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Bryon Anderson

DSLR shooting modes

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I just upgraded from my compact mirrorless (Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3K) to a DSLR (Canon EOS Rebel T3i with 18-55mm kit lens and 75-300mm zoom lens). I have only just begun to play with the new camera, but from various tutorials, Youtube videos etc. about this specific camera/lens combo, I know it can produce some beautiful images in its "creative" modes (Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, etc., even full Auto) as well as in Manual mode.

 

I'm curious about something: those of you who are experienced photographers, do you use the "creative modes" like shutter priority and aperture priority very often, or do you tend to do everything in manual mode? In what situations would you say it is most important to be proficient in shooting in full manual?

 

I know that photography is like fishing in that the only way to really learn the finer points is to go out and do a LOT of it, and I certainly plan to do that, but I am curious about the shooting habits of folks far more experienced than me.

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I shoot primarily in aperature or shutter mode depending on the subject. When shooting macro, I am usually in Manual.

 

Almost never in Auto. I use auto sometimes to see where the camera will set the aperture and shutter in a specific situation. I remember the the settings and start from there in my adjustments. This is good if you are in a lighting situation that is new to you.

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I use auto sometimes to see where the camera will set the aperture and shutter in a specific situation. I remember the the settings and start from there in my adjustments. This is good if you are in a lighting situation that is new to you.

Thanks Old Hat -- I have used auto mode in that way before too, especially when I was just learning about how exposure works, f-stop vs. shutter speed vs. ISO and all that. It was helpful.

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Bryon-

 

I normally shoot in Aperture Priority because I want to control my depth of field for placing my main subject in focus, and blurring the background if that is what I want to do. Second choice is Manual Mode.

 

When you/re starting out, Auto is ok, but be aware that the camera's software program is making decisions about the shot that you may or may not want.

 

I shoot everything in RAW mode, which allows me to adjust the shot using Adobe Lightroom 5. If you bought your Canon new, it should have come with 3 CD's, one of which loads Utility, Picture Style, DPP, Image Browser, etc., etc. DPP will process RAW & JPEG photos from Canon cameras. Besides LR, there is Photoshop, Elements, Nik (Nikon) etc. JPEG photos are processed in the camera, and you have very little control over the image quality, white balance, exposure, color saturation, etc. Lightroom is essentially Photoshop that has been optimized for photographers, and the adjustments that they may want to make. Lightroom takes up about 1/3 the HD space compared to PS. Lightroom is available from Adobe's website, B&H Photo, and other sites. B&H regularly runs sales on LR which will be less than the $139 retail price on Adobe's website.

 

For videos, B&H has some excellent instructional videos on their website, with most of them also available on YouTube. These videos can really give you a jump on your photo skills. Kelby Training also has great videos to watch.

 

Best advice is to take your camera with you, and take photos every day, trying different techniques. Your camera is a tool, not a jewel to be locked up.

 

Good luck, and keep shooting.

 

Bill

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I shoot almost everything in Manual. Not saying it's the best way, I probably should spend more time in one of the priority modes, but manual is where I feel comfortable. Just make sure you understand how to use the controls to change the settings without having to search around for what you want. If you can quickly change on the fly then things become a lot easier.

I also shoot everything in RAW. It's easily converted to jpeg and it always makes sure that you have the purest file of that image. It may be the purest form of crap, but at least you have as much control as possible over how it is processed.

 

I'll second the recommendation on Lightroom, great product. Photoshop Elements is no slouch either for the beginner but it's not much of a savings over LR.

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Bill and Flysmallie, thanks guys for what sounds like some very good advice. I've barely dipped my toe into the ocean of knowledge that is photo post-processing--my Panasonic came with a program called Silkypix and I dabbled in that a little bit, but not enough to know what I was actually doing. I did buy my Canon new, but it only came with two CDs -- one says "Canon Solutions Disk" and the other says something like "Software Instruction Manual". I'm waiting for the weekend to load them because I know I'll be up half the night messing with the stuff once I have it in front of me. Thanks for the recommendation on Lightroom - I will keep an eye out for sales and pick up a copy soon. Probably go ahead and pick up "Lightroom for Dummies" too; I'm sure I'll need it. Gotta love new toys. :)

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Bryon-

 

Adobe has some great, great instructional videos on their website for Lightroom. Julianne Kost has maybe 1 1/2 dozen videos, each about 15 minutes long, on how to do just about anything in LR from importing images, to making adjustments, to printing, to making a "book", to uploading to the web. Highly recommend these videos.

 

Bill

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Bryon-

 

Go to Adobe's website, look for Lightroom, and find AdobeTv with instructional tutorials on LR. Highly recommend these videos, as she uses screen shots of LR on her PC to walk you through the steps.

 

Bill

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Bryon-

 

Adobe has some great, great instructional videos on their website for Lightroom. Julianne Kost has maybe 1 1/2 dozen videos, each about 15 minutes long, on how to do just about anything in LR from importing images, to making adjustments, to printing, to making a "book", to uploading to the web. Highly recommend these videos.

 

Bill

Thanks Bill! I will definitely do that.

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Had the opportunity to do some shooting with the new camera last weekend, and I have to say I am loving my new toy. :) I tagged along with my kids' church youth group when they went sledding Saturday. I shot in shutter priority mode as I wanted to capture "action" shots, which I was able to do, but I screwed up and didn't check the white balance setting before I started. It was set on "tungsten", so all my potentially lovely outdoor shots looked like they were shot through a blue lens. To make matters worse, I forgot to set it to shoot RAW files, so there was very little I could do with the editing software that came with the camera (DPP). So it was a learning experience. :) Sunday was bright and sunny and I got some more sledding shots with the white balance set properly and practiced shooting in manual. I used the method of picking my shutter speed (again fast for the action shots), then metering on the blue sky above and adjusting the aperture until the meter showed a correct exposure. That seemed to work pretty well.

 

Thanks again for the help, guys - this is fun. :)

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Bryon-

 

Yes, photography is a whole lot of fun. And you're learning fast.

 

One thing that I consider an essential piece of gear is a circular polarizing filter. It really makes the colors "pop" in your image. Every one of my lenses has a CPL.

A CPL also does double duty by protecting the front of the lens from scratches, dirt, rain, etc. Tiffen and Hoya make great CPL's, and they cost around $60 to $80 +/-. which is cheap insurance for the lens. To me so called UV filters don't do anything useful for photography, other than throwing your money at the owners of camera shops.

 

Welcome to the obsession, now you can start developing a "wish list" for your family & friends.

 

Keep shooting!

 

Bill

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Bill,

 

that does sound like a good investment. I will add a CPL to my wish list. :) Does a polarizing filter act like polarized sunglasses and allow the camera to "see" through the glare on water?

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Does a polarizing filter act like polarized sunglasses and allow the camera to "see" through the glare on water?

 

 

Yes it does.

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Does a polarizing filter act like polarized sunglasses and allow the camera to "see" through the glare on water?

 

 

Yes it does.

Sweet - I will want one of those too, then. :)

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