Hey there beautiful people! Welcome back to Photo & Fashion. I’m so glad you’re here! Today I’m going to give some more photography tips, but these will be for those of you who own a DSLR camera. Of course you can still get great shots on your phone, but when you want to take your photography to the next level, a digital camera is most likely what you’re looking for. This post is geared towards beginners, so if you’re a more advanced photographer, stay tuned for later blogposts that will be more applicable to you!
Now, as a beginner photographer, you’re probably shooting in “Auto.” I know I was when I started out. It’s very important to begin learning the ways of shooting in “Manual,” so that your photos are more attuned to your personal aesthetic, and come out nicer looking in general. I know from personal experience that shooting in manual can be scary and confusing, but if you practice, it will become second nature to you in no time!
Realize that when you’re playing around with your settings in manual mode, it all depends on what you’re shooting, and where you’re shooting it. Changes in setting, lighting, and subject are the main things that contribute to needing to change your settings. I won’t lie and say I’m a technical expert understanding every tiny interworking of a camera, but I do understand the basic concepts and what you need to set these numbers at to achieve the look you desire.
Shutter Speed.
Here is a blogpost explaining more in depth about shutter speed; https://photographylife.com/what-is-shutter-speed-in-photography. Basically, the higher the number is after the “1/,” the more still the photo will appear. For example, I tend to have this setting around “1/250” for portraits. If you’re going for an artsier look where there is motion seen in the photo, you lower the number. The lower it goes, the more motion you will see in your photo. For example; “1/25” will show plenty of motion. How you set your shutter speed will also depend on the lighting situation. The darker the lighting, the lower that second number will have to be. I know it’s kind of confusing being that there’s more than one function for this particular setting, but trust me, in time you will get the hang of it!
ISO.
Your ISO is your main setting regarding lighting. Here’s a blogpost explaining what it is more in depth; https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography. To put it simply, the darker the lighting situation, the higher your ISO will need to be. On a typical day, if I’m shooting outside in the sun, I have my ISO set at 200. If I’m shooting in a dimly lit room, I usually have it set at 1600.
Aperture.
Here is a blogpost explaining more in depth about aperture; https://www.techradar.com/how-to/first-camera-crash-course-simple-solutions-for-mastering-your-new-camera. A lot of photographers refer to the aperture setting as the “F stop.” The higher the number is after the “F,” the more in focus the entire photo will be. If you want the background to be out of focus / blurred, with your subject at the focal point, you must begin to lower the number after the “F.”
I hope you will continue your Photo & Fashion journey by shooting in manual. You’re definitely on your way to shooting the best photos you can! I would love to see your manually shot photos; you can always tag me https://www.instagram.com/josephineadair/?hl=en on Instagram. Thanks so much for reading and I will see you again very soon!
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