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Watching your settings?
Damian Mulinix, Photographer
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Long Beach | wa | usa | Posted: 4:06 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> So I had a discussion today with a friend of mine about shooting style. We had both shot essentially the same event in the same place (county fair), yet his pix were a bit more pixally/grainy/color-shifty. When I asked why, he explained that he will usually set his ISO at a higher value and not mess around with settings like WB, which he sets to auto, when going to an event where he's in and out of buildings and would have to be changing his settings regularly.
He said: "There so many "spot-and-shoot" situations at the fair, and some are in the shade or indoors. In those situations I find that I get more shots than I would have if I am fumbling with camera settings."
As neither of us shoot flash very often it made sense in that this way you are ready all the time and not worrying about settings.
Me, on the other hand, I am a stickler for checking and changing settings as the pixally/grainy look and color shift you get from not changing your ISO/WB is bothersome to me and how I want my images to look.
So I am curious what other people do and how they do it and why when it comes to this. As I explained to my friend, this is not to say that one way is better than another or not, but simply to find out what others are doing and why they do it. |
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Gabriel Hernandez, Photographer
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Harlingen | TX | USA | Posted: 4:58 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> YAY for changing settings .... boo for laziness.
Ive learned to change the settings on my camera quick, so I rather change the settings ... Quality is better than Quantity. I deal with the same problem when I shoot High School sports. BUT thats just me. |
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Stanley Leary, Photographer
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Roswell | GA | USA | Posted: 5:17 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> I believe a good photographer is someone who is no longer satisfied to produce pictures that are merely correctly focused, exposed, developed and printed. Such technicalities are nowadays taken for granted. No matter how sharp a photograph and how natural its colors, it still can be the world's most boring picture.
Why? Because the How—the “technique”—is not the end, the standard by which to evaluate a photograph, it is secondary to the WHY, the WHAT, the WHEN. It is the impression the subject makes on the photographer that decides the approach. And as a good writer knows grammar-and-spelling, synonyms and different literary forms of expression, so a good photographer must know the devices and techniques that will help them communicate with an audience their emotional impressions of the subject. To be able to do this the photographer must know the technical and aesthetics to make more than a memory jogger, but a powerful message.
I believe your friend has turned their quite expensive camera into a box camera. You must understand how to use the symbolic forms which the camera can capture to excite the observer to respond emotionally. You may want to choose to change a color photograph into a black and white photo so as to emphasize graphics. You may choose black and white to force the viewer to look beyond the beauty to the content. The famous LIFE magazine war photographer David Douglas Duncan preferred to photograph war in Black and White because he felt the flowers in the countryside took away from the horror of the dead soldier in the photograph.
I believe those who understand the craftsmanship of photography are the ones who can take all the senses we experience as humans and using a mechanical machine which only uses vision to communicate an emotional response from the viewer.
Those who are always searching for a better way to use their camera are very much aware of the limitations they constantly encounter when they examine their photographs and realize they still fell short of capturing all they felt when they were in the moment. |
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Doug Steinbock, Photographer, Assistant
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Feeding Hills | MA | USA | Posted: 5:35 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> I shoot manual everything, shutter, aperture, white balance. I like the control I have over my camera. If I'm shooting a portrait, I'll shoot manual flash as well. If I'm in a "run and gun" situation, I'll rely upon the ETTL.
Changing settings is easy and fun! Except when you're switching between 2 camera models. Get use to shooting with the MK II, then shoot the 5D and can't remember what buttons to press to change the ISO!!! My brain gets locked into one model and switching to the other forces me to think about it vs. just doing it.
Your camera should be like playing a guitar. You don't think about "how" to play a certain chord progression, you just do it. If of course you know how to play! :) |
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Andrew Wilz, Photographer
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Aspen | CO | usa | Posted: 5:42 PM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> ...full Auto, baby.... |
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Damian Mulinix, Photographer
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Long Beach | wa | usa | Posted: 6:06 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> See, this is exactly what I was looking for! I find it extremely interesting to hear the different viewpoints.
In rebuttle to the comment, very well made BTW, by Stanley, I'm not suggesting that the technical factors of a photo are what make it great, however, they can very well be what make it not so great.
For example, if you make a great photo of something that is spur of the moment, touching, all that, if the technical aspects of the picture itself distract from the image, I think that is bad. I've seen some really great rodeo pictures, shot indoors for example, but the technical aspects, like crunchy grain and color shift, made the photo very unattractive and took away from the value of its moment because I was distracted by the flaws. Now, I will also say that back in the days of film, especially in B&W, grain didn't bother me so much. Like some of the low light stuff that Eugene Smith did. Just a taste thing perhaps?
