Photography for Beginners: Pt 2: Understanding Camera Settings
- Blue Jay
- Oct 11, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: Nov 11, 2023
In the last post of the "Photography for Beginners" series we talked about the different types of cameras you can use and their pros and cons.
By now you should have your camera of choice, so let's move on to understanding the settings.
Camera settings aren't easy to figure out, but you CAN do it!
For this part of the process, it's important to have patience with yourself. This is easily the most difficult part.
Sections: What is a Photograph?, Resolution, HDR, Grid Lines, Focus and Exposure Lock, Manual Settings, Burst Mode, Flash
What is a Photograph?
I know you're thinking this is a dumb question, but it's actually quite important for taking good photos. Photographs are made of light.
Every setting on your camera is there to help you capture that light correctly to take a great photo.
If you don't know how your camera settings work, you're missing out on a lot of opportunities to take great photos that could have been possible with some adjustments.
As you go through this list of camera settings, try to master one at a time and as previously mentioned- have patience with yourself.
This list is here to help you know what your camera has to offer, but later posts in this series will go into more detail about how to master them individually.
Resolution:
Resolution determines how much detail shows up in a photo. The higher the resolution, the better the photo.
The details of a photo are found in the pixels. The more pixels a photo has, the higher its resolution. Every photo is actually just a mosaic of tiny little pixels. Next time you open up a photo on your computer, zoom in and you'll see the pixels.
Shooting in RAW is often recommended for professional photography because it preserves the most amount of detail in a photo.
Resolution is HUGELY important especially if you plan on sharing your photos digitally.
Camera resolution is measured in PPI (pixels per inch).
How to adjust or check resolution on your camera:
Smartphones:
The default on your phone is likely full resolution. The phone knows you want to take pictures at the highest resolution so you probably don't have to change it.
If you want to check, go into your camera app and find the settings. You should find an option to adjust the resolution. Lower resolutions take up less space on your phone, but these photos may not look as sharp or detailed.
Certain types of phones can also shoot in RAW. It really depends on your phone and sometimes it will require a third party app.
A quick Google search should tell you if your phone can shoot in RAW and how to do it.
Some third party apps you can download allow you to adjust resolution as well as other things. ProCam X and Open Camera are 2 examples of free apps that can help you (for Android)
Point and Shoots:
These don't typically allow you to change the resolution of photos. Whatever settings they come with are the settings you're going to get.
Point and shoots also don't normally shoot in RAW, which automatically means you're getting lower quality photos.
You can usually adjust the image size in your settings, which will help your pictures look better.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
Both of these camera types are similar in the way you change the resolution. Just go into the camera's menu and find the quality or resolution settings, also sometimes called image size.
Most of the time, you're going to want to shoot in RAW. You may see an option for CRAW. This is also acceptable and will save space on your SD card because it compresses the image to be a smaller file size.
For JPG images you will either see letters (L, M, and S) or numbers. The letters stand for large, medium and small. Choose large and if there's numbers, choose the highest number.
Sometimes you will see a little stair-step symbol or a curved symbol. Always choose the curved symbol over stair-step (these are compression settings).
If you need to make an image smaller, you can always do so afterwards. But it's good take the picture in the highest resolution to begin with because you can't make it larger afterwards.
HDR (High Dynamic Range):
Have you ever taken what you thought was a great photo only to look at it later and realize that parts of it are either way too bright or way too dark? Maybe it just has no contrast at all, making it dull and lifeless. It really ruins it!
HDR refers to the full range of light and dark tones in your photo. Camera lenses aren't as sophisticated as the human eye, so we have to help them get all of these tones right.
The HDR setting makes the camera do its own adjustment to give you a picture with the proper contrast. It tells your camera to take several different photos with different exposure levels and merge them together into a higher quality image.
How to use the HDR setting on your camera:
Smartphones:
Most smartphones have an HDR setting. A lot of phones have it on by default.
Some phones have a setting you can select to turn it on and off or even adjust it manually.
If you notice that you have an issue with photos coming out too dark, too light, or with the wrong contrast, look into your HDR options for your type of phone.
