Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Set your camera's ISO, or sensor sensitivity, to 100 if shooting on a bright, sunny day. The lower your ISO is, the sharper your resulting image will be. If shooting on a cloudy day or inside a building, increase your ISO to 200, 400 or 800 if the lighting is very dim. These increase the sensitivity of your sensor, allowing you to use faster shutter speeds with a smaller aperture.
Shoot in aperture priority mode, symbolized as "Av" on most camera command dials. This mode allows you control over your lens' aperture, which is the primary factor in determining depth of field. The camera selects a corresponding shutter speed that will result in proper exposure.
Select an aperture of f/8, f/11, f/16 or f/22. The smaller your aperture is, the more of the resulting image will be in sharp focus. For reference, f/8 usually focuses from directly in front of you to at least 30 feet away. An aperture of f/22 focuses from directly in front of you to infinity, or the furthest visible point on the horizon line.
Choose a focus point halfway between yourself and infinity. With a small aperture, this will put everything in front of your subjects, as well as everything behind them, in sharp focus. This applies when using both automatic and manual focusing.
Tuck your elbows into your body and wrap your hand around the lens to steady your camera while shooting. If you are standing near a tree or lamppost, lean against it to brace your body. This reduces any shakes which may cause subtle blurring in your resulting image. If a long shutter speed is required for proper exposure, mount your camera on a tripod prior to shooting.