Welcome back to my Blog. In the previous three installments in this series on Camera settings, we discussed the many possibilities available to us by using the icons on the L E D screen or “back screen” as it is sometimes known. We discussed what many of the icons mean, and what the functions within do, and how they affect your Camera’s operation as well as the way they impact the images you take. I know that still leaves a huge question as to how one gets the icons to open up and reveal the workings within. The answer is the “Q” button!
By pressing the “Q” button, you reveal the many features within. By pressing the “set” button and using the scroll wheel (either surrounding the “set” button or immediately behind the Shutter button – depending on the model) you can see and choose the feature and/or function you wish to employ. Once you’ve made your choice, simply press the “Q” button again and begin to capture beautiful images.
Before I conclude, I’d like to go back to the first blog in this series on Camera settings. In discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using both Aperture Priority and/or Shutter Priority, I skipped over Manual Mode. Fully Manual is a setting many Photographers will disagree about; some saying it it the best way to shoot, while others saying it is best avoided. For the last few months I find myself using it more and more frequently so I might as well tell you why.
By choosing either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, you are taking control of two-thirds of your camera’s vital functions, but leaving the final third up to the camera. If I were to step outside right now, after the evening meal on a grey, overcast day, with my camera set to Aperture Priority, the shutter would choose to stay open long enough to let in an adequate amount of light to get a clear image. That would mean I need my Tripod, and it would also mean that my image might be brighter than I’d like. There are times when dark, moody shots are desired, and allowing the camera to have any control over any of the functions will result in the darkness being overexposed and too bright. By setting my ISO to 100, my Aperture to f-18, and my shutter speed to 1/100 sec, I can get that darkness, hand-held without a Tripod. By letting the camera choose the shutter speed, it might be reduced to 1/25 sec, thereby not only allowing camera shake to enter the equation, but the highlights will be overblown which I am trying to avoid with a closed aperture.
AFTER SHOOTING
After you’ve had a glorious day of Photographing images, it’s time to go home and review your work. As previously mentioned, it’s not wise to fill your memory card and leave the images there. There is an off chance that your card will fail and you’ll lose all your images, or your card will become filled and there will be no room for more images, thereby necessitating a new card. One other consideration is the size of your back screen. At three inches, (7.62 centimeters) it isn’t large enough to allow proper viewing. Imperfections and distractions in the image might not be as noticeable as they are on a larger screen. Even an iPad or Tablet is quite small for properly viewing images. The absolute minimum sized screen would be a Laptop, and many Photographers use a Desktop Computer with a large, high-resolution Monitor. Suddenly those imperfections become very clear and can be edited.
The most common procedure for storing and editing images is to remove the card from the camera and transfer the images to a Laptop or Desktop Computer. Laptops and many Desktops have a card slot, where the SD card can be inserted. Transfer the images to a folder using “cut and paste.” I find it makes life much easier to open a new folder with the date of the photo-shoot and save the images there. That way, when you go to edit or review, you can find the images easily. Since I shoot in RAW and Large JPEG, I have two copies of each image. I then create a sub-folder for the RAW files and move them into it. When you remove the card from the device, it will be empty, ready to start filling it again. Another thing I do is Format the card when I re-install it into the Camera. You’ll have to access your camera’s menu to do this and I won’t get into that right now since every camera is different. Refer to your manual to find the correct method of accessing this procedure. Once your card is empty and formatted, you’re ready for a much needed cup of Tea or Coffee and a snack.
EDITING IMAGES
Saved images are quite different from printed images. A printed image on a wall or in a photo album is measured by inches or centimeters, and occasionally feet. Common sizes (in inches) are 4 X 6, 5 X 7, 8 X 10, 11 X 14, and 16 X 20. Saved images are measured in Pixels and Dots Per Inch. Dots Per Inch (DPI) is the important factor in image quality. No matter how expensive your camera is, or how many megapixels the sensor can capture, or what kind of external devices such as filters, flashes, or lighting effects you use, your image will be saved at 72 or possibly 96 DPI. That will not allow for an image to be printed to a large size without some quality loss. Therefore, when saving my images after editing, I always save them to a higher DPI number. I won’t get into the procedure of this at this time, since this isn’t really about Editing. Also since there are many Editing programs available, it would be very difficult to describe the methodology of doing this in each one. Do some investigating into the various programs available and choose the one(s) that make the most sense to you. I personally use a program called Affinity Photo, but there are many others as well. I chose Affinity because the purchase price is a one-time-only investment and can be loaded to as many Laptops and Computers as I choose at no additional cost. (Lightroom and Photoshop certainly don’t offer that kind of support) Depending on the kind of editing you plan to be doing, there are also a number of free programs available, so check around and see what works for you.
Last week, I failed to give a shout-out, so this week, I will compensate by giving you 2! First up is Joe “Rock Pixels” Sampson, a man who I have only known for a short time but have known of for many years. Joe is most frequently seen where Live Music is being performed. His documentation of the local Scene in the Sydney area is gaining him a fair bit of recognition; so much so that one of the Venues where he captures the Music in Sydney is currently displaying a showing of some of his work. If you’re in the Downtown area near the new Community College location, drop in to Daniel’s Alehouse and Eatery and have a look at his images while you’re waiting for your meal to be prepared!
Another Photographer I met through Music is Donald G Mackenzie in Baddeck! He appeared at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 53 with his Camera and began shooting both stills and Video. He is also an avid Landscape Photographer, getting a great number of images in and around the Baddeck area.
Both of these gentlemen are on Facebook, and Joe is also on Instagram, but I don’t think either have a website. If I’m incorrect, let me know.
As for now, thank you for taking the time to drop by and read this. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Until next week, keep your shutter finger warm (the nights are still chilly) and always remember to pack extra batteries!
Happy Mother's Day to all those fabulous Ladies who gave life, sustain life, and make life worth living!!