When I first started taking an interest in photography, before I really understood all the different settings, I would use the different picture control options on my camera to help. They are extremely useful for beginners to help you understand what works best for different subject matters.
What are picture controls?
Picture controls are a variety of default settings used by the camera to get the best possible photos of your subject matter, they can be selected by using the mode dial on your camera. They can also be referred to as 'Scene Selection', and commonly feature, auto, program auto, manual, aperture, shutter speed, no flash, portraiture, landscape, macro, sport, sunset, and night, settings.
What's the difference between each one?
The different picture modes all have different settings tailored to the needs of each subject they're focusing on.
These 7 default picture controls are perfect for beginners...
Auto - With this mode selected the camera will choose all the settings for you meaning you don't really need to worry about anything and is perfect for your first time using a DSLR camera.
No Flash - This is basically the same as the Auto mode described above but the camera will never fire the flash in this setting. This can be appropriate for use at museums/wildlife parks where flash photography is sometimes prohibited.
Portrait - This option is perfect for taking photographs of people, the camera will choose the right settings to emphasize the subject by blurring away the background whilst still making sure to keep the subject sharp, and select the perfect settings to capture a soft skin tone.
Landscape - This mode is best for landscape photography, natural or urban, as it will shoot the entire range of scenery in sharp focus with vivid colours.
Macro - This is selected when shooting subjects up close to result in clear, sharp, detailed photos.
Sports/Action - Select this mode for sports photography as it will choose high shutter speeds for you to capture the movement of the players, it will also select the option of continuous shooting so that you can hold your finger down on the shutter so you won't miss any action from the game, it is best to use this mode in unison with good lighting conditions though to enable the use of high shutter speeds.
Sunset - This is used to capture sunsets as it will vividly express the redness of the scene during dusk or dawn.
Night - This can be used to shoot portraits at night time but also for landscape at night time, making sure that your flash isn't on, without losing the dark atmosphere of the surroudings.
Then once you've gain a bit more knowledge of your camera through experimenting with the modes above, these final 4 picture modes are useful to extend your knowledge further...
Program Auto - This adds a bit more creativity as it allows you to change a number of settings, such as the ISO speed, white balance, etc, but will still select the right exposure and aperture for you.
Aperture Priority - This setting allows you to control the aperture only, letting you experiment with different depths of field, whilst still doing everything else for you.
Shutter Speed - This is the same as above, only with shutter speed instead, allowing you to change the shutter speed but nothing else, the camera will do that for you.
Manual - This gives you complete control over all the settings within your camera, enabling you to have full creative experimentation within your photographs.
I hope this has helped you to shoot a vast range of subject matter in the best conditions possible. If your a begginer i hope that this will help you understand the reasoning behind each mode and help you to progress towards shooting in manual.
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment