The Reference Charts below illustrates the three exposure variables, benefits and trade-offs, common ranges of adjustments, and how to gain or reduce light to balance a good exposure.
Adjustments Overview
Fine-tuning your camera settings often times helps to make an average photo great. By learning the capabilities of your camera and when to use certain settings and fine-tune adjustments, finding the right setting will become familiar and easy. Two essential things to do at some point are to refer to your camera’s user manual to…
Select Auto-Focus Mode
Most DSLR cameras have three AUTO-FOCUS modes in which to function. Your choice of function will determine how the camera achieves focus on your subject. *TIP* To focus on your subject without taking an image, press the shutter button half way down. There might also be a button option on the back of the camera…
AF-Point Selection
One of the least used but best features of your DSLR camera is the ability to select the point your camera uses to focus on a subject. This control allows for framing photographs creatively (e.g. using the rule of thirds) in the camera; thereby removing the need to crop later. The button, or menu…
AF-ON button
Some cameras have an alternative method for focusing – other than holding the shutter button part-way down. On my Canon 40D this is done through a button labeled AF-ON. The AF-ON button on Canon and Nikon DSLRs can serve a few functions depending on the options in your camera’s custom settings. Refer to your manual…
Auto Exposure Braceting
Exposure Bracketing is a feature available on most digital cameras that allows you to take three images at three different exposure values (Ev) with just one click of the shutter button. One image uses the original setting, then a second image is created by changing the exposure value to underexpose the image (less light), and…
Auto-Exposure Lock
A useful feature on DSLR cameras is the button (or buttons) designated to lock the exposure, or lock the focal point. Refer to your user manual for the method/button of controlling these features as they vary extensively with camera models. Canon (pictued left) may use a button labeled with an asterisk (*) but on some…
White Balance
White balance is not nearly as complicated as it used to be, but for that reason, White Balance is a customizing feature that rarely gets accessed – though in some situations it will benefit the overall image tone. The image to the left shows four White Balance settings; Auto, Daylight, Shade (cloudy), and Tungsten….
Custom White Balance
If you experience properly exposed photos that appear to be off in color tone, and have not been able to correct the issue with one of the camera’s pre-set color balance options, the Custom White Balance will likely give you the results you’re looking for. Each for of light (sunlight, shade, fluorescent, etc.) has a…
Exposure Compensation
Another extremely useful camera feature to master is the Exposure Compensation – sometimes expressed as (Ev). This features allows for quick exposure adjustments to an image that is just slightly too light, dark, or with shadows or highlights that are too extreme. Exposure Compensation allows the user to fine tune the exposure without changing ISO,…