Aperture Priority (AV) Mode Settings

[Beauty Through a Lens]

I want to solely use Aperture mode on my Nikon D5100 (then slowly get into Manuel but we'll save that for later).

What range should my Aperture be in for the following scenes?

• Landscape

• Macro

• Portrait (1-2 people)

• Portrait (3-4 people)

• Portrait (5 or more)

• Wildlife (Something between the size of a dear - a bear)

• Birds (Not moving)

• Fast moving objects (like birds flying, sports, etc)

• Sunset

• Slight house

• Airplane

• Train

Also is there a pattern or something for how much you should increase (or decrease) the exposure for every time you increase (or decrease) the aperture (<-- Sorry if that isn't the correct term). Is there anything you can buy (under $20) or make that will help you get the correct amount of exposure or is it just trail and error?

[Donald]

There are two tutorials here on CiC that, I suggest, should be a first port of call to understanding about aperture. This one and this one.

A reading of these should enable you to start forming ideas about what aperture you'd might be thinking about for the extensive list you've provided. As you go through your list, you'll be wanting to ask, 'For a shot like this, do I want a narrow or wide depth-of-field?'

The answer to that question is going to guide you in terms of the aperture setting you'll want.

[Polar01]

Adrian I truly think you are trying to overthink this. I all depends on how you want the image to appear as to which aperture that you select. There is no set aperture setting for a set scene, only in the end your own judgement and that takes practice and then more practice and then studying those images you took to see if you go the look or feel that you want as an artist.
As for the anything you can buy or make that will help get the correct exposure, you are in luck there is, it is called your histogram and it came with your camera fee of charge. Study and learn how to read your histogram as it is the best tool you will have next to experience. Case in point most pros even with years of experience still look at their histograms, and why do they still look, it is called experience.

Cheers: Allan

[dje]

There are two tutorials here on CiC that, I suggest, should be a first port of call to understanding about aperture. This one and this one.

A reading of these should enable you to start forming ideas about what aperture you'd might be thinking about for the extensive list you've provided. As you go through your list, you'll be wanting to ask, 'For a shot like this, do I want a narrow or wide depth-of-field?'

The answer to that question is going to guide you in terms of the aperture setting you'll want.

Adrian I too think it's important to get an understanding of Depth of Field and the influence that aperture, focal length and focus distance have on it. In the second tutorial referenced by Donald, there is a link which opens up a DOF calculator. Have a look at this and plug some numbers in to get a feel of how different parameters affect DOF.

It would be dangerous for us to try and come up with a list of apertures for each of your cases listed as it depends on the exact circumstances. But generally you'll be looking at smaller apertures in the range f/8 to f/11 for landscape (to get good DOF) and larger apertures in the range f/2.8 to f/4 for portrait to get some nice background blur that makes the subject standout. You need to be careful though not to go to too shallow a DOF with portraits of several people as you can end up with only some sharply in focus.

To answer your last question, if you are in Aperture Priority mode, when you change the aperture, the camera will automatically assess exposure and adjust shutter speed to keep the exposure correct. You don't need any external device. Also you can use Auto ISO mode with Aperture Priority and this will allow the camera to automatically adjust ISO and SS to maintain good exposure.

Dave

[Manfred M]

Adrian - There is no simple answer to your question or cookbook approach, as others have said. I shoot Aperture Priority for probably 85% of my work, and there I select the appropriate aperture to give me the depth of field I want. There are lots of iOS and Android DoF tools out there, so you might want to look at getting one or two and start figuring out depth of field. Ultimately, when I shoot Aperture Priority, that is what I do. A lot of my portraits are shot wide open to give me an extremely shallow depth of field and a lot of my landscape work is done at a small aperture to get a large depth of field.

The other 15% or so, I shoot shutter priority, and this is for situations where I am looking to either freeze motion or blur motion and am willing to let depth of field play a secondary role. I will also do this when I am shooting in situations where I don't want to drop below a certain shutter speed. Some street photography and wildlife photography are two instances where I will do this.

