you the most control over your depth of field Now that we have the basic concepts concerning  exposure , balancing exposure and exposure compensation in our heads, we need to look a little more closely at how these concept translate into the mechanics of taking a picture.  We need to consider the "shooting modes" or "exposure modes" on your camera that you can use get the image you want.  On your digital SLR, you'll notice a dial near the top, and among other things, you'll see a series of letters.  On a Canon, those letters will be P  Tv  Av  M On a Nikon or Sony, they will be: P  S  A  M These are all shooting or exposure modes that you can use.  In the grand scheme of things, it makes no difference which one you choose.  As long as you get the  shutter speed ,  aperture , and  ISO  you want, the shooting mode has accomplished its purpose. But some modes are mor...

Trees at Sunrise As we discussed in a previous post on exposure, you have proper exposure for your photograph when you have set your three   exposure  factors ( shutter speed , aperture , and ISO ) to give you the results you want--that is, you've let in just the right amount of light to give you the image you were hoping to capture.  But that's just the beginning of the creative process in photography.  You can change the balance of these factors to allow you to take control of the look of your photographs.  Let's review a little of what I mean by this: You can use a slow shutter speed to create a pleasing motion blur--such as the silky effect on a waterfall .   You can use a fast shutter speed to freeze motion, like a kayaker on rapids .   You can use a large aperture (small f/stop) to create photographs with a shallow depth of field , like a butterfly with a blurry background. You can use a small aperture (large f/stop) to to cre...

Aperture is the adjustable size of the opening in your lens that allows light to be recorded on your camera's sensor.  The aperture can be set larger or smaller depending on your needs.  The larger the aperture, the more quickly light is recorded on the sensor, allowing you to shoot with faster shutter speeds .  The smaller the aperture, the less quickly light is recorded on the sensor, requiring you to shoot with slower shutter speeds.  Cameras measure aperture by a number called an f/stop.  And unfortunately, here's where common sense comes to a screeching halt.   The way f/stops are calculated, the larger the aperture, the smaller the f/stop number.  So f/4 is a larger aperture than f/8. And to make matters worse, doubling the f/stop number decreases the exposure by 2 stops  (1/4) instead of by 1 stop (1/2).  It's good to be familiar with the following sequence of numbers.  As you move from left to right in this sequence, you are dec...