Fergus Noone

Some might ask why you would want or need to modify camera settings manually when the camera can do it for you ‘just fine.’ It is certainly possible to get a nice photo just snapping away in automatic mode, but more often than not what you’ll end up with is a snapshot rather than an expressive photograph. The most rewarding aspect of photography is certainly getting to grips with your equipment and utilizing its capabilities in a creative way. A lovely photo of course is in the eye of the beholder which is why the purpose of this article will be to lay out some of the most basic (and important) manual settings which can be found on most cameras.

The common manual modes found on DSLR cameras will be abbreviated as P for Program; A (or Av for Canon users) for Aperture priority; S (or Tv meaning Time value) for Shutter Speed priority, and M for full Manual. It is always worthwhile to experiment with these modes, but I will focus on guiding you through the full manual mode.

By setting your camera in fully manual, the option of controlling all three elements of an exposure; shutter speed, aperture and ISO (sensitivity) will become available to you . So what effect does shutter speed have on a photograph? Based on your shutter speed you may get motion blur or alternatively you may freeze an object in motion. You may also want to use a slower or faster shutter speed to let more or less light in. By and large, you’ll want to stick with a relatively fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur. Depending on the speed of your subject you may be able to freeze motion with a fast shutter speed of 1/400 or perhaps even a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/30. This image here of romantic Florence was taken at sunset with a slow shutter speed of two seconds in order to retain the natural warm pink colours in the sky. Moving on, aperture refers to the diameter of the hole through which light passes in your camera’s lens. The way aperture is measured may be a little confusing at first. The bigger the aperture (opening), the smaller the f-stop number that represents it. For example, f/2.8 is a common “wide-open” aperture whereas f/22 might be “closed-up.”

It also controls depth of field, so my photograph of the heart bouquet demonstrates a small aperture in order to get fine detail. Finally, the sole purpose of adjusting your camera’s ISO is to increase or decrease its sensitivity to light. Thus, a higher ISO number would be geared towards low light photography.

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Cuban car / Beach Pebbles

It is useful to know that light levels are generally lower when shooting close-up photography. In most cases, all close-up photographs are best achieved with a tripod so one can avoid camera shake. However, most digital cameras will have the latest technology to cope, so raising the ISO may help if a tripod is not on hand. Be on the look out for similar lines or shapes that are arranged in one place. The shot then can be composed creatively to create effective abstract studies of patterns. This photograph at top left was taken in Cuba and the embargo has meant that cars made in the 1940′s and 1950′s, mostly American models, have not been replaced and owners have had to do their utmost to preserve and restore them. I was keen to demonstrate the patterns made by the layers of striped paint on this old classic, yet with regard to arranging this shot, it was important for me to keep some of the car’s structure as it gives it a very graphic composition whilst restraining it from being too abstract.

Patterns are generally flat, so viewpoint is another element to consider as the position a photographer adopts will largely determine the success of a shot, so it may be worth observing from above or perhaps standing directly over the subject to reduce anything  else in the foreground as seen with the beach pebbles at the top right.

Different lens settings can be used to exaggerate pattern as well, with a close-up wide angle lens making destored shapes with receding depth. Whilst the telephoto setting will record shapes truthfully and produce an image that lacks in special depth.

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Natural daylight is variable in both brightness and colour. For example, during the early morning hours before the sun rises, colours tend to be very weak, yet atmospheric. On the other hand, evening colours as the sun sets are much warmer and quite vivid, and while midday sun is often the most neutral in colour, its limiting in that highlights are full of contrast and unflattering.

A digital camera will attempt to correct these differences with the white balance function, but it’s worth understanding how the light works for you and your images, and then experimenting. If it is too cold to go outdoors, using natural light indoors can produce sensitive, character-enhancing portraits. You can make a reflector from white card or even tin foil and then use it to bounce the natural light while your subject sits near a window. This will soften the depth of any shadows and create a more flattering result. Turn the flash off and keep a wide aperture of say f/4 to make the background blurred and bring your subject forward.

Shooting outside during the winter offers the thinking photographer a different set of technical issues to overcome after the summer months. When it snows, the images need to be overexposed to prevent muddy results, so remember to override what calculations the camera makes and open the aperture by one or two stops.

Winter light is uniquely atomospheric; the sun shines at low angles that create long shadows, so it’s worth rising early. Though the light will be drained of rich colour, it will pick out texture and detail that is equally satisfying. Weather forecasts are predicting snow storms for the coming months, so get out when it is snowing and remember your camera will see it as being brighter than middle greay and underexpose the image automatically. To fix this, overexpose the image by looking at your meter through the view finder.

Any queries, do leave a comment and we will aim to respond to any question you may have about your camera. If you are local to the London area, why not pop into our gallery in Blackheath to speak with Fergus or a member of staff and learn more by clicking on the link above to go on a Photography Tuition Workshop.

London Fireworks

This year, make the most of fireworks night by scouting a good, unique location. Whether in central London or surrounding boroughs, your images can have a striking composition if buildings are included to give the display a sense of scale. The first trick is to ensure you have a good sturdy tripod. No matter how steady your hand is, it will never be steady enough. Because it is essential to have a long exposure, your tripod is your greatest ally. A relatively low ISO of 200-400 will give you less noise and allow for a sharper image.

The next three elements that work hand in hand will be aperture, shutter speed and your light meter reading. If you try opening your aperture using an f/11 or f/16 and keeping the speed rather slow, say at half at half a second, or even longer (2-6 seconds) you will notice your fireworks show more movement. To catch the display and freeze the light, try closing the aperture a bit and setting the speed a bit slower.

The next trick would be to avoid auto focus, simply because auto focus will whirr the lens backwards and forwards in a demented fashion trying to find something to focus on in the black sky. Instead, set it to manual and then focus on something in the far distance, perhaps a building or something similar. The final trick when taking a reading for exposure is not to point the camera at the center of the light source; if you do, the shot risks being underexposed and the trails of light will be faint. Instead, experiment with a range of shutter speeds and, if possible, try to bracket the exposure.

Many thanks to Peter and Margaret Wallis for the opportunity to take this photograph from a stunning view point.