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Home , Depth of field, Landscape photography, Panning (camera)

CAMERA SETTINGS FOR

I have often been asked about the best settings (, ISO, speed) to be used in various circumstances. Recently I received the following question from an aspiring photographer: “Which settings to use for landscape in daylight and nighttime?” In fact, the question concerns all essential principles of photography – light and light metering, , , noise etc. and no simple answer is available. In my answer below, I have tried to make a list of the factors to be considered when deciding about the best camera settings, along with some tips.

It goes without saying that there are no definite, ready-made rules, since the choice of a particular setting depends greatly on the photographer’s artistic choice.

f/4, 1/640, ISO 100

f/25, 1/125, ISO 100

The selection of a small or bigger aperture value for example, has a crucial role in defining the depth of field. Although both settings can result in a perfectly illuminated image on a sunny day, it is the artistic intention that will eventually determine the aperture value. It will be useful to look briefly at the effect that each of the above factors has on the final image. A. Light Metering (Photometry)

I have written an article on the principles of Photometry, which you can find on my “Inspirations”.

Light metering is a method used to determine the amount of light required for a perfectly illuminated image (correct exposure). The three variables (camera functions) that determine the exposure of a - referred as the exposure triangle - are: aperture value, and ISO. Combining the above variables, in the appropriate values, the sensor (film) is properly illuminated with the correct amount of light – the amount that has been indicated by the .

The problem is that the light meter does not indicate a specific speed – aperture ratio, but a range of equivalent ratios. For example, t1/60 f/5,6 is equivalent to t 1/125 f/4, in other words both relationships allow the same amount of light to reach the sensor.

The choice of the "right ratio" for these factors belongs to the photographer and depends on how / what he wants to convey through the image. It is an "artistic" decision and cannot depend on an inanimate object, such as our camera. It must be a "Creatively Correct" exposure. To achieve this some essential knowledge about Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed is required.

B. Aperture /

The diaphragm is a thin opaque structure with an opening (aperture) at its center. The role of the diaphragm is to stop the light entering the camera, except for the light passing through the aperture. Its main purpose is to adjust the amount of light reaching our sensor – we use small aperture when there is plenty of light, bigger in low light conditions.

But this takes no account of a much more important function of the diaphragm - its ability to determine the depth of field.

What is depth of field? It is the area of the frame in which everything is in . In the remaining areas, the image is blurred. In other words, by changing the lens’s aperture value, we can achieve clarity in every area of the frame, or in the contrary, focus only in a small area of interest leaving the rest of the image blurred, as is the case with the above images.

Which factors affect the depth of field? The main variable on which the depth of field depends is the aperture value - large aperture (e.g., 1.4) means a shallow depth of field and vice versa. The other two factors are the distance of the subject (the closer the subject the narrower the depth of field), and the of the lens (the larger the focal length –as is the case in , the narrower the depth of field).

Is a shallow DoF always undesirable? Absolutely not. Our choice is determined by our theme and the way we want to portray it. With a deep Depth of Field, we have all elements focused throughout the image, while on the contrary with a shallow DoF, we isolate the subject from its environment that appears blurry. The most common use of the shallow depth of field is in , while a wide DoF is used in . 1. Storytelling Apertures. Like every story, our photo has a beginning (foreground), middle and end (background). So, for those cases where we want clarity in the whole image (telling the whole story), choosing a small aperture is necessary.

f/16, 1/125, ISO 200, 28mm

These compositions typically require a wide-angle lens. This lens has the characteristic that it portrays the elements smaller (since it includes a larger part of the scene) and drives them to the background. Therefore, it is important in these cases that we have an interesting object in the immediate foreground.

Where should we focus on when we get storytelling compositions? With a very small diaphragm (f/16 or even f/22) and a wide-angle lens when we focus at a distance of 2 meters from our feet, then anything that is more than a meter from the camera will be in focus. Do not include anything that is closer than 1 meter.

