what is iso? – THE LOVELY PHOTOG

photography-101-mastering-your-camera-settings-black

Welcome to the second installment of my new

Photography 101 Series: Understanding Your Camera Mode Settings!

This is basic beginner photography knowledge and tips that can help you on your photography journey—whether you are a blogger, photographer or hobbyist.

This series will be broken down in 3 parts and the first post can be found here of the breakdown of each subject in the series.

(Just In Case You Missed It: Part I: Understanding Exposure)

So lets begin…

Part II: Understanding Camera Mode Settings

Portrait
Landscape
Macro/Close-Up
Sport/Action
Night Scene
Movie Mode

Portrait Mode- This camera mode setting is best used when you want to focus on a single subject for a close up and personal portrait. A DSLR camera will generally choose a larger aperture (small f stop number), so that the focus will be more on the foreground or subject, than the background.

Landscape Mode-This camera mode setting is best used to capture wide open spaces for photographing nature, landscape and buildings. The camera will use a smaller aperture (large f stop number) to include as much of the foreground and background possible. This will also give you a large depth of field to help capture a wide scene of your landscape.

Macro/Close Up-This camera mode setting is best used when you want to photograph something (small or large) up close. It’s generally used to shoot flowers, insects, and other objects. The camera will give you a very narrow or small depth of field, and you may need to use your tripod in order to keep your focus on the object. The flash or a lot of natural light is beneficial when shooting in this mode, as it will help to increase the focus on your object.

Sport/Action-This camera mode setting is best used when photographing moving subjects. Best to use when photographing a game or children, this setting helps to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed.

Night Mode- This camera mode setting is best used for night or low light situations. The camera will use a slower shutter speed to capture more of the background settings and will also use a flash to get the foreground details. Using a tripod will also help in decreasing blur when in this mode. Blur can be used to your advantage if used in party settings, because the blurring of party lights or dance floors in the background, add a cool effect.

Movie Mode-This camera mode setting allows you to record video (picture and sound) and offers a variety of settings to do it in. 144240, 360, 640, 720, 1080 resolution settings are the most common settings depending on the type of camera you have.

Cameras come with a variety of camera mode settings. The other camera mode settings might include, Museum, Party/Indoor, Beach, Snow, Cloudy Etc . The key is to use the correct settings in the correct moment.

Tell Me…

What camera mode setting do you use the most?

Welcome to the first week of my new

Photography 101 Series: Mastering Your Camera Settings!

This is basic beginner photography knowledge and tips that can help you on your photography journey—whether you are a blogger, photographer or hobbyist.

This series will be broken down in 3 parts and the first post can be found here of the breakdown of each subject in the series.

So lets begin…

Part I: Understanding Exposure

ISO
Aperture
Shutter Speed

The three elements (exposure triangle), ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed help to make up the main components of exposure in your camera. Exposure meaning the amount of light measured in units that allows it to reach the electronic sensor in a digital camera.

What is ISO?

ISO measures how sensitive the camera is to light. In most cameras, ISO speeds are 100, 200, 400 and 800. These speeds can increase with the level of camera that you purchase (point and shoot vs dslr).

*Quick Tip- Lower ISO= Less Grain/Noise Higher ISO=More Grain/Noise

What is Aperture?

Aperture controls how much light enters the camera through the lens. Aperture allows you to be able to adjust the depth of field in a photo. Aperture is my favorite mode on my camera, because I love taking macro (up close) shots. Depth of field determines how much of the subject is in focus and how much the background will be blurred.

*Quick Tip- Shallow Depth of Field= f1.4-f5.6 ( More Light+ Blurred Background) Deep Depth of Field=f8-32 ( Less Light+ Background in Focus)

What is Shutter Speed?

Shutter Speed (exposure time) is how long the light entering through the lens (aperture) exposes the sensor. The shutter speed is very important, especially when shooting moving subjects. The shutter speed completely determines the motion blur or sharpness of the subject in your picture. Shutter speeds range from 1/30-1/4000 fractures of a second.

*Quick Tip–Slower Shutter Speed=Slows Motion (1/30 or slower) Faster Shutter Speed=Freezes Action (1/250 or more)

So that was a quick review of understanding exposure. I hope this gives you a better understanding of learning to use the light to your advantage in photography.

I’ve also found a great infographic with all of the important information for understanding exposure.

Exposure-Guide2 Filmmaker IQ Source: Filmmaker IQ