P/Av/M Mode??

[ankitj]

Hi everyone,

I am going to Glacier National Park and will be taking along my Tamron 17-50mm (on XT) to get some good landscape shots. I don't want to spend a lot of time setting up for shots, as we will be hiking long distances.

I usually shoot in M mode, but I always take long setting up and retaking shots since I am still new and learning.

My question is, what mode should I be shooting in? M/P/Av?

Any suggestions are welcome

Thanks
AJ

[jrader]

I think you should try Aperture mode, especially when shooting landscapes. The aperture determines the depth of field of the shot, and with landscapes you want the deepest field you can get, meaning higher f# (know that at a high enough number, you will lose sharpness due to diffraction though). I only use manual mode for long or difficult exposures that the other modes don't handle well. Also, you still have most of the control over the image as well (such as eV compensation).

Just my suggestion.

John

[argyle]

Since you're new and learning, use Av mode. Keep an eye on your histogram and expose to the right without blowing out any highlights...use your exposure compensation adjustment to do this. If you have one, use a tripod.

I'd mention hyperfocal distance, but that's for another time...;)

[ankitj]

Thanks for your reply. Would you be able to explain what you mean by "expose to the right without blowing out any highlights"? I have just started looking into understanding the histogram, but I don't get it yet.

[ankitj]

Thank you John. I usually shoot at F2.8.

[jrader]

Thanks for your reply. Would you be able to explain what you mean by "expose to the right without blowing out any highlights"? I have just started looking into understanding the histogram, but I don't get it yet.
What he means is that when you look at the histogram, you should attempt to have the majority of the light curve on the right side without pushing the light curve off the right side completely (in which you'll have "clipped highlights", or "blinkies").

You should read about the histogram. It will be your new best friend.

John

[argyle]

What John said...sorry, I should have expounded a bit in my post.

Also, take a look at your camera's menu settings...there should be a setting to enable "highlights"...if so, turn that option on. This will enable the camera to display the "blinkies" (overexposed areas) that John had mentioned. Adjustments to the exposure compensation will generally take care of these.

One more thing...if your camera has this menu option available, change your histogram display to 'RGB' mode...this will display the three channels on the histogram and give you a better idea as to which channel (red, green, or blue) may be pushing the limits.

[neilwood32]

Thank you John. I usually shoot at F2.8.

:eek: Never shoot landscapes at f2.8. The Depth of field is tiny at that aperture.

Generally for landscapes, the higher the aperture the better (allowing for the very sligh softening from diffraction at higher aperture values)

[ankitj]

:eek: Never shoot landscapes at f2.8. The Depth of field is tiny at that aperture.

Generally for landscapes, the higher the aperture the better (allowing for the very sligh softening from diffraction at higher aperture values)


Thanks for that tip. We are leaving in a week. I am ver yexcited. I have been reading up a lot on landscape shots. Hopefully I will be able to pull off atleast one decent shot.

[KayakPhotos]

Another suggestion, would be to not be afraid to look for details. A lot of times people think that landscapes are only about using an UWA and getting a picture of the vast expanse in front of them. While this looks nice, it has been done thousands of times before. Try finding areas of interest and zooming in on them, maybe even using a telephoto. Mixing in a couple shots like this will make for a more interesting portfolio in my opinion.

[PFDarkside]

The only thing I can add is, make sure to have a subject/foreground! It's amazing how boring a grand vista looks when it's all flat dimensionally. You see this amazing panorama and try to fit it in, but it ends up unimpressive.

Oh yeah, have fun, Glacier is amazing!