Settings for Landscapes

Hi guys,

I am new to dslr photography and not used to all the techniques and settings for all the different types of shots. Is there somewhere I can go which gives me the settings to use for certain types of shots and the variables, like what settings are best for the sun setting on the horizon, moon shots, slow shots of water moving etc etc...

I was looking for somewhere on the net where I can read up before I go out and take certain shots.

Thanks

Mike

Hi Mike,

I recently got my 350D too. The great thing about digital is you can take lots and lots of shots and learn from your mistakes without wasting film.

Something that has always stood me in good stead is deciding which part of the scene to expose for e.g. the sky, those distant hills, the field in the foreground etc. Zoom in on that part in P mode, press the shutter half way, note the shutter time and aperture you see in the viewfinder and use those settings for the entire shot. You can also play with exposure compensation - a lot of my landscape shots are taken at -1.00 or so to darken down the land when the sky is bright.

Just try stuff like this and have fun!

Boy if you do find something like that on the net please share it here. I can only share what I do, I shoot everything in Manual mode, center focus point, ISO100, tripod mounted. From there it can be varied quite a bit depending on subject, time of day etc...I always try to use a small aperature for DOF, never really getting below f11. If there is a lot of sky involved, I meter off the sky then recompose. I often times will underexpose or overexpose as well. Polarising filters and ND filters are a large part of my aresenal. Use your histogram, that is very helpful in telling you about your exposure. Practice, try different things see how they work for you. I don't think there are a "set" of settings you can just give its a lot of trial and error. Hope this helps a little...............J​oe

Well I did find somewhere that explains in simple terms how it all nits together, giving me all the info to help make the right choices in manual mode.

I found this site http://www.canon.co.jp …ng/enjoydslr/p_​2_005.html in this thread http://www.canon.co.jp …ng/enjoydslr/p_​2_005.html which has more links to other specific sites.

I guess this will only be of use to people like me who are clueless but want to learn without needing a degree first. There is so much to take in which is impossible if you dont know the basics

Cant wait to get out there and take pics now as I feel I have some comprehension of what I am doing now, and I think my new lenses were attempted to be delivered today, so I will pick them up in the morning and go shooting.

Mike

Very wise words spoken by Joe here.
Yes i agree,try these things,because if you expect others to tell you what to do,it will be a lost game.
Just follow the basics (above),and everything else will come with practise.
Don`t expect to go out there and come back (first time) with front cover photos.
Learn,learn,learn,and when you come back,we`ll be hear to tell you what you`ve done right or wrong.
All you have to do is listen,and learn from your mistakes,we all have been there.

Could you explain more about the ND filters, what you use when you use and why you use them. I do a lot of waterfalls at the moment and Im finding that there is a lot of "white" in the falls but the rest of the area is in thick bush and is quite dark.

https://photography-on-the.net …hread.php?t=129​462&page=2

half way down the page

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=128595

Thanks for any advice

Right,usualy i use the nd filters for slowing down shutter speed,it could be a waterfall in a bright day,it could be a flowing river,it could be a sunset when you want to blur seawater movement.

The example you gave above is diferent,i will give you a tip about that.
In this case,exposse properly and get your shot and also get another 2 or 4 bracketed shots.
Work with your best expossed shot as your base and never mind if the water is too white,go back to a shot which is properly expossed for just the water this time (probably with very dark surroundings.
Paste that layer underneath your good shot and gently start erasing with a soft brush (oppacity around 7) the parts of your good layer that the water is too white.
Now you will start seeing the properly expossed water layer coming through,keep doing that until you are happy with the results.
Give it a go and let us know how it went.

Waterfall surrounded by dark places are not that easy to exposse.

I hope that helps.

Yes waterfalls are hard most of the ones I shoot are often in valleys surrounded by native dense bush.

Do you use a CP filter?

Try this FANTASTIC website
http://photoworkshop.c​om/canon/

I don't know of any better website for the beginner then that one.