2. Isolating apertures. Using large apertures (e.g. 1.4), the subject will be focused, while the objects in the fore- and background will gradually become more blurred (out of focus). The clarity of the image is consciously limited to a specific area of the frame, leaving the other areas out of focus - just tones and forms. The purpose of selective focus is to give visual weight to the main subject. It is the so-called visual law or visual weight -what is focused is perceived by the eyes and the mind as most important.

f/1.4, 1/800, ISO 100, 75 mm

Compact and depth of field. Cameras with built-in lenses deserve a special mention here since: 1. they do not have a wide-angle lens, so storytelling compositions will rarely be completely successful. 2. They have a huge depth of field (the equivalent of 2.8 in these cameras is f11!). As a result, our photos are usually focused, and we can use slow shutter speeds in low lighting conditions - thus reducing the need for a . So, what are the disadvantages? 1. It is almost impossible to isolate our object using small depth of field. 2. Usually manual focus is not a feature and finally 3. They produce a small file that is unsuitable for large prints. Of course, technology is evolving, and these drawbacks are gradually being corrected.

3. Who cares apertures (When we do not care about DoF). It mainly concerns cases where all objects in the frame are at the same distance from the camera – e.g., a model leaning in a wall. In these cases, it is advisable to use apertures in the “sweet spot” of our camera, usually f8-f11, as they give more sharpness and contrast.

C. ISO

Increasing the camera's ISO values is extremely useful in difficult light conditions, but there is a serious downside to this - " noise". Noise is tiny dots or specks in the image that are generated when the sensitivity is amplified in order to record environments with insufficient light. The higher the ISO values, the more noise will be obvious in the image. With few exceptions, when noise is desirable to achieve a certain atmosphere, the advice is to keep the ISO in the lowest possible values.

D. Shutter Speed

The role of the shutter is to allow the light to enter the camera for a certain length of time. Shutter speed has a crucial role in various motion effects, whether it's camera motion or the movement of our subject during the exposure. Fast shutter speeds freeze the movement and allow the viewer to observe the details of the subject, while slow shutter speeds show the motion as blurriness and emphasize on the movement of the object.

f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 100

f/11, 30 sec, ISO 100, ND filter used Consequently, the two situations where the shutter speed should be our first priority are: A. Scenes that offer motion - or cases where we apply motion (ICM – intentional camera movement) and B. Low light conditions when we shoot without a tripod.

Some tips and examples:

1. Minimum shutter speed for handheld shots. This is the lower speed for avoiding shaking of the camera. An empirical rule says that the threshold is the value closest to the number of the focal length we use – for example, if you are working with a 50mm lens, then try not to shoot with shutter speed lower than 1/60. If you are shooting with a 200mm lens, then the minimum required speed is 1/200. Proper holding of the camera and the use of lenses with Vibration Reduction technology allow up to 4 stops slower shutter speed. However, it is advisable to use shutter speeds of at least 1/60 for handheld shots, in order to be on the safe side.

2. Freezing motion. It is about photographing fast-moving objects. They change their position during the exposure and are consequently recorded in multiple locations in the frame, thus appearing blurred in the final image. When this is not our intention, then we need faster shutter speeds to prevent our theme from showing in various positions. This is called freezing. Obviously, the faster the object moves, the faster the shutter speed should be. Some empirical rules are: Walking man at least t/60, Running man t/125 up to 1/250, Fast moving car and dropping water = t/1000. But in order to be safe, the fastest available shutter speed should be used.

Harold Edgerton’s famous experiments, using super-fast shutter speeds of a few nanoseconds, are a perfect illustration of freezing motion (or stop-action) photography. Bellow an example of a bullet passing through a lamp.

The three variables that affect the ability to freeze motion are: a. the distance of the object - the closer to the camera, the faster the speed must be, b. the direction of the moving object - the more vertical the direction of motion to the camera’s axis, the faster the required speed and c. The choice of the lens - wider lenses allow for lower shutter speeds.

3. Motion Blur - Images indicating movement. If the photographer’s intention is to blur the moving object, then slower shutter speeds must be used.