You don't have to do anything when this setting is on. As previously mentioned, your phone will take several pictures at different exposure levels and merge them together on its own. What you end up seeing is the final result of that process.
Sometimes the HDR setting on your phone is labeled as "Rich Tone".
Point and Shoots:
Your ability to adjust HDR varies from camera to camera. Some may have automatic settings built in that you can't control.
Try checking the menu options on your camera. You might see something under modes labeled dynamic range, contrast, exposure, or HDR.
There may be scene modes labeled backlight mode or d range optimizer that are essentially HDR.
Because point-and-shoot cameras are marketed toward people that prefer a simplified photography process, they tend to have the least flexibility.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
Learning how to use HDR for these types of cameras is a little more complicated and has several steps. It also requires photo editing software. We will discuss how to do this in another post.
The basic gist of it is that you need to take all of the photos yourself, changing the shutter speed every time (there is another post on shutter speed here).
After you've taken these photos, you'll need photo editing software (the industry standard being Photoshop) to merge them together.
A tripod is useful if not crucial for this.
Grid Lines:
It's very easy to take a crooked photo or not have a clear subject, which would make your picture boring or "bad". Enabling grid lines allows you to better align your photo before taking it and will help you focus in on a proper subject.
The grid lines will not appear in your photo.
Grid lines are an important part of learning composition.
How to turn on grid lines on your camera:
Smartphones:
Go into your camera settings to enable grid lines. Most smartphones have this option.
You know it's turned on when you can see a grid on your screen when you open the camera app.
Point and Shoots:
Not every point and shoot has this option. If yours does, you can toggle it on and off in the menu settings.
You will know when it's on because you will see the grid on your LCD screen.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
These usually have the option for a grid. You can find this option in the menu under display options or composition aids.
Some cameras even offer different types of grids.
You will know the grid is on when you see it on your LCD screen.
Focus And Exposure Lock:
Without proper focus, your photo will be blurry.
Exposure makes sure the subject of your photo is properly illuminated.
With the focus and exposure lock, you can get the lens to lock onto a specific spot.
This is important when you're trying to tell your camera what to focus on in the photo. It will prioritize lighting up and sharpening either the background or foreground with your instructions.
There are other ways to achieve this, but the focus and exposure lock function is the quickest way to get decent results in a pinch and usually does a sufficient job.
It's good practice to lock the focus and exposure before taking a photo because it's easy to accidentally take an out of focus photo and not realize it until later.
Once you've told the camera to focus on a specific spot, it won't change when you move. So let's say you're taking a photo of your cat and he is in the middle of the frame. You tell the camera to focus in the middle. Suddenly either you or your cat move to the side. The camera is still focusing in the middle! So reset the focus with every movement.
How to lock the focus and exposure on your camera:
Smartphones:
All you have to do is find the spot on your screen you want to focus on. Tap and hold it.
You will know it worked when you see a lock icon pop up.
Point and Shoots:
Your options vary from model to model.
Some cameras allow you to tap on the LCD screen wherever you want to focus.
Others require you to half press the shutter button to focus.
Some advanced models have manual modes that give you more control.
If you need to zoom, make sure to do it before you lock the focus and exposure. Most point and shoots don't let you zoom once you lock it.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
These have several focus options.
Autofocus (AF) will let the camera decide what to focus on by itself. It will switch between single and continuous focus depending on what the subject is doing. This is a good mode to use when you are shooting unpredictable subjects and don't want to manually switch between the modes (losing time and missing out on the action).
Depending on your camera brand, this can also be called AI Focus AF, Automatic AF, and AF-A.
Single Autofocus (AF-S) focuses when you press the shutter button halfway. It's best for subjects that are not moving. This mode won't allow you to shoot a photo until the subject is in proper focus.
Depending on your camera brand, this can also be called One-shot AF or Single-Shot AF.
Continuous Autofocus (AF-C) makes the camera keep readjusting as long as you have the shutter button half pressed. It was designed to focus on moving objects. This mode allows you to shoot a photo even if the lens hasn't focused yet, so make sure it has finished adjusting before shooting.