The only times I shoot manual is when I don't want the camera to change settings on my. Shooting panoramas is one such situation. The other involves flash photography; studio light work has to be done on manual and I will also use manual for more complex Speedlight shooting.

My suggestion is that you shoot a lot and see what look you are after.

[rpcrowe]

Good advice from all but, perhaps I missed one factor. The DOF is not the only factor to take into consideration when deciding upon the aperture you are selecting. Shutter speed is often as (or more) important than the amount of DOF. Obviously the shutter speed and aperture go hand in hand (along with ISO) as far as the exposure triangle is concerned. However, when shooting fast moving objects, it is often the shutter speed that you are mostly concerned with.

The "David Busch's Compact Field Guides (to the various cameras)" are quite good. In Chapter 7 of the guide to the Canon 7D, there is a section called "Shooting Tips" Which provides suggested settings for various types of photography. I don't use this section too often but suggest that it might be appropriate for beginning photographers. But, I do generally like the Busch Field Guides because the one for the 7D (and I would expect that the same is true with his field guides for other cameras) is primarily concerned with that camera. There are many "Camera Guides" that are filled with general exposure and compensation boilerplate and have only limited information regard the specific cameras they are touted as being guides for. "The (XXX Camera) Snapshots to Great Shots" is a series that is filled with general boilerplate information and has limited information on the specific camera in its title.

Regarding Manual Mode... I think that beginning photographers are done a great disservice when they are recommended to shoot manual in most instances - especially at the start of their photo learning process. I will only use Manual Exposure Control in a few limited venues such as Manfred mentions, "The only times I shoot manual is when I don't want the camera to change settings on me. Shooting panoramas is one such situation. The other involves flash photography; studio light work has to be done on manual and I will also use manual for more complex Speedlight shooting."

The expertise of a photographer is determined by the quality of the images produced, not by what mode is used to produce those images.

I use mostly AV mode with occasionally TV mode thrown in. I will also occasionally use Programmed Exposure mode! In fact, for the beginner, Programmed Mode is probably the safest starting place, especially when combined with Auto Exposure Control...

[William W]

I want to solely use Aperture mode on my Nikon D5100 (then slowly get into Manuel but we'll save that for later). What range should my Aperture be in for the following scenes?

It is my view that it is pointless even following a thought process that would provide indicative apertures to use based upon THE SUBJECT or GENRE of PHOTOGRAPHY.

Doing so will only stifle creativity; encourage formulated processed outcomes; and reap little or nothing in the manner of education in the Craft.

***

When using Aperture Priority Mode the considerations concerning the CHOICE of Aperture are mainly, but not limited to -

FIRSTLY –
The Aperture is primarily chosen to provide the DEPTH OF FIELD which is the Photographer’s Vision for that particular shot, or series of shots.

SECONDLY -
TWO secondary main considerations in selecting that aperture are:

a) the Shutter Speed that the camera's TTL METER will choose for the lighting scenario and the SHUTTER SPEED RANGE that will develop should the lighting be variable

b) (if selected to AUTO) the ISO RANGE that may likely develop should the lighting be variable

N.B. This second consideration of SHUTTER SPEED RANGE is especially important for moving SUBJECTS so that the Shutter Speed is always adequate to arrest SUBJECT MOVEMENT.

Also the SHUTTER SPEED RANGE is important in regard to the HAND HOLDING ABILITY, so that CAMERA MOVEMENT BLUR is not captured, in the shot.

THIRDLY -
The Tertiary main consideration is, when FLASH is used, the APERTURE chosen has consideration of the MAXIMUM FLASH WORKING DISTANCE (for the chosen ISO)

There are other considerations, but the above considerations will provide an adequate guideline for the APERTURE CHOICE (and range of choice), for most General Photography situations.

***

Here is a practical illustration explaining why it is silly to make a formulated approach to the Aperture selection based upon THE SUBJECT or GENRE OF PHOTOGRAPHY:

Let us take as an example the ‘answer’ to the question “What Range of Aperture to use for a one person Portrait?”

