Posts Tagged ‘Camera settings’

Reasonably often in these articles I suggest taking your photos using RAW image format, especially when discussing editing of photos. The same advice is given in many other articles and discussion fora across the web - if you're serious about photography, then you should probably be shooting RAW, not JPEG.

However, like all guidelines in photography, RAW format is not always the best choice. Depending on your photography style and workflow, JPEG format may actually be more suitable than RAW. In this article, then, we'll look at the various benefits of shooting straight JPEGs and avoiding RAW altogether.

You might think that using an ND filter is simple - just attach it to the end of your camera's lens, right? Well, in actual use there is more to it than that, especially with stronger neutral density filters. In this article (and the next one) we'll look at some tips on using ND filters to get the results you want.

In this article I want to look at ten simple tips you can use to start improving your photography today. You don't need to wait for nice weather, you don't need any expensive equipment. You can start putting these tips into practice right now. So let's get to it!

Although most professional photographers use interchangeable lens cameras, many also carry a compact camera with them. Why would they do this if they already have a much more expensive, and presumably better camera?

When you understand how to use your camera, you can get professional results whether with a compact camera or a DSLR. Sure, there are some shots that would be very difficult to get with a compact, and easy with a DSLR, but there are also some shots that are easier to get with a compact.

IMG_0340 by Ole1981 on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA) - compact cameras are small and quiet making them great for street photography

The camera can be a limiting factor, but with a bit of work you can turn out excellent shots from a compact camera (or even a phone camera).

Program mode is available on most digital cameras, and is often indicated by a 'P' symbol. It is a mostly automatic shooting mode, but allows more control over the camera's functions than fully automatic or simple modes.

Exposure in photography refers to how bright or dark an image is. An under-exposed photo is one that is dark, while an over-exposed photo is one that is bright.

Most people tend to use an auto exposure mode on the camera, where the camera works out the exposure for us. For example, the Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program, Intelligent, and Scene modes. But even if you rely on an auto exposure mode, it is still helpful to have a good grounding in how exposure works, and how the different exposure settings work together.

Got a new camera and wondering how all those different camera settings should be set for the best results? The good news is that just about all modern cameras will work resonably well with the settings set as they are straight out of the box. However, to really get the most from your camera, there are a few settings you should pay attention to.

In this article I'll cover the different settings for getting the best results. The settings available and setting locations in your camera's menu will vary between camera models, if you're not sure how to change a setting, check your camera's manual, or do a quick google search with the setting you want to change and your camera's model name.

Aperture is one of 3 settings, along with shutter speed and ISO, that can be used to affect the brightness (exposure) of an image. It also affects how much of the image is in focus (DoF), and how out of focus areas appear (bokeh). This article covers how the aperture setting affects exposure, DoF and bokeh, and what aperture settings to use for certain effects.