Hi everyone,

I'm basically new to photography, My Kit is a Nikon D5000 with default 18-55mm lens, I've purchased a 55-200mm lens too.

I've had the camera a couple of years now, my main reason for buying the camera was to capture the fun and adventures undertaken by the Scout Group I volunteer with. So we manage to get in quite a few different situations, and most of the time, things happen very fast.

If I'm able to set up or recreate possible shots, or something isn't a 'it's going to happen once so make sure you get a good photo', I do try to mess around in manual or shutter priority mode.

But.... How do I make the leap from relying on auto too much and jumping in with manual?

Here is one shot taken back in 2010 in Kandersteg, Switzerland. I was quite happy with the shot and it has served its purpose for leaflets and on our website, but I'm sure you all could give me some advice on how I could have improved it.



Looking forward to all your advice.

Thanks

Daniel

my 2 penny's

for action shots like this , stick with SS priority
go for manual , if you have plenty time to adjust settings

leave alone full auto-mode

Originally Posted by basflt my 2 penny's for action shots like this , stick with SS priority go for manual , if you have plenty time to adjust settings leave alone full auto-mode

I totally agree here ... my nirm is Aperture Priority, as i do mostly wildlife, landscapes, portraits, weddings, then shutter priority for the occasional fast paced sports and manual in studio or when I have lots of time to explore and change settings a lot like when shooting landscapes .......but never full auto or program...no... no.....noooooooo ....

You can use the "auto" modes to help determine exposure, but, like the other posters, I encourage you to view each photo opportunity as a type of "goal".

In this case the goal appears to be showing a group of kids having fun, and you achieved that goal nicely.

Looking closely at the image, there is some motion of the extremities, i.e. hands and feet. It's certainly not obvious and it's certainly not undesirable, but was it your vision of the shot? If you wanted a completely static and "frozen" image then a higher shutter speed is required.

Likewise, was the background to your liking and to your goal? Perhaps having the background more out-of-focus to make it less competing for the subject matter?

Possibly shooting from a lower angle might have helped to promote a feeling of lift and height.

I think that some cropping could help the existing image. Don't feel constrained by the aspect ratio of the camera. In this image perhaps something in a 16:9 crop, removing more of the upper background, would help with a sensation of lift by showing more foreground. Cropping can also promote the subjects by moving them from the center and positioning them higher from the ground, putting them into a, potentially, compositionally stronger position in the scene.

None of these suggestions are intended to detract from your image, which does nicely as it is.

Thanks everyone for your input. Great help

So if we are doing something that is fast moving / action shots use shutter priority mode.

Should I be using aperture priority for images such as this one?



That one was stuck in full blown auto :(

I can't wait till the next time we are out with the camera, looking to put all your advice into action

Thanks

actually they do the same ; adjust exposure for you automatically
in image above , you could use aperture priority , to dullen or gain back background , as you please
as for running kids , you want to freeze motion , thus shutter speed has your priority , background is less important then

What I personally love about manual mode is that it forces me to think about the light meter, and judge my exposure from there. Granted thats not always a great thing when you are in the need for a quick shot. However my hope is that by forcing myself through the motions of actively thinking about every component of each exposure, that I'll get better and better at it. However at the very least, when using auto, or a priority setting, even after you get your quick shot, think a little bit about what the camera decided to choose for you, and how you may have wanted to do it differently. Did the camera go f5.6 and ISO 400 at 1/125? Would you have rather used f4 and ISO 200 at 1/125?

Good luck!

What I did was read. (I have a degree in Physics, so that helped spur my interest in why it worked.) There are great books that tell you how your camera works.

However, I suggest some experimenting and then analyzing the EXIF information. For example, I tried both shutter priority and aperture priority and then got an idea what looked good and what didn't. I never tried manual until one day I was at a track meet and had to photograph kids with the sun behind them. The lessons I had learned came in real handy then. Ever since, I shoot mostly in manual mode. I also learned the value of test shots: it's digital so I'll take a quick snapshot of a random person to test my settings. I've actually gotten some interesting pictures this way!

Since you mentioned lenses: you might consider a prime lens such as a 50mm or an 85mm. These are my favorite two lenses. I shoot with a Canon, but I know Nikon sells a fairly inexpensive 50mm lens that will enable you to get pretty good low-light shots such as around the campfire or indoors (and also pretty good background blur).