Saturday, 28 July 2018

dslr - Is there a typical settings order before shooting?


Suppose we have time to shoot with an DSLR. Before actually shooting, some settings have to be adjusted to get a picture. Suppose we have a brand new DSLR in hand and every setting has to be defined.


Of course, getting the right picture depends on the subject, the context, the personal taste, etc. but I don't matter on the artistic point of view, just on the order (if such a determined one exists) and the importance of all the required technical step.


As a debutant, I imagine it could be this (rather simple) one:



  • ISO, depending on the current lightness ;

  • white balance, depending on the light color ;


  • aperture, depending on the desired depth of field ;

  • composition, depending on the subject ;

  • shutter speed, depending on the desired exposition ;


and finally...



Is this a correct way to handle things? Is such an order (this one or another) very typical or does it change for each picture? If different, what's yours, and why?



Answer



I never really thought about it, and I don't really think there's a right sequence, but I guess my typical sequence is:




  1. White balance: I shoot raw, and almost always leave the camera in Auto White Balance, because it's usually an OK starting point, and precise adjustment will be done in raw development.

  2. Shooting mode: Most often Aperture Priority (Av)

  3. "Independent variable": That is, for Aperture Priority, I set the aperture that I want to shoot

  4. First guess at ISO: Based on my perception of the light

  5. Check "dependent variable": Point the camera at a "typical" or "approximate" version of the shot's composition and see if the camera-selected exposure variable (shutter speed in Av mode) is acceptable. Adjust ISO if not.

  6. Exposure compensation: Adjust +/- exposure compensation based on subject matter (e.g. + compensation for snow scenes) and/or a test shot

  7. Focus, compose, and fire: I would not typically want to be worrying about exposure any more when making the final composition.


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