Is it normal to feel like I am changing my settings all the time?

[Stacy Morin]

I feel like I am constantly switching my aperture and shutter speed and focal point all the time and making the person being photographed have to wait till I am ready to shoot! I shoot Manual and use the meter in the viewfinder to find the "correct" exposure. I also toggle my focus point, and it just feels like I am always moving stuff around and my poor model is waiting on me! Is this normal?

 

[sscarmack]

Extremely normal...I rarely switch my shutter speed though, as I keep it around 1/250th, since I usually shoot with strobes.

But I'm always adjusting my aperture or iso, and like you mention, focus point.

I've been trying to shoot more portrait photos, since I usually get stuck in landscape mode.

So I'm always fiddling with my camera.

The best thing to do is interact with the model and I love showing the model the photos I've taken, so we are both on the same page.

So this gives me a little time to think what I want to do as she's viewing the photos and what not.

 

[Braineack]

take it out of M and use A or S, that will cut your fiddle time in half and you'll end up with the exact same settings.

 

[pgriz]

Unless the light keeps changing, or the subject you're photographing is moving around and has wildly-differing colors on them, it's really not needed. I select an exposure based on the ambient light, and the DOF I'm trying to get, and keep it at that unless something about the light or the reflectance changes. If you are reacting to your camera's light-meter, then depending on whether you're including a portion of the sky in the image, you will have readings that will jump all over the place. Find out the proper exposure for your main subject, and then keep with it.

 

[runnah]

take it out of M and use A or S, that will cut your fiddle time in half and you'll end up with the exact same settings.

Agreed. I use manual mode only when shooting landscapes, doing fancy effects or using strobes. The rest of the time it's so much easier to just use Av or Tv mode. Especially when shooting wildlife or sports.

 

[lambertpix]

Incidentally, this is why I recommend people look at ergonomics when shopping for cameras -- it's really, really helpful to have camera controls that work with you to make these changes easily. Higher-end cameras tend to have more controls for the settings you need to change most frequently, vs. burying them in menu settings, which cuts down significantly on the time needed to adjust them. In most cases, you should be able to change stuff like aperture, shutter speed, and focus point without taking your eye off the viewfinder. I'm with runnah, btw on Av or Tv -- that's likely to help quite a bit. I use exposure compensation to nudge exposure up or down relative to the metered setting when needed -- this will ideally also be a finger-tip control.

 

[chuasam]

The change takes about 5 seconds, you lean to banter to keep up the Energy.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[KmH]

Using a camera that has a good layout for the exposure setting controls allows changing exposure settings in only 1 or 2 seconds.

Nikon and Canon DSLRs that have an adjustment wheel each for shutter speed and aperture make using Manual mode easier.
If your camera only has 1 wheel for adjusting shutter speed and aperture it will take longer to adjustments.
If the ISO and white balance settings are buried somewhere down in the menus instead of being accessible with a button or switch on the outside of the camera you can't change settings as fast.

When shooting using Manual mode keeping a close eye on the camera's light meter should be a habit.
If you use aperture or shutter speed priority then you also need to keep a close eye on those exposure settings the camera is adjusting for you.

I really like the way Nikon's prosumer grade DSLRs have the ISO, White Balance, and Quality buttons on top of the left hand side Mode Dial and have the shutter speed and aperture command wheels on the right hand side.
I can quickly change settings without having to remove my eye from the viewfinder.

 

[bratkinson]

As Pgriz noted above, unless your subject is moving between strong lighting differences, changing settings for most of your shots is generally unnecessary. OK, so the subject moves to slightly dimmer lighting... adjusting lighting in post processing by 1/2 stop should pose any problems. Moves from shade to sunlight or vice-versa, make adjustments, take a test shot, adjust again if needed, then shoot away.

Alternatively, using aperture priority (Av in Canon-speak) to get the desired DOF will solve a lot of your problems. As far as focal point selection, my 'trick' is to 'shoot wide' and crop as needed in post. Wearing glasses all the time makes shooting wide 'normal' for me, as my eye is 'set back' from the viewfinder.

 

[Stacy Morin]

Thanks for all the tips! I am really trying to hone my skills with Manual Mode and getting good Exposures every time I click. So when I move into Aperture only-I feel like I am cheating again But under pressure with a model/client in front of me I guess I shouldn't worry about cheating right? I have only been shooting for practice anyway for now to get my skills polished!

 

[Overread]

A few thoughts:

1) Aperture priority isn't cheating. What happening is that you are defining the aperture and the ISO - you are then also pointing the camera the scene, selecting the metering mode and metering the scene (half shutter press). The camera then reads the light, takes into account the settings you've set and then sets the shutter speed based off those results. It's no different to setting aperture and ISO in manual mode and then adjusting the dial for shutter speed to get the needle in the middle - just that the camera does it and the camera does it faster.

You've also got exposure compensation incase you want to over or under-expose from the meter reading.

2) Banter - talk to your client and keep up a rapport. The more experience you get with both the camera and talking the smoother the process will go.

3) Part of this is experience; when you've a smaller body of experiences to draw from each shot can be a learning curve of itself; so yes you will take a little longer, but its something that will typically reduce in time as you gain more experience.

4) Don't rush. If you panic and rush that will carry over to your model/client who will pick up on it. Relax, take your time, remember the time is alreadybooked and you're both there for a great shot, nothing less. So take that time to get the shot right.

Banter can help fill the quiet gap, or if you find it hard to do you can always use very low quiet background music (if you've any controlled studio area you can use). Again you're masking over the quiet and the preparation time with something that isn't going to dominate the situation.

 

[astroNikon]

When I do sports I do it in Manual. I've found Aperture and Shutter priorities aren't really my friend as I prefer a certain aperture and a certain shutter.

So In Manual I'll select my Aperture, and my Shutter speed and put ISO on AUTO ISO

Of course there are situations where I have to change it to keep exposure correct, or maybe on a really bright day I'll add a 1 stop ND filter, or CPL to make sure it's not too bright. But I tend to use Manual now most of the time.

Doing photos of people I just adjust fast. The exposure bar really helps in that. You know the aperture you want for the shot, and you want to be at 1/125 or higher to prevent any movement blur in a studio flash setting I go for 1/200 shutter.

 

[Gary A.]

I'd stay in manual ... manual provides more control over the exposure and allows you to better observe and respond to shifting light and subjects.

If your shoot a posed and stationary subject, I would think that you'd need only one reading until a repositioning ... then another reading. You can rough set your shutter speed/aperture/ISO prior to positioning your subject, then fine tune them when all is ready.

Something I always harp about it to harmonize with your equipment. In order to consistently shoot stationary subjects quickly or to capture timing critical moving subjects, one should 'harmonize' with their equipment. After extensive use the camera and your hands are one and the lens is an extension of your eyes. Even before you look through the viewfinder you have mentally previsualzed the final image and you have a rough idea of what settings you'll need in order to capture an image that reflects your mental image. At this point your finger work in a semi-automatic mode adjusting the setting while you fine tune your framing and vision.

In summary, it is all about shooting. Photography is a craft and a science. The craft part can be improved by doing ... repetitiously. If you want to improve your photography shoot ... then shoot again ... and at the end of the day when you think you're all done ... shoot again.

Gary

 

[Derrel]

2) Banter -

3) Part of this is experience; when you've a smaller body of experiences to draw from each shot can be a learning curve of itself; so yes you will take a little longer, but its something that will typically reduce in time as you gain more experience.

4) Don't rush.

Very good insights.

 

[Stacy Morin]

Thanks everyone for your insights!!