1.

Aperture Priority for controlling depth of field

The aperture is the opening in the lens, formed by a set of
diaphragm blades. By changing the aperture setting, these blades
can be made to open and close and consequently allow more or
less light to hit the camera sensor.
As well as its role in exposure, the choice of aperture also has an
affect on thedepth of field. There are many situations where youll
want precise control over the depth of field: when photographing
landscapes, for instance, youre likely to want as much depth of field
as possible to give the picture plenty of foreground-to-background
sharpness.
But when youre photographing a portrait youll want to reduce the
depth of field, in order to make the person youre photographing
stand out from the background.
To give you this flexibility, switch the camera to Aperture Priority
mode. This is indicated by Av or A on the cameras shooting mode
dial. Aperture Priority is a semi-automatic mode: you control the
aperture and the camera can do the rest.
Choose small apertures (represented by high f-numbers like f/11
and f/16) to increase the depth of field and select large apertures
(represented by low f-numbers like f/2.8 and f/4) to reduce the depth
of field.

2. Shutter Priority for photographing movement creatively

The shutter speed controls how long the camera sensor is exposed
to the light let in through the aperture in the lens. To maintain a
consistent exposure, the choice of shutter speed needs to be
balanced with the choice of aperture.
For example, if you move from a large aperture to a small aperture
in order to increase the depth of field, youll also reduce the amount
of light let in by the lens. If you want to maintain the same exposure,
you need a slower shutter speed so that the camera sensor is
exposed for longer.
Going for a larger aperture to blur the background? That lets more
light in, so youll need a faster shutter speed to expose the sensor
for a shorter time.
As well as playing a part in exposure, the choice of shutter speed
also affects how moving objects appear in a photo. Fast shutter
speeds allow you to freeze movement so that you can see details
you couldnt normally see with the naked eye. Slow shutter speeds
mean that moving objects will be rendered as a blur.
If capturing motion is the main focus of a picture such as stopping
the movement of a passing car or shooting creative long-exposure
landscapes then use Shutter Priority mode.
This is represented by Tv or S on the cameras mode dial. Like
Aperture Priority, this is a semi-automatic mode. You select the
shutter speed, and the camera sets the aperture.

3. Setting a camera shake-free shutter speed

One camera setting that its essential to get to grips with is the
minimum shutter speed for handheld photography. This is often
quoted as the lens focal length expressed as a shutter speed.
For example, you should be able to take sharp handheld photos
with a 200mm lens at 1/200sec and with a 28mm lens at 1/30sec
(the nearest available shutter speed).
If you take pictures at a shutter speed slower than this
recommended minimum, you risk camera shake and blurred
photos.
An image stabilized (IS) lens or camera body can help you get
sharper results at a shutter speed around 4 stops or Exposure
Values (EV) slower than recommended.
Each time the shutter speed is doubled or halved counts as one
stop. If that 200mm lens had IS, you could potentially get camera
shake-free results at 1/13sec (200sec > 100sec > 50sec > 25sec >
13sec = 4 stops).
The thing is, your mileage varies may vary when it comes to holding
a camera steady, and if youre a new photographer wed
recommend using a shutter speed that will guarantee you sharp
results, with IS there to help tighten things up.

4. ISO setting for low light photography

The ISO setting determines how sensitive the camera sensor is to
light. At lower settings, such as ISO 100 and 200, the camera is
less sensitive to light and needs more of it to record a picture.
At higher settings, such as ISO 3200 and 6400, the camera is more
sensitive to light and doesnt require as much to make an exposure.
When youre shooting in low light, you may not be able to select an
aperture large enough to let enough light into the lens, or set a
shutter speed thats fast enough to give you sharp pictures. This is
where a change of ISO comes in.
By choosing a higher ISO sensitivity, you can essentially amplify the
sensors signal. Each time the ISO doubles, youre amplifying the
signal by one stop/EV. So, increasing ISO 100 to ISO 200 is one
stop, as is increasing the sensitivity from ISO 800 to ISO 1600.
The best quality ISO settings are low ones. This is because when
the ISO amplifies the signal, it also increases any noise (the digital
equivalent of film grain).
Youll probably notice picture quality getting choppier from ISO 1600
and upwards, but, as the photography saying goes, its better to
have a sharp, noisy picture than no picture at all

5. Auto ISO setting for handheld photography

Rather than learning how to manually adjust the ISO setting, you
can leave it to your camera to do it for you. Select ISO and scroll to
the Auto ISO setting, and the camera will automatically adjust the
sensitivity according to the lighting conditions.
It assumes that youre handholding the camera rather than having it
fixed to a tripod, and will increase (and decrease) the ISO to ensure
that the shutter speed is fast enough to give you sharp pictures.
You can usually limit the ISO range that the camera can choose
from too, so you can be sure the maximum ISO available to the
camera wont be excessively high (along with the excessively high
noise this brings).

6. Setting the right metering mode

Broadly speaking, digital cameras have three different metering
mode settings: pattern, centre-weighted and spot metering.
A factory-fresh camera is set to pattern metering mode. Camera
manufacturers have different names for this mode for instance, its
called evaluative metering on Canon cameras and matrix metering
on Nikon cameras but the principle is the same. The camera
meter splits the entire image into multiple zones.
It then measures the brightness levels in each zone, compares the
results and suggests an exposure (a combination of aperture,
shutter speed and ISO, depending on what shooting mode youre
using).
Pattern metering is fast and generally reliable a great point and
shoot exposure mode. It can be fooled by large expanses of bright
or dark tone though, and usually benefits from some exposure
compensation.
Like multi-zone metering, centre-weighted metering measures the
brightness across the entire frame but, as the name suggests, it
gives priority to whats in the middle of the frame.
This makes it a good choice for portraits, particularly backlit ones. If
your subject isnt in the centre, than the exposure might not be
correct. It can be fairly easy to predict when centre-weighted
metering is going to get things wrong though, making it easier to
know when you need to make the exposure brighter or darker.

