I visited Cuba this year and as usual I brought my camera to take some photos (what a surprise)… The video here shows you how I made the photo that I took in Varadero at the beach.
A lot of people are always asking me about my camera settings. And to me, the answer is not that easy because on one hand I keep saying always to use the A-Mode. This mode is where you chose the F-Stop and the camera sets all the rest for you. In most of the cases, that is OK. Especially when using the HDR technique, the exposure value within between is being done over the shutter speed and this is more than OK. Even, when I am on a boat, like in Cambodia one year ago, the A-Mode is perfectly good to take photos.
Now, this is where my conflict starts. A camera is nothing else than a computer that takes photos. I did study IT and I know how bad and not really smart computers are and for this reason, sometimes I would like to have full control of what my camera is supposed to be doing. And then, I use the M-Mode. Now I am in control of everything! I have to set up shutter speed and F-Stop.
Even out in the field, I create ideas using the camera – like in my digital dark room. I got to this location at the beach in Varadero, Cuba and I had the idea to capture a bird that is flying by. For this, the shutter speed needs to be as low as possible. I also wanted to have a sharp photograph. To achieve this, I need an F-Stop of 7.1 and up. The only thing I have to play with now is the ISO and that I did put on “Auto”.
The cool thing about the A7 is the fact that the screen is WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get). When you change one setting, you instantly see the difference on screen and especially for beginners that is very helpful to get to know your camera and its settings better!