Let’s suppose that one is advised -

“Use F/2.8 to F/4.5 because that will usually give you a narrow Depth of Field which is what you always want for a Portrait, but it won’t be too narrow such to render parts of the face too soft or create such a narrow Depth of Field that you might miss attaining accurate focus and it will be a small increment stopped down from a wide open fast (zoom) lens so that will enhance Image Quality.”

Now, as a practical example, suppose the Photographer walks into the following two different shooting scenarios, with that formulated approach to use Aperture Priority Mode.

In this first shot, the Photographer's Vision was to include in the shot both the Dog’s mud-prints in the foreground and also the Canvas in the background. Moreover the Vision was to place emphasis on BOTH those elements to enhance Sesselmann’s Working Environment (foreground) and also one of his larger Finished Works (background). F/4.5 would not provide the Depth of Field necessary to give adequate sharp focus to those foreground and background elements of this Portrait Image:



*

In this second shot, the Photographer’s Vision was to emphasize the Portrait Subject’s enjoyment (of the experience eating of chocolate). F/2.8 would have not allowed the excessively narrow Depth of Field needed to provide only the Subject’s Tongue in acceptable sharp focus:



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Another example ‘What Aperture to use for Landscape’

Both these Landscapes have a key feature, but vastly different APERTURES were specifically chosen to emphasize each key feature.

In this first shot the Pole and Billboard, as a part of the landscape, was picked out by using a very large aperture, creating a very shallow Depth of Field:


*

In this second shot, the Castle was picked out by the: lighting of the Castle; the colour of the Castle; and the texture of the Castle - on a palate of acceptably in focus background cloud and contrasted to the green in focus foreground grass; therefore a relatively small Aperture was used to make a very large Depth of Field :



*

The list of examples of how silly a formulated approach would be is endless: the “Train” – a Tight Front-on Shot of a Steam-train where shallow DoF is required to emphasize the cow catcher? – or- a Wide Shot of a Multi-carriage Train traversing a Mountainside . . . etc.

***

Also is there a pattern or something for how much you should increase (or decrease) the exposure for every time you increase (or decrease) the aperture (<-- Sorry if that isn't the correct term). [SIZE=1][SIZE=2]

The question does not make sense to me.

If the camera is in Aperture Priority Mode, then the camera’s TTL Light Meter is selecting the Exposure. Any changes that the Photographer makes to the APERTURE, will result in the CAMERA automatically change in either, or both SHUTTER SPEED and (maybe) ISO, depending upon the camera’s functionality and whether Auto ISO is selected. (Regarding the mention of Auto ISO, the answer is general and NOT specific to the Nikon D5100).

Suffice to say: for any one particular shot, when the camera is in "A Mode" and the Photographer changes the Aperture, then the camera will automatically change the SHUTTER SPEED to maintain the same exposure.

*

If the question is referring to EXPOSURE COMPENSATION, then if the camera is in 'A Mode' for any one particular shot, there is NO need to increase or decrease the exposure (i.e. use Exposure Compensation) simply because the Photographer made a change of Aperture.

Exposure Compensation is used to account for variances, irregularities and incompetence of the camera’s TTL METERING SYSTEM.

***

Is there anything you can buy (under $20) or make that will help you get the correct amount of exposure or is it just trail and error?

If this question is referring to the use of Exposure Compensation, then the answer is as already advised – the Histogram (and also ‘Highlight Blinkies’), if your camera has that feature.

WW

[William W]

On the topic of a beginner (or anyone) using – Av(A); Tv(S); P; or M Mode . . .

I think it is very important, in fact THE CRUX of the matter, is NOT to lose sight of the fact that the main objective is to make a ‘correct exposure’.

Let's for the sake of this conversation, assume that near 90% or more of Photographers are using the Camera’s TTL Light Meter. Then, I think it is only logical that more emphasis should be placed upon understanding that TTL Meter’s Functionality and Limitations in all the various METERING MODES to adequately assess what the ‘correct exposure’ will be for any given shooting scenario.

Importantly – there is only a very VERY small amount of different function that the Photographer has to perform to get to that ‘correct exposure’ when the camera is in any of: Av; Tv; P - - - OR - - - M Mode.