I think like Gabriel said, if you know your camera well enough you can make adjustments on the fly, or like the Boy Scouts, be prepared and anticipate changes in color and light value.
Alright, who's next?
=-) DKM |
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Doug Steinbock, Photographer, Assistant
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Feeding Hills | MA | USA | Posted: 6:12 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> Technical stuff messing up a photo... this true, but.....
not everyone can play guitar like Clapton! Same with the camera, it is difficult, but, the best are the best for a reason! |
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Jonathan Castner, Photographer
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Longmont | CO | USA | Posted: 6:29 PM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> It's easy to spot photographers, especially the young ones, who learned to make photos with their camera on [P] for "Professional Mode". Worse the ones who learned on digital that had a "I'll fix it later in Photoshop" mentality. Where as guys like me learned to shoot on chromes in tough lighting on the fly. I shoot in full manual and prefer to manually focus except for fast action where I know that my camera is better at that than I am. I do trust modern TTL flash exposures but for anything more complex than simple fill-flash I bring out the flash meter and do that manually. If you want some flexability with your exposure and color balance, shoot RAW. Otherwise pay attention to how you are making the photograhs. |
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Melissa Golden, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Inverness | FL | USA | Posted: 6:39 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> I dunno... it's always disappointing and disturbing to loan my camera out to another photographer for whatever reason and have it returned in Av mode. Lame.
On the other hand, I auto-focus most everything. After a couple of years of not getting anything sharp, I made the switch. Turns out I don't see in focus. Can't win 'em all. |
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Stanley Leary, Photographer
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Roswell | GA | USA | Posted: 7:22 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> Damian:
I am agreement with you. I too believe you should do everything technical to make a great photograph. I just put this as step #2.
I think those who understand Content #1 and Craftsmanship as #2 when making a photo, make photos with impact.
It is not a one or the other for a person wanting a career in this profession.
Reach for the camera when you feel something about a subject. When only those things you see in the viewfinder start to evoke the same emotions you felt before reaching for the camera are attained should you push the button to capture what you intended. This is when you are then able to communicate with others more than a memory jogger. You will be creating new memories for your audience.
The more passionate a photographer is about the subject, the better the chances of obtaining a successful photograph. If the subject has no appeal to the photographer—it is better for the photographer not to waste the time of pushing the shutter release to make the photo. |
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Wendi Kaminski, Photographer, Assistant
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La Mirada | CA | USA | Posted: 8:29 PM on 08.29.06 |
| ->> Interesting string here I must say. I am a new working PJ and was trained to shoot everything manual (both digitally now and film back in the day). I am constantly watching my exposure and all other settings to make sure I am technically dead on. I agree that taking a photo is like playing the guitar, some do play better at it and that makes them a pro and that is what separates them from the novice. Do we spend a lot more money on good pro equipment only shoot on "P for Program" and let the camera dictate to us what we should be setting our camera out? I sure don't. I think what we do is a packaged deal. Good technical skills along with composition that rocks and content to peak someone's interest to stop long enough to see what is going on in the photo and good caption writing all makes or breaks the photo. I certainly hope that I don't get lazy and not give %100 of all the facets that makes a great photo. |
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Greg Ferguson, Photographer
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Scottsdale | Az | USA | Posted: 8:35 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> I think the photographer has to be constantly aware of their surroundings and how those will affect the shot. Then they can make a conscious decision whether to accept the status-quo decision of the camera's auto-functions, or to override and make it do the right thing when it would freak. And, the camera will freak, at the worst time, when you need it the most.
There's two sides to being a good photographer - there's the creative artist who has to have the vision to see the shot, and there's the craftsman, who has to know his tool well enough to allow him to get the shot, even when the conditions are against him. |
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Thomas Ciszek, Photographer
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Edison | NJ | USA | Posted: 8:49 PM on 08.29.06 |
->> (There's two sides to being a good photographer - there's the creative artist who has to have the vision to see the shot, and there's the craftsman, who has to know his tool well enough to allow him to get the shot, even when the conditions are against him.)
Greg,
Very well written and oh so true...
Tom |
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Paul Jordan, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 7:50 AM on 08.30.06 |
->> IMO the comparisons to playing an instrument - and I'd posit speaking a foreign language - are true for photography. If you don't practice and use the tools on a consistent basis, you will never get beyond a certain proficiency.
