Creative photography

[timinator]

Hi, are there any "rules of thumb" for correct shutter speed /aperture settings when shooting in manual mode? I know there are numerous factors but I just need a place to start. Like say I'm shooting pictures of my car from about 10 feet away in afternoon daylight.

or
shooting birds on a feeder from about 20 feet away - same light.

Thanks

[bdery]

Welcome back!

There are a few rules to remember. These are guidelines and not unbreakable, though.

-Always shoot with a speed that's the reverse of your focal length (in 35 mm equivalent). For example, if your camera is a 36-110 mm, and you shoot at full telephoto (110 mm), then you should use a speed of 1/110 or faster to avoid blur caused by yourself. The faster the speed, the least blur there will be.

-For a slowly moving subject (human walking, etc) a speed of 1/250 should be enough to stop the action. For a faster subject (human running) try 1/500. You might need to adjust those values if the subject is moving towards you, or away from you, or laterally.

-The larger the aperture (smaller f-number) the shallower the depth of field. For a landscape, use a small aperture. For a portrait, use a large aperture. Most cameras deliver their best results (sharpest) when you use an aperture between f4.5 and f5.6 but this depends on the lens. Those are simply the usual mid-values and that's where you get the least diffraction effects.

-Remember that generally, when you zoom the widest aperture decreases. So if you set your aperture to the widest at wide angle, then zoom, your aperture value will probably change.

Related readings:

Aperture and shutter

http://www.digicamhelp.com/difference-between-aperture-shutter-priority-modes/index.htm

http://www.digicamhelp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=working;action=display;num=1129303966

Exposure

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/camera-techniques/control-over-exposure.htm

[pentachris]

I'm a photography novice, but I'm pretty sure that:

The proper exposure required for afternoon daylight facing SW at 30 degrees latitude in August is quite different than the exposure required for afternoon daylight facing NE at 45 degrees latitude in January.

Start with what your light meter says, and make adjustments from there.

[pentax]

hi,

i found this site by doing a search about shutter speed and aperture. much appreciate the information. glad to have found this site. i'll have more questions.  

peter