This will be the first in a series of blog posts entitled, "Taking Control of Your Photos". Framing your image can only be done by you. Choosing the right angle, distance, time of day and camera settings are all variables that are controlled by you, the photographer. Yet, there are many other aspects that make up a photo that your camera decides based on software and computations that are done without your knowledge that also can have a huge impact on the look, feel and overall tone of your photo. I am going to tell you how to take control of those parameters so you can decide what your photo will look like without the camera dictating that to you.
The topics I am going to cover over the next few posts are as follows:
- Shutter Speed / Focal Length Rule of Thumb
- Setting Proper White Balance
- Why you shouldn't shoot in Programmed Auto
- Shooting in Aperture Priority
- Shooting in Shutter Priority
- Advantages/Disadvantages of shooting in Aperture or Shutter Priority
- RAW vs JPG
- More To Follow
I am going to make the assumption that if you are reading this, you realize what focal length is. If not, a lens that is a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens for example, has a wide and a long end. The wide end would be 70mm and the long end is 200mm. Those numbers are the focal lengths. If you shoot a picture at 135mm, that, would be the focal length of that particular photo. The longer the focal length of a lens, the further "reach" it has to pull in a subject to you. A 600mm lens is VERY long and can see a flea on a dog from a mile away. A 12mm lens is on the opposite end of the spectrum is very wide.
There are three key elements that make up each and every photo taken. Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. Each one plays off of the other two and always need to be in sync to capture a sharp, well exposed, clean photo. Right now, I'm going to concentrate on Shutter Speed since I'm going to explain the rule of thumb to follow using the relationship between shutter speed and focal length.
Shutter Speed is the length of time that the shutter inside the camera is "exposing" the film or in today's world, the digital imaging sensor to the subject. On your camera, the shutter speed is shown most of the time as a fraction, i.e. 1/500, 1/250, 1/8, 1/4 and so on. This can also be a whole number such as 1", 5" or 8". A shutter speed of 1/2000 is VERY fast, whereas a speed of 1/2 is extremely slow. 1/500 reads as one five hundredths of a second. 1/2 reads as half a second. In the photography world, 1/2 second is an eternity. 1" second is even longer. So much can happen in half a second to make the photo that you think you have framed correctly and planned out completely turn into a blur.
Here is where the rule of thumb comes into play.
Now, this rule of thumb only works when you are shooting without a flash and without a tripod. This is for shooting handheld. The rule of thumb states that your shutter speed should be equal to or faster than your focal length. First, frame your photo. Take a look at your lens and see what focal length you are shooting at. Lets say you are shooting at 125mm. Turn that focal length into a fraction by placing a 1/ in front of it. 125mm becomes 1/125. This means your shutter speed needs to be equal to or faster than 1/125 of a second to eliminate blur in your photo from camera shake. The longer a lens, the more susceptible it becomes to camera shake. Hand-holding a 500mm can be done, though the rule of thumb states that your shutter speed needs to be at least 1/500 of a second or better. 1/1000 would be acceptable and 1/1500 would be even better and so on because they are faster speeds. Less can go wrong in a shorter amount of time.
500mm focal length, 1/1000 of a second. Nice and sharp. |
200mm focal length, 1/80 of a second. Too Slow. |
A 50mm lens is considered a normal focal length. It's not wide, but also not long either. It's normal. 50mm becomes 1/50 of a second. A shutter speed of 1/50 or faster is required to gain a sharp shot. 1/60, 1/100, 1/200 are all faster and would be acceptable. 1/40, 1/15 or 1/10 are slower and shooting at these speeds will risk a blurry photo being captured.
In my next post, I will address what to do when your shutter speed is too slow for a given focal length and what advantages shooting in a different mode will give you.
This all is about taking control of an image and making it yours. Anyone can point the camera at a subject and press the shutter release. Knowing how to capture the absolute best image given current conditions and setting up a shot properly is key to becoming a great photographer. Keep shooting, keep practicing and remember the fundamentals of what makes a great photo.