In Av; Tv; and P Mode the Photographer simply uses Exposure Compensation to make the ‘correct exposure’

In M Mode, the Photographer simply moves the TTL indicator either above or below the 0 (zero) marker.

I think that way too much fuss, debate and mystery is made over what CAMERA MODE to use and there is not enough and emphasis placed on learning how to use the Light Meter correctly. It seems that since the Light Meter is now part of the camera, a consensus of some is to allow all those exposure decisions to be made by the camera in the early stages of learning and sometimes – forever more.

When there were only Hand Held Light Meters, one “needed to learn” how to use that tool as the FIRST STEP to Photography.

In this respect I don’t think it matters what Camera Mode a novice first chooses to begin to learn The Craft – so long as they learn first how to understand what is the meaning and relevance of the information, that the Camera's TTL Light Meter is providing to them.

WW

[Manfred M]

When there were only Hand Held Light Meters, one “needed to learn” how to use that tool as the FIRST STEP to Photography.

Cameras have had built-in lightmeters for a long time. My first SLR had one, and that was over 40 years ago, although at that point they were not coupled into the camera's controls, so what you have written for those early models was true. The photographer had to move either the aperture ring on the lens or the shutter speed on the camera body to hit a target shown by the meter to set the exposure that was recommended by the meter. Some of the bottom of the line cameras still had no meters, so guessing or handheld meters were in use. By the time I bought my second SLR, a few years later, Aperture Priority automation was a standard feature on many cameras. Shutter priority came came along one generation later. Full automation has been around for a few decades and that continued into the digital age. Of course, the only time we could chose a specific ISO value was when we loaded a roll of film into the camera and whatever ISO was used, would be fixed for that entire roll.

Adrian - I did not answer the second part of your question. On a DSLR, everything is integrated, so you don't need any external device to ensure that the exposure is "right" when changing your aperture, shutter speed or ISO. Your camera will automatically track that for you. The only time you can get into "trouble" is when exceed the performance limits (under or over) by selecting values outside of what your camera can perform (trying to for your camera to get it right on a bright sunny day, with ISO set to 6400 and f/2.8 or take a night shot at ISO 200 at f/22); however your camera will warn you.

If you stick to one of the program modes and are using auto-ISO, your camera wil attempt to pick ISO, aperture and shutter speed that give you the best chance of getting the shot to work.

If you have selected auto-ISO and shoot aperture priority (Av on Canon, A on Nikon) your camera will select the appropriate shutter speed, based on the aperture setting you have selected. The same thing goes for shutter priority (Tv on Canon, S on Nikon); again your camera will select an aperture and ISO setting to match the shutter speed you have selected.

All that being said, your light meter can be fooled when shooting in non-average lighting conditions. Shoot on a snowy day, on a white sandy beach, a scene where there is lots of sky (birds in flight or airplanes in flight) or a night scene, your meter is likely to give you an incorrect reading. That's where the histogram on your camera's screen comes in. If the histogram shows the exposure does not make any sense, they using exposure compensation to override what your light meter is suggesting (or shooting on manual) will be needed to get a correctly exposed shot. Befiore you ask, no, there is no "cookbook" answer to how much compensation is required as each scene is different and doing a test shot / shots and reading your histogram is the best approach while learning. As you get more experience, you can probably take an educated guess at the amount of exposure compensation and get pretty close, even on the first try.

[DanK]

Some excellent advice here already. The way I would sum it up is that you should not look for recipes. Rather, your goal should be learning what effects changing the aperture has and then decide, as Bill has shown concretely, based on what you want the image to look like. Your camera presumably has a depth-of-field preview function that closes down the aperture. You can use that to get an idea whether the aperture you have picked will get you the results you want.

Re this question:

is there a pattern or something for how much you should increase (or decrease) the exposure for every time you increase (or decrease) the aperture (<-- Sorry if that isn't the correct term).

If I understand the question, yes, there is. Start by reading the exposure tutorial on this site. Opening the aperture by one stop, say, from f/8 to f/5.6, doubles the amount of light, so you would compensate by halving the time the shutter is open.