When I'm not shooting for a reason, I still try to shoot whatever. To the casual observer it may seem like someone walking around the house mumbling in French, but to me it's practice. There have been more times than I care to admit when after 15 minutes of shooting I've called myself a complete @##!$ idiot for forgetting a setting. The more I shoot the less it happens.
I shoot all manual or Av mode, almost always autofocus. I'm usually outdoors shooting sports in constantly changing weather and skies. Cloudy one play, bright sun the next, sprinkle the next, etc. For "Friday night lights" I'm on full manual w/master and slave flash on HSS manual.
I think it all depends on the situation at hand. However, consistent use of the tools is key, IME anyways. |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Louisville | KY | USA | Posted: 9:25 AM on 08.30.06 |
->> Settings
Situation dependent. The tools are flexible for a reason. Full auto to full manual and everything in between can be appropriate depending on the situation. In most cases I end up in some sort of hybrid mix - letting some things float auto while going manual on other things.
I try very hard to anticipate the situation and think about the setup before I start shooting so I can focus on subject and composition and not camera settings. It pays to get to locations early for this reason.
When I know I'm going to be moving quickly between two completely different lighting setups - like a perp walk where I'll be shooting inside then outside very quickly - I'll setup the outside settings ahead of time and save them on the card. Then I'll manually reset my settings for the inside. That way I can change to the outside setup quickly by doing a "Load camera settings" instead of trying to change all of the settings while walking backwards in the gaggle. |
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Seh Suan Ngoh, Photographer
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Singapore | SG | Singapore | Posted: 11:04 AM on 08.30.06 |
->> I've now kind of sold on shooting in RAW, so I can tweak the WB as I need to later on. I'm shooting to show the truth, not to be an artist - which I never was and never will be.
Where possible, I shoot only with ambient light - save for fill-in flash, of course. |
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James Nix, Photographer
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Brunswick | GA | USA | Posted: 11:50 AM on 08.30.06 |
| ->> I find when I shoot on manual I think about the photo a lot more and hopefully that means I'm making better photos. When I shoot auto everything I tend to get lazy and just snap away. That extra half second of adjusting the exposure is an extra half second to think about the shot. |
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Charles Herskowitz, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 2:43 PM on 08.30.06 |
| ->> Full manual. If the light/conditions are static then set it & forget it...otherwise (which is 95% of the time) I'm always tweaking iso/ss/aperture. |
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Andrew Brosig, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Paola | KS | USA | Posted: 2:59 PM on 08.30.06 |
->> I always change the settings on the camera to match the situation I'm shooting in, both ISO and white balance. That said, when I'm done with a particular assignment, I'll usually (almost always) reset the white balance to auto, ISO to 400 and exposure mode to program. That way, I'm ready to roll if one of the stop and shoot situations arises and I don't have time to reset. Generally, that's served me well and, when it comes time for the next assignment where I have a few seconds, I start the whole process over. I figure it's better to have the camera set so I can grab a shot if one arises rather than to miss what could be a once in a lifetime shot.
I had an editor once who always preached reloading a fresh roll of film in the camera every time you take a roll out, immediately. I got bit in the ass one time when I forgot. I was driving back from an early-morning assignment when I happened upon a pair of horses playing in a field. Beautiful light, slight fog just drifting along, brown mare and pure white stallion going absolutely nuts, rearing to each other, chasing each other around the field, nipping at each other, the whole nine yards.
Anyway, I stopped the car, grabbed the camera with the 80-200mm and started banging away. I'm thinking, this is some greate stuff! The editor's going to love this stuff! Why haven't I run out of film yet? I check and, you guessed it, I'd shot 50 or 60 frames with an empty camera. By the time I got the damn thing loaded and ready to shoot again, the horses were just standing there, staring at me like I was crazy.
Long story short (I know, too late), I try to always be prepared for the unexpected but I try to shoot everything where I have even a few seconds in manual, setting ISO and White Balance to fit the locale. |
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Kenneth Jacobson, Photographer, Assistant
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 7:48 PM on 08.30.06 |
| ->> I think it's important to remember that this isn't a black-and-white, full-auto-or-full-manual issue. There are many shades of grey in there. I think that there's nothing wrong with giving the camera's automation a chance to help your process along IF you understand what the camera wants to do in a given situation and have the knowledge and ability to ensure that your vision is captured. IE: I shoot in aperture priority when the sun's in and out of clouds and I'd spend half the day looking at my meter BUT I do recognize that my camera's going to try to make things middle grey and when my subject is lighter or darker than usual I roll a little exp comp in to make sure things are exposed the way I want them. Let the camera's auto functions work for you but understand what it's doing and stay in control. |
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Carl Auer, Photographer
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Eagle River | AK | USA | Posted: 7:57 PM on 08.30.06 |
| ->> I ran into this last year at the fair...going inside and out, always changing my WB and ISO, which is fine, but there were some photos I would have liked to grab that I missed because I was changing my WB or something. My idea for this year, which did not pan out due to my shooting schedule, was to use two cameras, one set for indoor, one set for outdoor. Never miss a thing...but, alas, football took over and I did not get a chance to do it. Dang sports, always getting in the way of a good funnel cake and baby pigs.... |
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Nigel Kinrade, Photographer
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Alpharetta | GA | USA | Posted: 8:05 PM on 08.30.06 |
->> I'm old school, manual exposure, manual flash (if needed) I never use program modes. I still carry an light meter around my neck, and some of the comments that generates are classic.
