Digital Camera World - UK (2022-02)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com FEBRUARY 2022 DIGITAL CAMERA^63

Which camera settings?

Once you’ve arranged your composition, focus on these two important aspects...

Check the

shutter

speed

Indoor photography usually requires

a much longer exposure time than outdoor

photography, and it’s easy to not notice when

the shutter speed has become too slow to get

sharp handheld shots. One way to avoid this is

to increase the ISO – or use Auto ISO, and let the

camera push and pull the ISO according to the

light. Using a stabilised lens or camera helps,

but a tripod will give you even more options.

A three-stop difference

The details above were taken from images shot at

f/2.8. At ISO 100, the exposure of 1/10 sec was too

slow to record sharp details. Pushing the ISO three

stops to ISO 800 gave the required faster exposure.

1/ 10 sec 1 /80 sec

CAMERA COLLEGE

Two factors that can

make a big difference

to the look of close-up

shots are the choice of

aperture and the lighting.

The aperture plays a key

role in controlling the depth

of field, or the depth of

apparent sharpness, with

narrower apertures such as

f/11 and f/16 increasing the

depth of field, and wider

apertures such as f/2.8 and

f/4 reducing it. It can often

be helpful to blur areas in

front of and behind the

subject to make it stand out.

The quality and intensity

of lighting is, of course,

crucial in helping to define

the look you’re after. With

close-ups, you’ve got

lots of options, including

household lamps, remote

flashguns and torches.

Pieces of white and black

card and crumpled-up

kitchen foil are also useful to

have nearby, as they enable

you to shape the light.

Lighting Take time to move your light source around the subject to see

how it affects it. Here, a moodier image has been created by using a remote

flashgun, fitted with a snoot accessory to produce a more focused beam.

Aperture Wide apertures make it easier to isolate the subject, but they

show up focusing errors. Narrow apertures reveal detail, but you need to

watch your shutter speed. (See ‘Check the shutter speed’, below.)

f/ 2.8 f/ 16