Knowing Your Camera

How well do you know your camera? Are you familiar with it inside and out? Knowing the various controls and how to use them gives more options and adds in your ability to be more creative with the images that you make. Creative controls can vary from camera to camera. It's important for you to know what you have at your disposal and how you can use them to get the kind of images that you want. Today we'll learn about some controls that are usually basic to most digital cameras. I'll even share some things that I discovered when I decided to delve deeper into what my own camera could do.

I'm going to use my Sony DSC-17 consumer digital camera in this demonstration. I purchased this particular camera because of the Zeiss lens. I typically use this for more casual shooting as well as training young, budding photographers.

Common Symbols On Digital Cameras
 
Lightening Bolt
This is the symbol for flash, which lets you know the flash will come on automatically if there is not enough light in the scene to properly expose the image. You may have the option to turn the flash off and that is represented by this symbol  .  What if you are taking photos outside where there is enough light not to use flash? You may decide you want to have the flash on for fill-flash. What's great is that you can turn the flash on manually.

Macro
The macro symbol is usually represented by this flower. This function allows focusing more closely on your subject versus what the normal lens setting permits, allowing you to capture more detail. 

Timer You may have something similar to this which indicates there is a timer. This is something you can use when you want to be in the shot. Set your camera up on a tripod or steady surface and get it focused. Set the timer, quickly get in the photo, and the shutter will release about 10-15 seconds later. Some timers are preset while others allow you to set the number of seconds before release.

Redeye The Red-eye reduction control allows you to avoid the annoying red that can appear in your subjects' eyes.

Do you Know if Your Camera Offers These Options?

Can you switch to manual focus if you choose to? This is handy for quick-focusing on the subject that you want, without waiting for the auto-focus to hone in on the mark.

Do you have the capability to shoot according to scene conditions? My Sony offers a Twilight Mode,   (that may look similar to this)  which allows for shooting night scenes and keeping the realistic look to the dark atmosphere. The shutter speed is lower; so it's wise to use a tripod. Here is a scene taken at Calico Ghost Town using the twilight mode.

Other modes generally available are:
Landscape Mode This is represented by mountains in some form. In this mode, the camera focuses on a distant subject such as scenery like mountains or water.

Portrait Mode   This is usually represented by the figure of a person's head. The focus here is on the subjects in the photograph, with the background being blurred or out of focus.

Does your camera offer a selection of shooting modes? The basics are Shutter-Priority, Aperture-Priority, and Manual. Shutter-Priority allows you to set the shutter speed to catch action shots. Aperture-Priority mode allows you to control what and how much is in focus in your image. If you have the option of Manual settings, this allows you to set the shutter speed and the aperture. I'll be covering these in later segments. The article that comes out the last Friday of the month will focus on gaining technical expertise.

It's so easy to get familiar with the basics of shooting and be comfortable with what we need to know that we sometimes forget there are other things the equipment is capable of doing. I will admit that, though I've had this Sony for a number of years, I had not totally familiarized myself with what else it could do. This camera even has creative functions that allow the special effects of sepia, solarization, and negative art.

Here are some samples I created using the different functions. Granted, I may only use these occasionally. However, knowing what they are and how to utilize them affords me the option to use them effectively.

In this first picture, you'll see a sample where the macro function of the lens was used. I can focus in closer to the center of the rose, getting more of the detail.

Here is another photograph of the underside of a rose. I'm going to apply the different in-camera effects that are available to me. You'll see the results below.

Different In-Camera Effects

 
Sepia

Negative Art

 Solarize

Challenge yourself to know all the functions of your camera. If you do, you'll find a world of creative opportunities opening up to you! If you have any questions about what was covered here, or functions with your own camera, feel free to contact me at joan@theImageMakerOnline.com

Happy Shooting!