Photography for Beginners Part 6: Manual Mode

/ Seattle Park Lover / 5 Comments

Each post in this series builds on information discussed in previous posts. See the Photography for Beginners page on the menu for links to all the posts.

Part 5: Depth of Field

 

In this post I am going to discuss using Manual Mode. Manual Mode is usually designated by an M on your camera mode dial, if it has one.

For most beginners Manual Mode sounds intimidating. But modern digital cameras have your back. As long as you pay attention to what your camera is telling you, there’s no reason to treat Manual Mode as something scary that only experts know how to use.

Anyone who understands the exposure info displayed on the camera screen or viewfinder can successfully use Manual Mode.

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Events on the Canal

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This Sunday the 30th Heron Habitat Helpers will be at Commodore Park with telescopes. If you’d like to watch great blue herons tending to their chicks in the rookery this is a great time to go. The event is from noon to 1:30 pm and naturalists will be on hand to provide info and answer questions. I think they’ll be set up in the west section near the parking lot.

Starting on May 28th the free outdoor music concerts will begin at the Ballard Locks. The concerts are held near the Visitor Center most Saturdays and Sundays through September 16th. July 4th this year marks the centennial of the locks, so there will be a lot going on this summer. See this page for more details.

 

Photography for Beginners Part 5: Depth of Field

/ Seattle Park Lover / 5 Comments

Each post in this series builds on information discussed in previous posts. See the Photography for Beginners page on the menu for links to all the posts.

Part 4: Aperture Priority Mode

 

In this post I am going to discuss depth of field (DOF).

DOF is one of the most important basic aspects of photography. It’s fairly complex because depth of field constantly varies based on three primary factors and how they interact with each other.

It takes a while for all of this to sink in and it’s very easy to forget at times, or simply misjudge. (I do both all the time.) As always, studying your own photos to see what you got right and what didn’t work will teach you as much or more than reading about photography will.

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