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Photography for Amateurs !

Quick reference guide

Choose the appropriate mode for your shot

SHUTTER PRIORITY (S/TV)

(You control the Shutter Speed and ISO) Ideal for freezing or capturing motion

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APERTURE PRIORITY (A/AV) (You control the Depth of Field and ISO)

Ideal for ‘everything in focus’ shots or blurry backgrounds!

MANUAL SETTING (M)Gives you FULL control of ISO, Shutter Speed and

Depth of Field

Shutter Priority

A rough guide to shutter speeds

1/4000 - 1/2000 will stop the wings of a hummingbird

1/1000 - 1/500 will freeze an athlete running

1/250 - 1/60 will stop everyday motion

1/30 - 1/8 will blur motion

0.5 - 30” will capture low light, motion and long exposures

Aperture Priority

A rough guide to aperture

The aperture controls the depth of field, so the wider the aperture (smaller number, i.e. f2.8), the less is in focus, whereas the smaller the aperture (bigger number, i.e. f22), the more is in focus.

Don’t forget - The aperture also controls the amount of light reaching the sensor. So, at f2.8, more light gets in and at f22, less light gets in.

ISO affects Noise/Grain

Aperture affects Depth of Field

Shutter affects Motion

Shooting in RAW allows you to capture the full gamut of colours and gives the highest file quality

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An added bonus with RAW files, you can correct/change the White Balance when editing!

Consider your composition. Start by using the ‘rule of thirds’ as a guide.

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Avoid photographing solely from eye level. Change your perspective.

Play with these elements

Leading lines SymmetryPatterns ContrastTexture Angles ColourShape

Photograph EVERYTHING (food, babies, weddings, sports etc)

Learn what you like and what you are good at, then hone your skills in your chosen genre(s).

When composing your photograph, check for distracting background elements such as trees, signs, bright colours.

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Top Tip: when editing, turn your picture upside-down and look for anything that diverts your

attention away from the subject.

Gear won’t make you a better photographer …

… time, patience, knowledge and practice!

WILL!

Learn your camera, read your manual and experiment with your settings.

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Once you know the rules, Go Break Them!

www.dadefreeman.com