Depending on your camera brand, this can also be called AI Servo AF or Continuous AF.
Manual Focus (MF) means you have complete control. With MF you adjust the focus by turning the focus ring on the lens. Most of the time, you're going to want to use autofocus. However, knowing how manual focus works is an important skill.
Cameras are smart but they don't always figure it out, and that's when being able to step in with manual can save the shot.
If your camera has an LCD screen, you can also lock the focus and exposure by tapping on the right spot in the screen.
There are also several exposure options, but it's best to leave the details of this to another post.
Manual Settings:
Manual settings let you adjust ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance to your liking. Sometimes you just need full control of your photo.
You're not likely to shoot in manual mode often, but if you have a very particular vision it will come in handy.
Manual mode is good if you're in a place where the lighting won't change, you have time to take the photos and really think about them, or if you purposely want something to come out blurry or under/overexposed.
How to use manual modes on your camera:
Smartphones:
Not all smartphones have manual settings but if yours does, you should play around with them.
These are usually found in the form of sliders.
There are third party apps that can unlock extra settings for you as well (see previously mentioned apps)
Point and Shoots:
These cameras usually prioritize automatic adjustments and don't give you many manual ones.
Beginner cameras may have automatic modes you can play with.
More advanced cameras may have manual settings similar to a smartphone that gives you a bit more control.
For even more exposure settings, look into any scene modes that are built into your camera.
Shoot in RAW if your camera allows you to, which will make editing easier.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
These cameras are the most flexible with manual settings.
I have entire posts dedicated to adjusting ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and white balance manually.
Your camera should have a wheel on it with different settings (where you will also find the focus modes). The "scenes" setting on this wheel is one of the things you can play with to start customizing the way your camera takes photos. It's a way to tell the camera what kind of photo you're trying to shoot and it will give you the recommended settings.
On this same wheel, you may also see an "effects" setting (sometimes represented as 2 overlapping circles). This allows you to add certain special effects to your photos.
Burst Mode:
Burst mode allows the camera to take many pictures in quick succession. This is important for taking good action photos.
How to find burst mode on your camera:
Smartphones:
Any setting or mode on your phone that is labeled with the word "action" is likely the burst mode setting.
Point and Shoots:
Most point and shoots have a burst option. It might also be called continuous shooting or high-speed shooting.
Once you switch to this mode, it only requires one press of the shutter button, and the camera will capture a series of images for you.
The quality and capabilities of this function will vary from model to model.
DSLR and Mirrorless:
You want to use continuous autofocus for shooting action on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. See the exposure and focus lock section to learn more.
Flash:
This is something you should avoid using whenever possible.
Using the flash can create very harsh lighting, which is often undesirable in many photography situations.
Note: There ARE times when you will need flash, but in general you want to use other, softer types of lighting.
When you might need flash: low lighting, intentionally eliminating or adding shadows, night photography, indoor settings
You can use flash even in bright lighting if you think it will complement the existing light. Flash is often used to bring out someone's eyes, since they tend to be cast in shadow even in bright lighting.
If using flash, try to bounce that flash off a bright white surface such as a wall or a ceiling.
How to turn the flash on and off on all cameras:
The flash icon normally looks like a lightning bolt. You will usually find the flash settings in your menu, where you can flick it on and off.
If this post was helpful to you, share it on social media for others! It helps me a lot. :)
Your Homework
-Find where all of these settings are on your camera of choice.
-Choose which of these settings you want to learn first
-Practice using that specific setting until you feel you have the hang of it
-Move onto the next setting
-Save whatever photos you took while doing this practice (we're going to reference them later)
-Take the poll below
Share your process in the comments!
Which of these settings do YOU find the most useful?
Resolution
HDR
Grid Lines
Focus and Exposure Lock
Conclusion
Now that you've seen the basic overview of these settings, it's time to play around with them. Over the next few posts, we're going to discuss when and how to use these settings on a more detailed level starting with ISO.
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