The Canon Magazine 39
CAMERA SKILLS
03 TURN THE STAG INTO A SILHOUETTE
With the metering mode set to Spot it’s worth taking a test shot, and if the
stag doesn’t come out as a silhouette you’ll need to dial in some negative
exposure comp. Input one or two stops of negative exposure comp and
take another shot to make sure the silhouette is perfect. Shoot in Raw to
have more editing options later. If you’re struggling to underexpose, go
into Manual mode and dial in the settings with a low ISO and fast
shutter, then take a test shot until the image is underexposed.02 CHOOSE THE RIGHT METERING MODE
Aperture Priority mode, is a semi-auto mode that lets you set the aperture
of the lens and also the ISO sensitivity. The camera then works out a
shutter speed to give you a correct exposure. The way it does this is down
to the metering mode. Mostly, you’ll be using the Evaluative mode that
attempts to make everything well exposed. In this case though, you want
the stag to be a dark silhouette, so it’s best to use Spot metering and
meter off the bright sky to underexpose.
STABILIZATION MODES
SOME CANON optics have multiple Image
Stabilisation modes to give you control
over how the stabilization is used. Mode 1
corrects for camera-shake on the vertical
and horizontal axis, so is a good choice
when hand-holding. Mode 2 only corrects
for vertical movement and is the better
option when panning horizontally. Mode 3
corrects for movement on both axes,
similarly to Mode 1, but it’s only activated
when you press the shutter button, so the
movement of the elements won’t jar as
you look through the viewfinder. It’s a
good idea to switch off Image Stabilisation
when totally locked off on a tripod as this
can correct for movement that isn’t there.USE A MONOPOD
WILDLIFE and long telephoto lenses go
hand-in-hand, but it can be difficult to
hold these large, heavy, optics stable- and a tripod can sometimes be too
cumbersome to take on a shoot. In these
situations a monopod is the solution!
These can be screwed directly into the
foot of your lens’ tripod collar, or can be
fitted with a tripod head if needed. The
monopod leg can then be extended to a
comfortable working height and really
helps take the weight of the lens so you
can balance more easily and have a
steadier platform to shoot from.