Surely, we can all use a reminder to slow down and enjoy the season. But when I say “Keeping Christmas in Focus”, I am talking about a clear picture, photographically speaking. So today, I’m going to teach how to use Shutter Priority Mode. Because when you go to view your photos after the gifts are all unwrapped, the grandparents have gone home, and the kids are tucked in bed, you don’t want to be disappointed with blurry pictures!
“But wait a minute. Didn’t you teach us how to make blurry photos last week?”
Well, yes, kind of. I taught you how to get pretty blurry lights in the background. But the subject is clearly in focus. That setting works great for people or things that are sitting still.
Today’s tip has more to do with making sure you capture the action. In both cases, you want the subject to be nice and sharp. The problem is, kids rarely sit completely still. And if you use the Portrait preset mode from last week’s tip, you are likely to end up with blurry photos.
There are a couple of reasons for this. But the most important one is that the amount of light in most houses just isn’t enough for the camera to make a great photo. You might think you should switch back to Auto mode. But then your camera will try to use the automatic flash. And that results in skin tones that are washed out while the stuff in the background of the photo is dark. Not very pretty.
Using Shutter Priority Mode
So grab your camera, and let’s explore another shooting mode. This time, I want you to spin the dial on the top of the camera to the S or TV. That’s shutter priority mode. As you may have guessed, this setting lets you take control of the shutter or how quickly your camera “clicks”.
By using this setting, you are telling the camera that your shutter speed is most important and you’ll be choosing what that is. Then the camera will adjust the other settings based on the number you select.
Depending on your camera, you will select this number on a separate dial or in another menu. I am going to recommend you start with at least 1/250. If you find that some features are still blurred, then increase that number.
One important thing to note: Remember above when I said that the amount of light in most houses isn’t enough for the camera? Well, by switching to shutter priority, the camera will often have to increase the ISO which means your photos may be grainy (also called “noise”) if your room is dark. You can offset that by turning on some lights in addition to your Christmas tree.
So do a bit of practicing today, and then when Jimmy or Suzie starts jumping up and down with delight on Christmas morning, you will be able to capture their expressions in perfect focus.
Want more photography tips?
Grab my top three tips for beginner photographers here:
http://portraits.adriennezwartphotography.com/better-photo-tips
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Even better? Take a class! I’ve got beginner and intermediate photography workshops in January, and I’d love to help you learn how to use your fancy camera!