I'd like a moment with those of you who own a DSLR, but always shoot in Auto mode. I know you're out there. I look at cameras every time I'm around other photographers. When we talk, I sense your frustration that this really expensive instrument lets you take blurry pictures. Dude, I hear you.
I'm putting this up Friday afternoon, because I've got something you might try this weekend. It won't take long - ten or fifteen minutes, tops. Take you camera and shoot one thing, but shoot it while fooling around with all those settings you don't usually touch.
Switch into shutter priority and fool with your shutter speed. Adjust the aperture while in aperture priority. Sample your way through the camera's ISO settings. Take a spin in Manual too. Your camera undoubtedly has some in-viewfinder indicator to show when the photo's properly exposed, but it doesn't matter. This is for learning, not sharing.
Remember, you're going to shoot one thing and one thing only. Zoom in. Zoom out. Shoot close. Shoot near. Just don't change your subject.
Limit where you're pointing so you can compare each of the photographs based on how the camera performed, not what's in the frame. You will see differences in what your camera captures, even in properly exposed shots of the same object. Watch the background go sharp or blurry while the foreground stays in focus. Actually, for this little experiment, most of your shots will suck. That's OK. Own it!
Once you move the photos to your computer, look carefully and find the shots you like. All the information describing how your camera was set has been recorded as EXIF data (sample data on the left). How you get at that data is different in every program, but it's often found within the "Properties" tab. In Photoshop, it's "File Info".
There are many ways to set your camera for any particular shot. You'll find your blurry pictures going away as you better understand how to ramp up your shutter speed as you widen the aperture or increase the sensitivity or ISO. Shoot enough shots with enough variety in your settings and you'll begin to understand how your camera responds to your input. It's worth learning.
For now, just go and shoot. And please, take it off Auto.
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June 20, 2008 5:01 PM
How about actually learning something about photography prior to spending a lot of time trying to figure out how shutter speed and apeture interact with ISO/ASA "film" speed. It's not very intuitive and there is no reason to re-invent the wheel here. There is over 100 years of accumulated knowledge about what makes cameras work. The fact that they are digital now and have many confusing "modes" does not mean the basic principals of photography do not apply any more. Read, ask questions, find a photographic guru at work, take some community education courses in photography. If you are just going to "point and shoot", than no amount of money is going to make you understand photography and the poor results you get is what you should expect.
June 20, 2008 5:02 PM
How about actually learning something about photography prior to spending a lot of time trying to figure out how shutter speed and apeture interact with ISO/ASA "film" speed. It's not very intuitive and there is no reason to re-invent the wheel here. There is over 100 years of accumulated knowledge about what makes cameras work. The fact that they are digital now and have many confusing "modes" does not mean the basic principals of photography do not apply any more. Read, ask questions, find a photographic guru at work, take some community education courses in photography. If you are just going to "point and shoot", than no amount of money is going to make you understand photography and the poor results you get is what you should expect.
June 20, 2008 5:12 PM
Martin -
A lot of people are adverse to reading the theory. Truth is, you can learn a lot just by shooting - especially when your shots are unlimited. I am trying to entice people who thought the camera alone was their problem.
But, yes, I agree conventional study is probably better, if you're a motivated student.
Geoff Fox
June 20, 2008 7:05 PM
I have read all I can find on just about everything I can think of, but I have learned the most by doing just what was stated here.
Take the camera out and shoot and mess with the controls. Wow , now I am learning to take photos,and I am having a blast with what I am coming up with.
Yes two things , try everything you can with your camera, and if you can go out with someone who knows what they are doing and learn from them.
One will learn the most from this over reading all the papers there are out about taking photos.
June 20, 2008 8:28 PM
Rocky -
This post really did come from my experience seeing unhappy DSLR owners shooting in Auto. If they only realized how close they are to better shots!
Geoff Fox
June 22, 2008 4:21 AM
We have been looking for a competent photographer for our hotel for many months now. There are plenty of people out there who can photograph people or buildings very well: what they cannot do is to photograph interiors in such a way that there are no hard shadows, the lighting looks natural and none of the details are lost. Automatic settings never seem to work well.
June 23, 2008 8:24 PM
If you have a nice dslr and you shoot auto, sell the dslr. You should shoot with a point and shoot.
Thats like buying a ferarri and asking them to put an automatic transmission in it.
/me rolls eyes.
I shoot nikon d300 - the only thing on 'auto' is my focus, and thats only because I wear glasses.