NewsBeat

February 2023 NewsBeat 15 sunny day using auto, you probably had a high percentage of shots that were usable straight from the camera, with little, or no, adjustment. I love those days. But on that same sunny day, if you shot soccer for a game, then shot a baseball game, you probably noticed a huge differ- ence between the two sets of photos when looking at the players' faces. Why? Hats! On those sunny days, if you want to see eyes under the bills of the hats, auto exposure doesn't really work. The same can happen with any activity where there are high contrasts. Sports like lacrosse and football as well as outdoor activities where people are wearing hats or the photos have a mix of shadows and sun. It can be tricky. If you've felt the pain of downloading lots of photos that had the potential of being great shots, but were ruined because important parts of the image were too dark, or too bright, you're not alone. This is one example of where auto expo- sure won't work. Others include shooting kids sledding in the snow, or skiing, or a sunny day on the beach or sometimes even activities on concrete. The extreme whites can sometimes have your camera making the subject of the photo, the part you real- ly want to show, too dark. Learning how to use your camera on the manual settings, so that you control what the aperture, shutter, and ISO are set at for the lighting you're aiming for, can make all the difference in the world. I suggest you practice that every chance you get. However, if you're new enough to pho- tography that setting your camera man- ually is a bit daunting, may I suggest you learn how to use exposure compensation. In many cases, this simple, little change on your camera can save your photos. Take shooting in the snow, for example. Your camera wants to set your exposure at X, but you want the photo lighter than that. Instead of just hoping to fix it in Photo- shop, open your camera a bit by adjusting the exposure compensation to let more light in than the camera wants to on auto. So you're on auto, but with a little more control from you. Just remember to set it back to 0 after you're done with that light- ing situation. Buy the book There are a lot of other things we need to learn to help us capture a better photo, instead of hoping to fix it later, but these are the big ones for me. I was so comfort- able with my Canons as I've learned how to set them over the years, but this new Sony is driving me nuts. There are so many features and settings that either my other cameras didn't have, or the names were dif- ferent, so I'm kind of starting from scratch with it. And the manuals with these cameras aren't much help, really. I would suggest buying a book on how to use your camera. Not just a general photography book, but one written exactly for the model of camera you're shooting. And if you're shooting an older camera, you might find the books you need on eBay for a bargain. I've learned there are two huge benefits from this. One is, they explain how to use the camera in your hands and two, they explain how to use it in the context of tak- ing better photos, not assuming you are an expert. So if it's explaining how to set the aper- ture, for example, they not only show you how to change what F stop you're shooting at, they explain why and how it can impact your photos. I just ordered a couple for my new Sony. And I can guarantee you that my next set of shots will be better than the last and, as time goes on, I'll rely less and less on Pho- toshop to do my homework for me. Russell Viers is an international speaker and trainer who teaches production tech- niques for graphic designers. In addition to speaking live, he offers training online through is site www.digiversity.tv. Erica Miller of The Daily Gazette of Schenectady captured this snow shot a•er a January storm. The colorful photo also highlights wonderful details of the snow..

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