52 DIGITAL CAMERA^ DECEMBER 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
WHICH WAY TO GO?
APERTURE PRIORITY
1
Aperture Priority is my
favourite shooting mode.
It allows me to take control of
the aperture (and therefore
creative control of the image),
but the camera manages the
shutter speed. This can be
useful if I’m out in the field
and don’t want to use Manual.
Sometimes a camera can
struggle in strong light: I’ll use
Aperture Priority in conjunction
with exposure compensation,
and underexpose by a stop
to make sure the highlights
aren’t blown out.SHUTTER PRIORITY
2
Shutter Priority is trickier
than Aperture Priority,
and I don’t tend to use it very
often. It gives you control
over the shutter speed of an
image; depending on what you
choose, the camera selects
the appropriate aperture.
While there are times when
this can be useful, there are
limitations: the camera might
decide that a scene requires
a larger aperture (smaller
f-stop value) when you wanted
to capture the scene using a
smaller aperture (larger f-stop).PRO TIP
USING MANUAL
Shooting in Manual
means that you have
full choice of both
aperture and shutter
speed. This can be
particularly useful if
you’re shooting in low
light, because it means you have full
control over exposure and can prevent
the camera from over-compensating
and blowing out the highlights.PRO TIP SET FOCUS POINTS
Decide what part of the image you
want to focus on. This has a knock-
on impact on how the camera will
handle the image exposure. If you’re
using an ND grad, make sure you
focus somewhere in the foreground
so that you get a balanced exposure
throughout the frame.5 ژ
APERTURES, ISO
& SHUTTER SPEEDS
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our camera is a powerful
tool, and there are several
different aspects you
have control over that
will affect the final image.
Learning how to harness these settings
can ultimately mean you’re more
prepared when you’re in the field. In this
section I’ll guide you through when it’s
best to use Aperture Priority or Shutter
Priority and when it’s appropriate to
move up a gear and shoot in Manual
for maximum creative control.Y
PRO TIP THINK
ABOUT YOUR ISO1
USE 100 AS A START
When you shoot on a tripod,
it’s best to make your starting
point around ISO 100.(^2)
HIGHER FOR HANDHELD
If you’re shooting handheld, don’t
be afraid to push your ISO higher
to compensate for camera shake.
(^3)
START AGAIN
Be careful to reset your ISO after
every shot so you’re not caught
out by a high ISO later on.
SHOOT SUPER SEASCAPES