Comments like what's that? and why do you use that? I was a Canon T90 user when I started photography and you had to turn a ring on the lens to make the image sharp, I threw a lot of slides away in those days.
"If you tell these youngsters today they'll never believe you"
I'm starting to sound like a Monty Python sketch.... |
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Preston Mack, Photographer
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Orlando | FL | USA | Posted: 8:59 PM on 08.30.06 |
->> For all the Canon 20D users, just turn the dial...
Running man mode for sports.
Flower mode for close ups.
Mountain mode for landscapes. |
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Matthew Rosenberg, Photographer
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Charlottesville | VA | United States | Posted: 10:28 PM on 08.30.06 |
->> Style is a a very individualistic thing, and I am not talking about clothing. It changes, develops and, hopefully matures into something that is tailored for you.
Right now I use a 5D with a 28mm 1.8 and a 1DmKI with the 70-200 2.8. Before I go to sleep I ingest the cards and charge the batteries. When I wake up I look at the sky and adjust my settings. A bright day I use sunny sixteen and set my camera to 200th at f11 @200 iso, the 5D likes a bit more light, the 1D gets set to Av mode at f2.8, when I shoot with that camera that is the effect I want. Both get set to cloudy white balance even if it is sunny. The paper hasn't upgraded to RAW capable software so I shoot Jpeg. As soon as we can process RAW files I will switch back. I generally manually white balance in a new setting, and use auto if the lighting is changing rapidly. I really miss RAW capability for white balancing though. That is the setting I most frequently forget to change.
There it is for what its worth. |
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Marie Hughes, Photographer
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Fremont | CA | USA | Posted: 3:44 PM on 08.31.06 |
| ->> It seems pretty lazy to me to not at least adjust your ISO as you go from indoors to outside. One of the great things about digital is that you can change the ISO for every shot -- why not take advantage of it? |
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Josh McGuckin, Photographer, Assistant
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Broomfield | CO | USA | Posted: 7:19 PM on 09.01.06 |
->> I use different features for different situations. Usually I am either on Full Manual, Apperature priority or shutter priority. When I shoot with a flash it is always on Manual with the occational TTL shot. ISO is adjusted whenever I find that I need to.
My white balance does go to Auto, but I will adjust it to dial things in when needed.
So basically I take advantage of the auto features to some extent. |
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Adam Vogler, Student/Intern
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Pittsburg | KS | USA | Posted: 11:26 PM on 09.01.06 |
| ->> I'd have to go with the manual and Av side of the argument, the only reason I don't use a handheld light meter is I'm still a student and don't have the money for one ( I keep bying that stupid food . Have I missed shots becuse I was changing settings or even more often when I forgot to change settings?? yes yes a thousand times yes. Has this made me a better shooter? definiftly. I agree with what Kenneth said about knowing exactly what the camera is going to do. Knowing exactly how the functions of your camera are going to react puits you ahead of the camera. You are utilizing the tools on the cameras that many of us have paid thousands of dollars for in order to cretae an image rather than relying on them to think for us. |
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Derek Pearson, Photographer
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Tumwater | WA | USA | Posted: 1:50 AM on 09.02.06 |
| ->> Im always on full manual. It's never been off M since I bought my cameras :) I don't shoot on camera flash unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I'm constantly switching as the environments I shoot in are constantly changing. |
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Maxwell Yedor, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Oxnard | CA | USA | Posted: 3:07 AM on 09.02.06 |
->> I will do anything to keep my ISO as low as possible, I really HATE noisey photos. I shoot manually most of the time, however there are instances where I prefer the Av and Tv modes, fo instances when shooting basketball when the lighting in the gym varies from one end to the other, also if I'm going to do a whole lot of shots in a row that I want to look as close to exactly the same as I can, mainly pans in varying light. I can hoestly say that I have never used the P mode, I have no idea what circumstances call for P. I'm also a manual flash, guide number math, sync cord type of guy.
