About two years ago, I decided it was time to use my SLR for all its worth. I was the mom running around with a great camera and no idea how to use it past AUTO. Use these tips to help you move away from auto and snap professional photos of your children, grandchildren, or pets.
Photographing motion certainly takes a little thought beforehand.
The rule of thumb is that for:
- clear, crisp, caught-in-the-air motion, you need quick, high numbered shutter speeds.
- blurred, motion-as-it’s-happening, you need slow, low numbered shutter speeds.
For this project, I wanted to have crisp images, so I selected the shutter speed 1/3200 sec. For me this is more or less trial and error, although there is an elaborate formula for finding the appropriate shutter speed.
When I’m taking sequence shots, I make sure that my camera is set to take multiple images instead of one. I also flipped my dial to TV- shutter priority mode. In this mode, I can set the shutter speed that I want to stay constant, and the camera automatically adjusts the aperture. You can see below that the shutter speeds remains at 1/320o sec, but the f-stop changes.
This especially helps in this situation, because the lighting changes as Milli runs down the ‘catwalk’.
f/2.2 1/3200 sec
f/ 2.5 1/3200 sec
f/2.5 1/3200 sec
f/2.0 1/3200 sec
f/1.8 1/3200 sec
Feel free to ask any questions about where to find these settings on your SLR in the comments below. Today’s your day to switch out of AUTO!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Well if she isn’t the spitting image of her daddy if he was a girl…
I need to find this on my camera. I’m slowly working my way out of auto!
-j
You would laugh if you saw baby photos of Adam. He had curly hair just like this.
That closeup is one of the most endearing portraits I’ve ever seen!
That’s a huge compliment! Thank you.
These are GORGEOUS, and I appreciate the tips! Even a good “non-SLR” digital camera has more settings than I use, so I need to work my way out of them!
Wow, these are fantastic. I always thought you were good, but from New Zealand days to now, you’ve really upped your game.
We’re about to invest in a camera, and don’t know much about them. Any advice for amateurs who want to grow some skill. So something intuitive and user friendly, but with a little edge so we can do some fancier stuff when we get more comfortable?
New Zealand…sigh. And thank you. It’s great that my studies are coming out in my photos.
Camera purchasing is not one of my areas of specialty. I have owned two Canon Rebels, and they have allowed me to be basic and exploratory as well.
Thanks! Good to know. Our friend is a semi professional photographer, she also just suggested Cannon, will look into it.
Susan, the Rebels that Courtney uses and the Nikon D3000 that I use are all great beginner SLR cameras. They have all the functions of SLR’s without some of the crazy things, like I know mine doesn’t control wireless flashes without an attached flash. (Not sure about the Rebels, I only know Nikons well.)
I know my D3000 (new version is the D3100) has been a great beginner’s camera, which is what it’s really for. I’ll be adding a D90 body soon as an intermediate step between a hobbyist/amateur camera and a pro-SLR. At the very least, I recommend going either Nikon or Cannon for the long haul so you can invest in some good glass and not worry about switching.
Either way, always remember it’s the photographer who determines how good the photograph is, not the camera.
Thanks!!! I appreciate the advice, and the reminder it’s about me, not the camera
Great shots, Milli is such a cutie! I bought my first SLR last summer and am gradually getting to understand the various functions. Any chance you would make the photo tips a regular thing? I’ve found this post really useful.
These are great! I have an *eye* for photography and how I want things to look, but to grasp the technical side of shooting has been very difficult for me. I just keep it in auto!
Maybe, if you do continue these tips, some of it may rub off on me!
Bernice
Yes, everyone needs to get out of auto!
You don’t even have to go full manual — shutter speed and aperture priority modes will do just about all you need. (I use manual and manipulate both. I am *still* working on understanding ISO…. Blah.)