Outdoor photographers often encounter lighting situations with such a wide range of tones that it’s difficult or impossible to capture a properly exposed image in just one shot. Under such conditions, if you expose for the highlights, shadows are crushed. Conversely, if you expose for the shadows, highlights are blown out.
Back-button focus is a popular technique among experienced wildlife, sports, and nature photographers. The tutorial below demystifies this powerful focusing method and explains how to use it for faster, more precise results.
EV-Compensation is an important concept to understand if you want to consistently capture properly exposed images in the camera. Also known as Exposure Compensation, this setting is a feature in just about any camera you own, and when used properly it often eliminates the necessity of balancing tones during the editing process.
There are a bunch of misconceptions about ISO settings that can hold you back when shooting in the field. Some photographers always shoot at ISO 100 in attempt to avoid noise, while others choose the highest setting available to eliminate camera and subject movement when photographing motion.
We often discuss the ramifications of various exposure modes offered by today's modern cameras, and most of the time these tutorials involve a choice between Manual mode and Aperture Priority. But what about the oft-ignored Shutter Priority mode, and when and how should you use it?
OK, be honest here: Your camera has an AE-L/AF-L button, right? Do you understand how it works? Are you using it regularly? If you’re like many photographers, your answer to the first question is, “sure,” to the second question, “I think so,” and to the third question, “not really.”
Once photographers set up a new camera, they tend to use the same functions over and over again, without investigating other capabilities that can really make a difference. In the quick tutorial below you’ll be encouraged to give an overlooked feature a try, and we’re convinced that better images will be the result.
Pentax has been making diligent efforts to keep DSLRs alive, but there's no doubt that the rest of the photo industry has shifted to mirrorless cameras—likely for good. So, with this dramatic shift in technology, why are we posting the comparison below?
(Editor’s Note:Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Bob Davis, with great tips for shooting sharp photos of wildlife and birds in flight.
Just about all cameras used for serious photography, and even many point-and-shoot models, enable users to choose how light in a scene is measured. The video below will help you understand the options available, and when one works better than the others.
Are multiple exposures a happy accident or a stroke of creative genius? Well, that depends if you created the image with intention or if it was a fortunate mistake. This tutorial from the Adorama TV YouTube channel explains everything you need to know for giving images a unique look by creating impressive double exposures in the camera.
If you’ve never used a hand-held light meter, the difference between incident and reflected exposure readings may be unfamiliar. It’s a very important distinction that helps explain why many photographers invest in a hand-held meter, despite the sophisticated exposure capabilities of today’s advanced digital cameras.
Today’s modern digital cameras offer insanely high ISO options, and conventional wisdom is to avoid them and go no higher than at least two settings below the maximum. But according to one top pro, there are times when is OK to use the highest ISO setting available.
Admit it: You typically shoot in Aperture or Shutter Priority mode, and are pleased with your images. Yet you’re nagged by the nonsense that, you’re not a “real” photographer unless you use Manual Mode.
So you're thinking about retiring your trusty DSLR because that's what everybody's been doing. After all, that's the undeniable trend of our industry, with very few new DSLRs on the market and even fewer coming down the pipeline.