Congratulations! You’ve asked the questions and watched the videos . Congratulations!
What now? By adjusting the triangle of exposure, you can achieve correct exposure in many different ways. How do you determine which component is most important in your shooting situation. What are the first, second and third settings you make, as well as what adjustments do you make most often during your shoot?
Answers to these and other questions are below.
First, I ask myself “Who am I shooting?” What am I going to photograph? A wiggly child, a sleeping infant, an active adult or a bunch of fruit that is extremely cooperative?
Second, where are you taking the photos? Indoors with low light or outdoors in bright sunlight?
You’re in luck if you answer wiggly kids indoors combined with low lighting (that’s my specialty). The shutterspeed is my most important setting when shooting indoors children. Above all else, I want a sharp, clear shot. With a shutter-speed that’s too low, I won’t be able to get a clear, crisp shot.
STILL CHILDREN INDOOR SETTINGS
When my subject is sitting, watching TV or coloring, i start with a shutter of 160. If my camera is in my hand and my children are awake, I know this is the lowest shutter speed I can use.
Then I choose my aperture. If there is just one subject, I’ll go with 1.4 or 1.5. If I have two subjects I’ll start with 1.8-2.0 (unless they’re on the same focus plane in which case I stick to 1.4-1.6). The third adjustment I make is my ISO. I’ll go as high as necessary to bring the light meter close to center. If I am moving to a different area of the house (such as near a Window), I will change my ISO. You may need to adjust your ISO higher if you enter a room that is darker.
SETTINGS for BUSY CHILDREN INSIDE
If my children aren’t sitting still but they’re also not jumping or running, like when they play with cars or help cook dinner, I need to use a different technique. I’m aware that their hands and legs will move, so they need to be still for my photo. I usually start with a 250 shutter speed, then decide on the aperture (I prefer low, so between 1.6 and 2.2), before adjusting the ISO until the meter is near the center.
Setting for Moving and Running Children
Jumping or running shots are the third type of situation that I see in my home. My shutter speed will still be the most important factor for me. I don’t like blurry pictures. The SS is 320-400 minimum. My aperture then becomes second priority. I stay as low as possible.
Set the ISO to a value that is close to the center of your meter. I often shoot with ISOs in the thousands. I know that some cameras can handle high ISOs better than others. That is why I chose the camera I did. I always set the ISO at the end because I like to use the lowest possible number. I then set all the other settings and only adjust the ISO until the meter is in the middle. I think I can remove some grain but not blurry or images that are out of focus. For me, shutter speed always wins over ISO.
Settings for the Bright Outdoors
Next, I’d like to discuss shooting outdoors in bright sunlight. In this case, I first set my ISO to a low number, such as 100. I choose my aperture after that, which will be purely out of creative instinct in this case.
Do you want a shallow depth-of-field to separate your subject and the background? If yes, I will go lower (usually 1.8-2.2). I then adjust the shutter speed so that the lightmeter is in the middle.
My shutter speed changes constantly when I shoot outdoors in changing light. For me, the shutter speed adjustment is the easiest between shots. So my thumb is ready to adjust slightly for every change in light or poses. My shutter speed can be in the 1000s when I’m outdoors in bright sunlight, especially if my f-stop is low. When you are in bright light and your ISO is low, you will have a shutter speed in the thousands. You may need to increase your fstop in order to get your meter reading center.
STILL SUBJECTS SETTINGS IN LOW LIGHT
Lastly, and because we could talk about literally hundreds of different lighting scenarios, I will discuss how to shoot still objects, or children sleeping in low light. This is a great opportunity to experiment with a slower shutter speed. If you want to use a shutter speed less than 125 then I recommend that you grab a tripod or sit down on the floor or counter.
Choose a shutter-speed that is comfortable for you. I’ll go down to 50 if the tripod is steady or if the furniture is. Next, choose the aperture according to your creativity. You know I prefer low. Adjust the ISO until the center of the meter appears. This is a good option if your camera has poor performance in low-light conditions or high ISO produces horrible grain.
Use a tripod to steady yourself and lower your shutter speed. This will allow you to keep your ISO as low as possible.
These tips should give you some insight or ideas about where to begin with your next photo shoot. like all things related to photography, practice makes perfect. Continue to shoot, read, and participate in online discussions. You will thank yourself in a couple of months.