When the camera is fixed (eg on a tripod) and there are moving objects in the frame, then we have the opportunity to suggest motion in our image. The moving object will be blurry, while the nonmoving objects will be sharp. Waterfalls, vehicles, trains, pedestrians, cyclists are some proper subjects. Other, not so obvious themes are a hammer hitting a nail, coffee poured into a glass, carousel horses in the amusement park, fans, even flowers blowing in the wind.

f/9, 10 sec, ISO 100, 4 stops ND filter

There are some helpful guidelines to be followed when the intention is to indicate movement. ½ second is enough to give cotton texture to the waterfall or stream. An 8 second will record the red and yellow lines of the moving cars on a motorway, while ¼ of a second is enough to show moving hands. Finally, 1-2 minutes are usually enough to achieve the misty appearance of a long exposure image of the sea, while a longer time is needed for the same effect on a cloudy sky - depending on the wind’s speed, a 4-10 minutes exposure is necessary.

f/18, 365 sec, ISO 164, 13 stops ND filters

4. Denoting motion on still objects. Can still objects appear blurred as if moving? There are 2 techniques that allow us to do that. The first is called Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) where the camera moves during the exposure for a creative / artistic effect. The objects move across the recording medium during the exposure producing an apparent streaking or blurring in the resulting image. The process involves the selection of a proper aperture and the use of filters to achieve a suitable shutter speed. In general, exposures of 1/20 to 1/2 second give the best results with the optimum appearing to be 1/8 of a second, to retain the shape of the subject, while at the same time blurring the details.

The second technique is to zoom (change the focal length) during shooting. Some practice is required (and obviously a ), while for fully automated cameras (point and shoot) this is practically impossible.

f/4, 1/10 sec, ISO 1600, 10mm, zoom in during the exposure

5. Revelation of the invisible. In low light conditions (night scenes, indoors, night sky etc), where the eye cannot perceive details, a minimum amount of light is sufficient, combined with long exposure times to record the invisible objects in the film. As mentioned in the chapter on photometry where the light meter fails to “read” the scene due to insufficient lighting, we have 2 options. The 1st one is to increase the ISO (3200 or more). If under these conditions the light meter gives us values, but we still want to shoot at 100 ISO, then we must calculate the stop difference from 100 to 3200 ISO (= 5stop). If this method does not work, we can try various shutter speeds with the hope that one of them will give us an acceptably illuminated image.

6. . In fact, a subcategory of the ICM. Panning is a photographic technique that combines a slow shutter speed with camera motion to create a sense of speed around a moving object. It is a way to keep your subject in focus while blurring your background. Panning is typically done on a subject moving horizontally, such as a moving car, or a running dog. The photographer moves his camera in parallel and at the same speed with his theme. Usually slow speeds are required - 1/30 to 1/4 sec. Note also that motion tracking should be as smooth as possible.

Also important for successful panning is the background. A background without details (a monochrome wall), is inappropriate for the panning technique.

f/16, 1/20 sec, ISO 100, 55mm, panning

After analyzing the essential camera settings and their role in various artistic aims, I’ll try to summarize the common minimal requirements for a successful image in daylight and low- light conditions.

E. Camera Settings in various situations

Hand held exposure – minimum shutter speed 1/60 Maximum motion freezing – car racing, flying birds etc –shutter speed less than 1/500 – 1/1000 will be ideal. Maximum Depth of field – aperture values smaller than f/11. Maximum depth of field and freezing motion - for example f/22, t1/1000. Minimum Depth of field and Long Exposure - For example f/2,8 for a shallow depth of field and t1min to record motion. Long Exposure in Sunny days. You can find some tips in one of my previous posts. . A large Depth of Field is usually required when shooting grand vistas, for every part of the image to be in focus. Aperture values of f/16 or smaller and a low ISO (100-200) will ensure a perfectly focused and noiseless image. As usually the sky is included in this type of photography, a graduated ND filter will help to reduce its brightness.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, using the “Comments” form.