What Do All These Camera Modes Mean?

What Do All These Camera Modes Mean?
New eBook on How to do a Documentary Photography Project
Using Car Reflections for Unique Abstract Photography (Video)
This Stunning Time-Lapse of New York City is a Must-Watch (Video)

Posted: 01 Oct 2013 06:48 PM PDT

The mode dial on a modern camera usually includes a bewildering number of letters and icons. I can never remember what 90% of those modes do, and even if I did, I don’t remember to set that mode when the opportunity presents itself. But you can get by using just 3 of the modes, even 2 if you are desperate. Here are some clues to know when to use which mode.

“Set Sail With Me” captured by Thomas Hawk (Click Image to See More From Thomas Hawk)

The Program mode. This is the mode that I shoot in most of the time. The camera does the exposure and the focus. You can however set the exposure compensation, which is the only control (other than the flash) you need most of the time for snapshots. The nice thing about this mode is, it is completely automatic, but you have control over the flash, which is what you need for your snapshots.

The Automatic mode. This is what most people set when they look at a camera for the first time. The problem with this mode is that the camera will invariably choose the wrong moment to turn on the flash, usually ruining your planned picture. Really, just use mode P, and turn on the flash when you want it.

The Shutter Priority mode. Here, you can set a shutter speed and the camera will set the correct aperture for the light conditions. If you need to capture a speedy subject, choose a high shutter speed. If you want to blur the motion, choose a lower shutter speed. You can also play around with longer shutter speeds like 1-5 seconds to get nice some effects on water fountains or similar things.

The Aperture Priority mode. Here, you set the aperture and the camera chooses the correct shutter speed. It is useful for mainly two things. First is the ability to choose the depth of field, set a wide aperture for shallow depth of field and a narrow aperture for larger depth of field. Secondly, the image quality with almost all lenses are better when “stopped down”, i.e. not at maximum aperture, but a couple of stops below.

“Bokeh” captured by fady (Click Image to See More From fady)

The Manual mode. Here, you set both the shutter speed and the aperture. The camera does not adjust for the correct exposure in this mode. If you set unsuitable values and the exposure is all wrong, tough luck. This mode is useful in order to keep the exposure constant, when taking a couple of images to stitch together a panorama or something. I almost never use it.

The rest?

Well, there are many other modes, but like I said at the beginning, I could never learn them. But here is how you can cheat, and use one of the modes I mentioned above:

Portrait mode. Here, you want to have the background blurred and out of focus so that the whole picture is focused on your subject. You need shallow depth of field, so you need to use mode A, and set the maximum aperture (lowest f-number).

Landscape mode. Here, you want to have pretty much the whole picture in focus, everything. So, you need a wide depth of field, simply set mode A, and choose a lower aperture (low f-number). It is a good idea not to go with the lowest one, because diffraction decreases image quality, go with 1/3 from the bottom (f11-f16?).

“St. Andrews’ Pier” captured by Ryck Valli (Click Image to See More From Ryck Valli)

Sports mode. Here, we want to freeze the subject motion. In order to do that, we need a high shutter speed, set mode S and try to guess a suitable shutter speed. Take a few test shots to see if your chosen shutter speed can “freeze” the motion. If not, choose a higher one. On the other hand, if you want to blur motion, you should choose lower shutter speeds.

About the Author:
Written by Can San who previously wrote for notesonphotography dot com, which has now been closed.

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

New eBook on How to do a Documentary Photography Project

Posted: 01 Oct 2013 05:05 PM PDT

Have you ever thought about doing your own documentary photography project? Maybe you have or maybe you’ve never even thought of the possibility. While it’s true that documentary photography books are not widespread and well-known, this is one reason that pursuing it can be exciting and successful. It’s not yet a fully tapped genre of photography and therefore leaves a lot of room for new projects. If this concept excites you, consider checking out the new ebook Lobster Island: How We Did It. This guide to documentary photography takes you behind-the-scenes of photographer couple Lauren and Rob Lim’s own project in a step-by-step process (launch sale on now):

New: How a Documentary Photography Project was Completed (Click to Learn More)

The goal of Lauren and Rob’s book is not necessarily to help you make a monumental declaration in terms of life and the world we live in, but to simply document and share a specific experience with others in an engaging way. The book aims to help you get the most out of your experience and be able to share it with others also.

Elements the Book Covers (103 Pages):

Planning – This includes planning out your concept, preparing the things you’ll need for your documentary project, and getting ready for day-to-day shooting.