Spot metering offers the most precise way of metering as it

measures an area approximately the size of one of the AF points
you see in the viewfinder.
Wed recommend that new photographers avoid spot metering to
begin with though, as it only requires a micro-movement of the
camera position to completely throw the exposure off.

7. Improving the exposure with exposure compensation

If a photo looks too bright or too dark on the back of the camera
then you may need to use exposure compensation.
You can activate exposure compensation using your cameras
quick control screen or by pressing the button marked +/-.
Rotate the cameras control dial as you do so and youll see an
indicator move along the scale in the bottom of the viewfinder or
on the rear monitor.
If you move the indicator towards the + end of the scale,
subsequent pictures you take will appear brighter. And, as youd
expect, if the indicator is pushed towards the - end,
subsequent pictures will be darker.
Remember to reset the exposure compensation setting to zero
once youve finished taking the picture, so that you dont end up
with exposure problems with other photos!
How much exposure compensation do you need to apply to a
photo? Its a case of trial and error when youre new to
photography, but learning how to read a histogram makes it
much easier

8. Playback with histogram

You cant really judge the exposure of a photo by looking at it
on the back of a camera. A DSLRs LCD screen is often too
bright or too dark to give an accurate picture.
However, one of the most useful camera settings is the
playback option that allows you to view a brightness histogram
alongside the image.
The histogram enables you to see the brightness range of your
image as a graph, so you can immediately tell if a photo is
underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too bright), and if so,
to what extent. Youll be able to get a much better feel for how
much exposure compensation to apply (if any) than by looking
at the picture alone.

9. Picture quality: RAW vs JPEG

By default, a digital SLR has its Picture Quality set to JPEG
mode. JPEG is a universal format, allowing you to share photos
easily.
The problem is that JPEG is a compressed format, and some
picture information has to be lost in order to compress the file.
However, youll be hard-pressed to notice any real loss of
quality at the highest JPEG quality setting.
RAW files arent actually pictures at all, but rather a file
containing the raw information from the camera.
The image you see on the back of the camera is actually a
JPEG preview based on the shooting parameters set at the
time of shooting, and youll need to process the file yourself in
RAW conversion software before you can share the image as a
JPEG of TIFF.
The good news is that RAW files are uncompressed (or use
lossless compression) so they offer the best picture quality.
They also enable you to adjust the exposure and change the
image-processing settings used at the time of shooting, such as
the choice of white balance and Picture Style.

10. White balance manual presets

A digital cameras white balance control helps you get
accurate colours in different types of lighting. Most of the
time, leaving the white balance in Automatic mode will
produce well balanced pictures.
However, Auto White Balance can get things wrong: it may
leave pictures shot in natural light looking a little cool, and
pictures taken under artificial lighting with a strange colour
cast.
To correct this, use a white balance preset that best
matches the type of lighting youre shooting in. Shoot with
the camera in Live View mode and you even get a realtime
preview of the white balance preset, enabling you to adjust
it before you take the picture.
Alternatively, choose the RAW Picture Quality setting and
you can fine-tune the white balance when you process the
RAW file.

11. Manual autofocus point selection

If you leave it to your camera to decide where to focus, the
chances are itll lock onto the nearest thing to the lens or on an
area of high contrast (such as a brightly lit object in an area of
shadow).
The trouble is, this may not be where the main subject is in the
picture, leaving you with a nicely sharp foreground or
background and an out-of-focus subject!
You can tell the camera where you want it to focus by switching
the AF point selection mode to Manual rather than Automatic.
This enables you to choose either a single autofocus point in
the viewfinder or a small cluster of them.
Camera manufacturers have different ways of activating this
manual AF point selection mode (also known as AF-area
mode): in some cases theres a dedicated button that cycles
between automatic and manual modes, and in others theres a
switch.
Some beginner DSLRs lack both, and you have to select the
option on the cameras rear screen before you can manually
select an AF point.

12. How to choose the correct autofocus setting

Digital cameras have three autofocus settings: One-shot AF, AI
Servo AF and AI Focus AF.
One-shot AF (also known as Single-servo AF) stops the lens
from autofocusing once its locked onto an object. The focus
wont shift as long as you keep your finger half-pressed on the
shutter release, making it an excellent AF mode for static
subjects.
In AI Servo AF (aka Continuous-servo AF), the camera doesnt
lock the focus, but continually refocuses the lens. Naturally, this
is the mode to choose when youre photographing moving
subjects.
The third mode, AI Focus AF (or Auto-servo AF) automatically
switches from One-shot AF to AI Servo AF when it detects a
moving subject. However, theres a lot to be said for the peace
of mind that comes from manually setting the correct AF mode
according for the scene being photographed.

13. The best drive mode to begin with

Your camera is equipped with various drive modes, such as
single frame, silent and self-timer.
However, we suggest you stick the camera in continuous drive
mode. This will allow you to take bursts of shots for as long as
you keep the shutter release button pressed. With practice, its
easy enough to fire off a single frame with the camera in its
continuous drive setting if you need to.
Continuous drive makes a smart choice when shooting moving
subjects, allowing you to capture sequences of shots from
which you can select the best frame.
Shoot in short bursts rather than keeping your finger on the
shutter release all the time, otherwise the cameras buffer
the place where it stores images before transferring to the
memory card will fill up and the camera will slow down.