Category: Camera Controls
Back Button Focus
Today I would like to introduce you to a change you should make in your focus controls. This is a change you probably don’t think you need. Even after I tell you about it, you might not think it terribly useful. But it is. People I have taught have consistently pointed to this change as… Continue reading Back Button Focus
Applying Focus Techniques
In a prior article, I showed you the mechanics of focus and how to go about using it in your outdoor photography. In this video, I walk through some pictures to show you how I put those techniques to work in my own photos. Hopefully this gives you some ideas on where to focus in your… Continue reading Applying Focus Techniques
Nailing the Focus in Outdoor Photography
A guide to focusing properly – and boiling it all down to 3 simple rules to help you while you are shooting. Many photographers have it really easy when it comes to focus. Consider the portrait photographer. Do you know what the rule is for where to set your focus in portrait photography? On the… Continue reading Nailing the Focus in Outdoor Photography
Simplify Your Camera
If you haven’t yet taken the plunge into mastering your camera, you might be surprised at how the process actually simplifies things for you. Doing so, actually makes certain controls irrelevant so you can completely disregard them. Others you will set once and forget about them. In addition, once you understand your camera a little… Continue reading Simplify Your Camera
Autofocus Modes
What kind of name is AI Servo? When you look at the autofocus modes on your camera – if you use Canon – that will be one of the modes. It is a ridiculous name. I’m complaining about this name for a reason. And that is that understanding and choosing an auto-focus mode could be… Continue reading Autofocus Modes
Raw vs. JPEG: The End of the Debate
If you have been around photography for longer than 20 minutes you have no doubt been exposed to “Raw vs. JPEG” discussions. The issue is which format to use for your digital photos. We’ll start with JPEG, which is a universal file format used by nearly all cameras and computers. Digital cameras adopted this format and… Continue reading Raw vs. JPEG: The End of the Debate
Get Proper Exposure by Understanding Camera Metering
We photographers spend a lot of time worrying about exposure settings. Virtually anything you read will stress shooting in a manual mode so that you can control the exposure. But underpinning this is an assumption that we know, or that our camera knows, the proper exposure level in the first place. In other words, we… Continue reading Get Proper Exposure by Understanding Camera Metering
Understanding Focal Length
The world of photography has a measurement to tell you how “zoomed in” or “zoomed out” you are. It is called “focal lengths” and today I’m going to explain the scale and show you how it works. Why should you take the time to understand this? There are a couple of reasons: it will help you… Continue reading Understanding Focal Length
Understanding Camera Modes
Here we will quickly go through the modes on the mode dial on your camera. We’ll talk about them in the order of least control to most control by the photographer. Auto Mode: This mode is known among snooty photographers as “Idiot Mode.” When you use this mode, you essentially turn your camera into a point… Continue reading Understanding Camera Modes
Mastering Your Camera’s Exposure Controls (Video)
As you may have seen, there are a lot of articles here on the exposure process. I start with an article on the exposure process generally, and then get into the specifics of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. There is even an article with some specific scenarios to walk through using these exposure controls. In… Continue reading Mastering Your Camera’s Exposure Controls (Video)