Creating and Choosing Photos – There are tips throughout the book that can guide you on capturing those key moments for your project and a section that goes over choosing the right photographs for your book.

Shooting Video – This book has a section dedicated to shooting video in addition to stills.

Layout and Printing – Design and technical printing details are discussed for when you’ve finished all of your shooting.

Promotion – From business cards to creating a website, this book will give you tips on promotional tools you can use to let the world know your book is available.

Final Details – This includes things like your book cover, dealing with limitations, pricing your book, and what to do after you’ve finished your book.

Pages from eBook (Click to See More)

“Pursuing a documentary project can help both your art and your business.”

“Best of all, pursuing this kind of work gets you out into the world, meeting new people, and learning new things – all with your camera in hand!”

How to Get a Discounted Copy This Week:

It is currently 40% off until the end of the week for the launch sale. It also carries a 60 day guarantee, if you are not satisfied with any part of the book just let them know and they will give you a full refund so there is no risk in trying it.

Now available here: How We Did It – Lobster Island Documentary Photography Project

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Using Car Reflections for Unique Abstract Photography (Video)

Posted: 01 Oct 2013 03:01 PM PDT

Photography and advertising have gone hand-in-hand for most of their mutual lives, but with the modern proliferation and prominence of social media outlets, companies are having to radically change the way they present themselves to the world. It’s not enough anymore to have a recognizable logo or a catchy jingle; a brand has to be a fully-formed personality, complete with interests, passions, and a Twitter account. The following short film, produced by Toyota Canada, exemplifies this multi-media approach that has started to surge in popularity:

In this video, Toyota aligns themselves with Peter Clark, an architect and photographer from Montreal, Quebec. Through it, you can begin to see the parallels between the automobile and photography industries – they began to develop around the same time, in response to the rapid industrialization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

They are both dominated by German and, in this case, Japanese design and manufacturing. Even the products are similar; both were created as tough, manually-controlled machines for primarily utilitarian purposes, and have now morphed into sleek, desirable lifestyle products that help us to define ourselves as individuals. This is a lesson not only in photography, and not only in marketing, but in storytelling as a whole. Between Clark’s narration and the carefully chosen imagery that visually likens Toyota’s vehicles to high art and classical architecture, our understanding of their brand becomes much more three-dimensional.

abstract photography

In this video, Clark appears to be using an older Nikon camera (another Japanese brand with a reputation for high-quality, consumer-friendly products). The model is most likely a D80 with an 18-135mm lens. The reflective technique Clark uses is simple to execute, and can be done in almost any weather with almost any lens.

If you’re interested in attempting these types of pictures, I recommend underexposing by a half-stop or so, especially if it’s a sunny day – this will keep your highlights from blowing out and will make the colours pop. Don’t use a polarizing filter, as they are designed to remove reflections entirely. And unless you’re getting paid by Toyota, you should probably frame your shot tight enough that neither your viewer nor a copyright lawyer will recognize the car.

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

This Stunning Time-Lapse of New York City is a Must-Watch (Video)

Posted: 01 Oct 2013 12:14 PM PDT

New York City isn’t what it used to be. Soldiers with M-16s stand guard at Grand Central Station, walking through Times Square feels like you’re on line for something at Disney World, and the misfits have been driven out of the Village, replaced by European tourists and artisinal rice pudding shops. And, of course, the absence of two buildings from the skyline is still all too apparent. One thing that doesn’t change about New York, though, is its energy, which is on full display in this amazing time-lapse “mixtape” put together by production company Seventh Movement:

Seventh Movement is really just two guys—Thom McCallum and Vin Guglielmina—and this video is a testament to their creativity with the format. It’s made up of 321 different time-lapses, photographed over a two week period with eight different cameras: six Canon 5DIIIs and two Red Epics. For lenses, they stuck mostly with a 17mm Canon tilt shift, an 8-15mm Canon fisheye, and a 15mm Zeiss.

time lapse photography new york city One thing that Seventh Movement really nailed here is the frenetic pace and motion of daily life in the different boroughs of New York. Even with stationary cameras—a requirement of time-lapse—the city appears as a living, breathing, organism. Cars flow through the streets as if they were Manhattan’s bloodstream, and the lights of the buildings pulse in slow, deliberate breaths. But they’ve added another element of motion by adding a pan effect across some scenes. This was accomplished by using the fisheye lens to record ultra-wide shots, and then running the shots through an application called Panolapse. The software flattens the circular image to remove the fisheye effect, and then adds pans and tilts across the resulting frames. The results are breathtaking.