Is there anything you can buy (under $20) or make that will help you get the correct amount of exposure or is it just trail and error?

That's what your camera's meter is for. However, metering is not always simple. For example, sometimes the lighting in a scene is highly variable, and the camera won't know which part you want it to use to set exposure. This is why one of the previous posters suggested that you have to learn how the various metering modes on your camera work. Your camera also presumably will display a histogram after you take a shot. That will tell you whether you need to adjust the exposure from the one you used.

Re the advice about which modes to use: the first part of my answer would be Bill's. They are all just different ways to the correct exposure, so you can use whichever will get you to that exposure most easily. For example, I will generally use manual mode where the lighting is tricky, or if for some other reason I don't want the camera to change the settings. I often use Av if the lighting is such that I trust the metering mode I am using and I want to maintain a fixed shutter speed. And so on.

The second part of the question is pedagogical. If the goal is to learn to frame and compose, it makes sense to leave the camera on an automatic mode. If the goal is to learn how to control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, then leaving the camera in an automatic mode accomplishes nothing. You can't learn to ride a bicycle without getting on a bicycle. From a pedagogical point of view, I prefer manual because then the learner has every setting under her or his control and can see what happens by changing any one of them. As Bill points out, it isn't much different from an operational point of view. If you are in Av or Tv and want to see the effect of an extra stop of exposure, you use exposure compensation. In manual, you simply set the marker one stop higher. However, I don't think the choice of mode is all that critical. The key thing is to study how the various settings affect the image and then practice a lot to see them in action.

[William W]

. . .When there were only Hand Held Light Meters, one “needed to learn” how to use that tool as the FIRST STEP to Photography. . . .

Cameras have had built-in lightmeters for a long time. My first SLR had one, and that was over 40 years ago, although at that point they were not coupled into the camera's controls, so what you have written for those early models was true. . . .

I think that I was not clear enough in the point that I wanted to make. Sorry that I put you to the inconvenience, but thank you, Manfred, for pointing out to me that my comments were not clear enough.

Yes indeed, SLR and also Rangefinder Cameras 40 years ago had inbuilt light meters. But, my point was not about how long a period of time that TTL or attached Light Meters were being used in SLR and Rangefinder Cameras. The point that I wanted to make was about the (structured) Learning of both the Craft and Technical Trade of Photography – much of that structured learning was, even up until more recent times with 5x4 and Medium Format Cameras and (my point) also using Hand Held Light Meters during the initial period of instruction.

The salient point being, that learning how to meter “A Scene” and “The Subject” by both Incident and Reflected Light Meter Readings and learning how to interpret the (Reflected) Meter Readings from various Tones and Colours of Subject was integral to the initial stages of that structured learning.

It does not matter whether the Light Meter is contained inside the camera or if it is an Hand Held Light Meter – but in the most cases, TODAY's learning happens by ONLY using a TTL Meter and as a result of that, it seems to me that that the importance of learning HOW that TTL Meter works and how to use that TTL meter effectively, is not stressed enough.

WW

[William W]

Question to those Experienced Photographers who generally / most of the time, use Av Mode.

Do you folk use Exposure Compensation when you consider that EC is required? (simple 'yes' or 'no' answer please)

If your answer the that question is "YES" - then, you are using M Mode, just by another name, but with the convenience of having the camera automatically initially adjust to any change in the lighting.

The question was not really directed to those Experienced Photographers who generally / most of the time, use Av Mode, because they already know why they are doing what they are doing: but rather the question was a general illustration.

WW

[DanK]

If your answer the that question is "YES" - then, you are using M Mode, just by another name, but with the convenience of having the camera automatically initially adjust to any change in the lighting

Exactly, and that is why I think manual is the best mode for teaching people about control of exposure. Suppose a newbie is out in the field and sets up a shot that is with a nearly fully open aperture. And now suppose that s/he is concerned that the DOF is too shallow, so s/he closes the aperture down by two stops. Now the camera's meter will show the shot as 2 EV underexposed, and the newbie has to compensate somehow because the camera won't compensate. So, s/he has to do something--either slow the shutter down or increase ISO to get that 2 EV back. Doing this himself or herself will help him or her learn about exposure. If the camera does the compensation, she learns nothing about exposure.

