Pics of my other line of work.

NW OKC exterior job, July 2011, Before and After 

Harvest Moon

1200mm f/10, 100 ISO, 1/30th @ f/10, tripod, self timer

More Moon Bells!

A couple of days before or after 100% full gets some shadow relief. 100% full will go up here in a couple of days, weather permitting.


Taken with a telescope via an adapter, making an equivilent of 1200mm f/10.

When Do I Go Manual?

Just because we're using digital cameras now, doesn't mean we lose the fun of going manual. Exposure, focus, ISO settings, are some of things that most D-SLRs (and some cool P&Ss) allow us to adjust for ourselves.

First, let's get off of the Full Program setting. On many DSLRs, this setting is marked by something big and green. It adjusts as the camera's computer matrix sees the light and focus needs in whatever our camera is pointed at. (Ended with a preposition, I'm a REBEL!) This setting can really be useful for snapshots, family events, vacation spots, etc... And often, it's very accurate.

But, switch off of FULL AUTO just one step over to P. On many cameras, this P setting is still fully auto exposure and focus, but it now allows some user input. On my camera, spinning the thumb wheel now changes the exposure combinations. Notice, I'm not changing the exposure, but rather the combination of f-stop and shutter speed for any given EV (exposure value).

For instance, if the regular programmed exposure for the EV of the scene sets the camera for 1/250 at f/8.0, I can change to 1/125 at f/11, or 1/1000 at f/4.0. The exposure value stays the same, but I now am optimizing for either depth of field or action stopping. See how that works? And you still are using the meter automatically.

Other options include semi-auto modes, often marked A, Av (aperture priority) or S, Sv (shutter priority). Same principle, camera meter doing the work, based on you setting one value and it picks the other.

Full manual, M. Needed for certain lenses like the LensBaby line or a mirror telephoto, or an adapter for telescopes or microscopes. Also just for the fun of it. On some cameras, the meter may still work, on others it's disabled. That's where your knowledge of photographic exposure comes in. (In a future post, I'll talk about the Sunny16 rule and where to go from there.) M is useful in studio flash situations, too.

Read your camera's instructions to find out how to access and use all of the functions available.

Next couple of posts will deal with focus options and exposure guidelines. See you then!

BTW, the 10, 11th, and 12th of this month (September) will have a full or nearly full Moon. See what you can do with it.