abc | Manon Azar

The ABC of Your Camera (a quick guide for new photographers)

1. Your Digital Camera Type: DSLR vs Mirrorless

2. Light Exposure: The Triangle

Shutter Speed (Exposure Time)

Lens Aperture (f)

Sensor Sensitivity (ISO)

Note: Each setting has its own visual impact:

Shutter Speed:

Faster: freezed scene

Slower: blurrier and motioned subject (and if hand-held: shakier)

Lens Aperture:

Opener (smaller numbers): Shallower depth of field

Tighter (BIG numbers): Deeper depth of field

ISO: The more you boost, the more you get grain and quality loss!

And your final visual result is a combination of all!

Exposure Modes:

Matrix

Spot

Central Zone

Highlights

and maybe more...

An example for Depth of Field:

3. Lenses: Focal numbers and fields of view

Wide

Normal (human Eye: 42-50mm)

Tele

What is a "zoom" lens? and a "prime"?

Tips:

more tele = shallower depth of field (has to be controlled by photographer)*

more tele = more need for camera stability (to prevent camera shakes, better to have tripods or at least to use faster shutter speeds)

* to increase the depth of field with a fixed focal number: A) use tighter aperture (BIG f numbers), B) try to step back and get a bit farther from the subject if it does not ruin your composition.

4. Camera Sensor Size and Field of View Impact:

5. What the hell is White Balance (WB)?

6. Focus Modes:

Auto: Single, Continuous

Manual Ring

Want to improve your photography?

The MUST HAVE list:

. Tripod

. Good shoes

. A bunch of lens filters: ND, Polarizer

. Faster lenses (like f.1,8 or f.2)

. Patience

. Practice

. An editing software (at least like Photoshop Express or Afinity which are free)