Photographic Techniques

Automatic Settings

One of the main advantages of digital is that a computer controls most of the settings. Some cameras have features to override these settings. When the automatic settings are used the computer adjusts the focus, exposure and flash based on average values. Click Here to learn how to open these images for editing.

Both of these photos were taken within seconds of each other from the exact same spot. For the second picture, I panned down slightly. In the first photo the colors of the sky, the dome and the building are more vivid. Too bad a car got in my way! The second picture is OK, but thanks to the first picture I can see what is missing (color). This demonstrates how the camera uses what is in view to adjust settings by averaging the overall values. We can break this image down into six elements; the clouds 15%, sky 15%, roof 10%, building 40%, landscape 10% and the road 10%. We'll pretend the car isn't there. These are six major areas of varying brightness which must be balanced. By panning up a bit more, I could have eliminated the road and increased my chances of getting a more balanced picture.

Zoom

Both of these photos were taken at the same time of day. The reason they appear different is because the top one used the zoom while the bottom didn't. If it was the pretty sky that you were after then the zoom works better in this instance. If it is the building that is the subject then the zoom should be avoided. Using the zoom on does not allow the camera to gather as much light from the subject.