I have real trouble remembering all of the settings to use a camera manually, and trying to learn it all from a book is way too tricky - I can't remember what I did yesterday, let alone what ISO setting I should be using. So I instantly fell in love this pretty darn gorgeous cheat sheet, which lays it all out beautifully and visually.
It's from a site called Living in the Stills, (which is well worth checking out).
Here are some of the notes that came with it....
Aperture
- Small numbers (like f/1.4) have larger openings, which let in more light.
- Big numbers (like f/16) have smaller openings, which let in less light.
Shutter Speed
- Seeing 100, 250, 320, etc. on your viewfinder means “1/(number seen)”, like “1/100”.
- Try not to use 1/60 or less when handheld, that’s when you use a tripod or look for something steady.
- Using longer exposure (slow shutter speed) will let in more light.
- Using shorter exposure (fast shutter speed) will let in less light.
ISO
- ISO is the sensitivity of your camera to light
- Lower numbers are less sensitive to light, which give smoother photos.
- Higher numbers are very sensitive to light, which give very grainy and noisy photos.I love that it is a visual representation of the settings. Its so much easier seeing things in a diagramatic way than a huge chapter in text.
Now I just need to print off a copy to go in my camera bag, and hey presto. I should be able to figure it out. I'll keep you posted.
Do you have any handy photography tips to share....?