The old-style internal meters that both Manfred and Bill mentioned were perfect for this. On my old FTb (my second SLR), you had to line up two needles in the viewfinder, one controlled by aperture and the other controlled by shutter speed. (ISO, of course, was fixed by whatever film was in the camera. This made the tradeoff between aperture and shutter speed obvious. Setting a modern camera to manual mode would be quite close to this. Changing aperture and changing shutter speed both move the indicator at the bottom of the viewfinder, so it is obvious when one uses one setting to compensate for the other.

On both of my Canon bodies, there are two wheels. When in manual mode, one controls shutter speed and the other controls aperture. The direction of rotation is customizable. I have them set so that a clockwise rotation always means "more light". This also would help a newbie learn to trade off shutter speed and aperture. If you move one dial clockwise, you have to move the other one counterclockwise to compensate.

[Saorsa]

Hmmmm, you demand a yes or no answer and then make an assumption based on the result.

What is this a general illustration of?

I use A mode most of the time. I shoot wildlife and a fair amount of closeup work. I like working at or near max aperture but sometimes know that I need to accommodate a brighter or darker subject.

Sometimes you need to accomodate a dark, backlit subject.



Sometimes things can be a bit too bright



I certainly don't see this as manual. I don't need to consider the ISO or Shutter Speed. I can check them if I wish but I don't need to any more than I need concern myself with which of 6 gears my automatic transmission is at any given time.

[Manfred M]

it seems to me that that the importance of learning HOW that TTL Meter works and how to use that TTL meter effectively, is not stressed enough.

I would totally agree with you on that point. Part of the reason, I suspect is that most people pick up a camera and start shooting and never bother learning how to control a camera. I find that many DSLR / mirrorless shooters use their equipment the same way they would use a Point & Shoot.

I'm taking an advanced composition course at the local community college right now, and in my opinion, out of 11 students, only two or three of us are actually advanced enough to get a lot out of the class, the rest are more or less very much at a novice level so far as using the camera and equipment (flash, tripod, etc) and more or less at the same level from a composition standpoint.

I took a studio lighting course at the local community college a few years ago, and the instructor did not cover incident light meters and instead told the class to use the histogram to get the exposure right. I have a lot of respect for the photographer; he is a world class product photographer. I asked him why he didn't he basically said that figured 95% of the class would likely never use studio lights again in their lives, so he was trying to keep things simple and concentrate on the basics and get good results based on the level of knowledge most of the class had. This was the same rationale he used in explaining why he wanted us to work with a single light source (plus reflectors), rather than multi-light setups. I ended up getting myself four studio lights and an incident light meter. I use my flash meter frequently an any studio or any "complex" small flash shoot.

I think in many ways the camera manufacturer's are to blame. They keep telling us about how smart and easy to use their latest offerings are, but forget to point out that they will "fail" under some shooting conditions. They even admit their "guilt" by providing a exposure compensation control.

[William W]

. . . What is this a general illustration of? . . .
I use A mode most of the time. . .

Sometimes you need to accomodate a dark, backlit subject. Sometimes things can be a bit too bright . . . [assumed that means that you use EC when it is necessary]

I certainly don't see this as manual. I don't need to consider the ISO or Shutter Speed. I can check them if I wish but I don't need to any more than I need concern myself with which of 6 gears my automatic transmission is at any given time.

Initially, (I assume) you have indeed checked (considered) the Shutter Speed and also the ISO when you first arrived at any specific shooting scenario.

For example, if you were shooting birds, I expect that you have an idea of the slowest acceptable Shutter Speed for most types birds and also the lenses that you use, so that you don't get either blur due to SUBJECT MOTION or CAMERA SHAKE. And from that experience and knowledge you would choose the ISO to accommodate that Shutter Speed. For example, if it were an overcast day you might select ISO800 – on the other hand if it were a sunny day you might select ISO 200.

