The Canon Magazine 29
CANON SKILLS
Using flash or studio lights
Yo u’ l l n e e d to u s e M a n u a l ex p o s u re m o d e i f u si n gs t u d i o l i g h t s o r fl a s h g u n s , a s m o d e s l i ke Av o r Tv, t h e
camera won’t set a shutter speed or aperture to factor
in your lighting power – resulting in over or under
ex p o s e d s h ot. St a r t a t a n ex p o s u re of f/8 , IS O10 0 a n d
1/160 sec, then adjust the power of the light in steps,
like 2.3 or 4.2, or 1/2 or 1/4 power – the output remains
c o n si s te n t , re g a rd l e s s of ex p o s u re o r f r a m i n g. T h e l i g h t
power determines how much light falls on subjects, yet
t h e ex p o s u re i s a f fe c te d by yo u r a p e r t u re a n d IS O, a s
well as the distance of the light to the subject. We also
suggest using a flashgun (aka Speedlite) in manual flash
mode. Manual means consistency and control of the
flash brightness on subjects, and the overall exposure.
Why use Manual mode?
Yo u t a ke f u l l c o n t ro l of yo u r ex p o s u re i n M a n u a l , c o n t ro l l e d by
three aspects: 1. Aperture – the hole in the lens – determines how much
light is let into the camera; 2. Shutter speed regulates how long the
sensor is exposed to light; 3. ISO dictates how much light you need to
record a shot. Also when in Manual mode, the camera won’t alter the
exposure settings once you’ve dialled them in, even if you shift in the
composition, or a change in background, which can risk making the
next shot too bright or dark. This is handy when photographing subjects
m ov i n g f ro m d a r k-to n e d b a c k g ro u n d s to l i g h t-to n e d o n e s o r v i c e ve r s a.When you’re shooting scenes
at sunset, take control of your
exposures in Manual mode to
manually set your aperture,
shutter speed and ISO