As for the white balance I set it for whatever light I'm shooting in, hardly ever use a custon white balance. However there are times, like at the fair, when something happens in different lighting conditions and I don't have time to change the white balance (shooting from the hip) I shoot anyway, in the wrong WB mode. I shoot in RAW and can adjust it after the fact, but wonder, is there a difference in the final product between 2 shots in sunlight, one shot in sunny WB, and the other in tungston with the correction made later in RAW? If there is no real difference then wouldn't RAW plus auto WB solve the changing color temp issue? |
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Jim Leary, Photographer
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Island | NY | USA | Posted: 11:03 PM on 09.02.06 |
| ->> Great thread you started Damian. I think your friend is quite the lazy one and will never reach the "next level" as a photographer by using a high ISO because he's too lazy to worry about changing it when conditions change. What is the art of photography but seeing things and capturing them? The fun of it is using all your tools to create a great photo. Going all auto is flat photography, non-artistic, non-talent. I'm not saying one has to do everything manual. In fact, I think its silly to go all manual out of principle or "just beacuse thats the way I learned." Personally, using different settings and analyzing each photo opportunity is what makes it great to be a photographer, what makes each opportunity different and fun. Just my opinion but its the way I see it. |
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Jon L Hendricks, Photographer
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Merrillville | IN | USA | Posted: 1:17 AM on 09.03.06 |
->> If you were going to rate importance of the components of a photograph I would do it like this:
1. Moment-A fresh defining picture that no one has seen before with regard to making the viewer ask questions and dig deeper into the subject's purpose. You can NEVER get a moment back.
2. Shutter speed-A badly motion blurred photo can not be corrected later no matter what unsharp mask you use.
3. Expose correctly-This helps noise/color and shadow detail later down the road. I put this down farther on the list if I shoot RAW.
4. Aperature-Making the subject pop against a background or incorporating the background is a huge decision.
5. Color-The eye knows when skin tones/objects are not the correct color. Nailing color won't get you a Pulitzer but making whites, white/grays, gray/and blacks, black will make a picture pop more setting it above pictures with just off color. This can be corrected later especially if shooting RAW.
6. ISO/Noise-This can be annoying to a viewer but if you expose correctly it shouldn't be too much of a problem especially with the newer chips out today. Also can be reduced with Noise Ninja like software.
I usually worry about making photos in this order. If I don't have pressing moments upon me I can worry about the last few components a bit more. |
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Damian Mulinix, Photographer
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Long Beach | wa | usa | Posted: 4:45 PM on 09.03.06 |
->> Well, I thank you all for taking part in this, I know it has been educational for me, in that it is interesting to hear so many varying (and sometimes passionate) opinions.
One thing I would like to state for the good of the order, though.
I think the assumption that my friend is "lazy" or the method he is used in this particular case is due to said "laziness" is absurd. I think that a good case has been made on both sides for the advantages of being very mindful of settings all the time, and leaving it to auto on other occasions. As I prefaced this initially, I was using an example of one particular situation, not saying that this is how he works all the time. I think that people sometimes say things on here about others without giving enough forthought, because the person you are speaking of is not there. As this thread has shown, personal style and taste is individual and subjective, and what is "right" or "good" for one could be the total opposite for another. But by putting someone down who disagrees with your said opinion is not fruitful and nothing can be learned from a stance like that.
Alright, I'm stepping off the soapbox now, and hopefully we can talk again in a constructive way, as that is how we ALL become better at our craft. Cheers,
-Damian |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 5:24 PM on 09.03.06 |
->> Damian,
Encourage your friend to keep shooting in your area and not to change a thing. We should all have competition like that.
--Mark |
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Nacho RP, Photographer
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A Coruña | A Coruña | España | Posted: 6:09 AM on 09.05.06 |
->> i shot full manual when i can, depends the situation, ever in RAW & WB depends, in RAW is not very important.
ISO depends, normally 100 ISO.
Metering mode, depends also, but i love spot.
And i love two lenses,that i use a lot, my 300mm & my 35mm.
C1 & PS after. |
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Greg Ferguson, Photographer
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Scottsdale | Az | USA | Posted: 1:52 AM on 09.06.06 |
->> "Encourage your friend to keep shooting in your area and not to change a thing"
Yes, well said. And, I'd add that letting the camera auto-select the focus points is a sure recipe for successfully getting those shots that defy description... thinking about it more... f22 is a Godsend because, well, who needs focus anyway? |
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