That’s what it is an illustration of – you have INITIALLY considered and selected the APERTURE and also the Shutter Speed and the ISO to suit a particular shooting scenario.

*

Then, when in A Mode, if you need to compensate for odd lighting variances, you use Exposure Compensation.

When you engage EC - YOU change (usually) the Shutter Speed.

And I think that you do actually do consider the Shutter Speed at that point when you activate EC - or - if you don’t - I advise that you should. For to continue the example above, one needs to consider if engaging EC will drive the Shutter Speed into an unacceptable slow speed, which might cause SUBJECT MOTION or CAMERA SHAKE to be captured as a blur in the image.

That's what it is an illustration of too - when one engages EC one needs to consider the changes that will have - which means considering the Shutter Speed (and sometimes) also the ISO

*

Hence -

"If your answer the that question is "YES" - then, you are using M Mode, just by another name, but with the convenience of having the camera automatically initially adjust to any change in the lighting"


WW

[William W]

. . . I took a studio lighting course at the local community college a few years ago, and the instructor did not cover incident light meters and instead told the class to use the histogram to get the exposure right. I have a lot of respect for the photographer; he is a world class product photographer. I asked him why he didn't he basically said that figured 95% of the class would likely never use studio lights again in their lives, so he was trying to keep things simple and concentrate on the basics and get good results based on the level of knowledge most of the class had. This was the same rationale he used in explaining why he wanted us to work with a single light source (plus reflectors), rather than multi-light setups. I ended up getting myself four studio lights and an incident light meter. I use my flash meter frequently an any studio or any "complex" small flash shoot. . .

That’s sad.

I think that the Photographer might gain much by re-assessing his Teaching method.

It occurs to me that particular teaching method is dumbing-down the scope of instruction, in this case a course specifically on “studio lighting”. It seems the simplistic approach was based upon the assumption that the majority of the class was incapable of, if given a challenge, grasping concepts and/or were not interested enough to work hard in class and toil out of course hours to increase their knowledge and experience.

*

I think in many ways the camera manufacturer's are to blame. They keep telling us about how smart and easy to use their latest offerings are, but forget to point out that they will "fail" under some shooting conditions. They even admit their "guilt" by providing a exposure compensation control.

I disagree.

I don’t like attribution of ‘blame’ - but for want of another word and to continue the conversation -

The RESPONSIBILITY is solely with the Photographer.

The Photographer is to ‘blame’, if he chooses not to explore and think for himself.

WW

NB Pronouns ‘he’ and ‘himself’ are to be parsed as COMMON gender.

[Saorsa]

Actually, I think this is over-intellictualizing the fairly straightforward actions of a craft.

I started with a 35mm Argus C3 with a fixed lens. I have a lot of other tools available to me now and I use them. I can change lenses, I can change focal lengths, I can change ISO without changing film or processing, I can allow a computer to automatically make adjustments to some parameters as I change others.

The craft has changed trying to relate it as somehow 'using manual' is silly. I'm using knowledge, not a setting on a dial.

[William W]

Actually, I think this is over-intellictualizing the fairly straightforward actions of a craft . . .
The craft has changed trying to relate it as somehow 'using manual' is silly.

OK.

Understood that's your view so it seems no point continuing that area of conversation.

*

. . . I'm using knowledge, not a setting on a dial.

But could you please answer a practical question about a straightforward action of the craft:

When you are using A Mode and you the employ Exposure Compensation, do you use your knowledge to consider if the change of Shutter Speed will or will not have an affect on the result?

WW

[Saorsa]

OK.

Understood that's your view so it seems no point continuing that area of conversation.

*




But could you please answer a practical question about a straightforward action of the craft:

When you are using A Mode and you the employ Exposure Compensation, do you use your knowledge to consider if the change of Shutter Speed will or will not have an affect on the result?

WW

Most of the time I am shooting at what I feel is the optimal f-stop for the lens or have selected a stop to accommodate DOF needs. The only time I would be concerned with SS would be shooting action like birds in flight if that were the concern I would probably shift to S mode.

I still don't get your point. Someone who uses the little icons for settings is doing essentially the same thing.