Angie Birmingham breaks down aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to help you escape auto mode. Low f-stops isolate subjects, fast shutter speeds freeze action like bird wings, and ISO controls brightness versus noise, with the Sony a6700 handling up to ISO 6400 cleanly.
Your camera called, and apparently it's tired of making all the decisions. So today we are going to break up with auto mode, and in less than 7 minutes, I'm going to show you how to take control of your camera without all the confusion. So let's go. Today we are going to go over 3 settings and that's all. We are going to talk about aperture and how it sets the mood. Do you have one subject or do you have a whole scene? And shutter speed, think of it as purpose for the photo. You are either going to freeze the action Or show movement. And ISO, think of it as a radio dial because it increases the light sensitivity to your center sensor. So let's start with mood. Aperture is your f-stop. It allows light to the sensor and sets the depth of field. I want you to think of it as The setting for the mood of your photo. A low number like f/2.8— not all lenses will go to f/2.8. Your f-stop is noted on your lens, that the widest aperture that it will go to. On my Tamron, the lowest it will go to is f/4.5. And of course, the lower the number, the better your background just melts away and becomes dreamy, so all the attention is on your subject. And a higher number like f/16, f/11, everything's sharp from front to back, and it feels more like a documentary. So here's how I decide, is the photo about one thing or is it about the whole scene? One thing, I'll go as low as possible, like f/4.5 on this lens if at all possible, the Tamron 50-400. And if it's the whole scene, like doing a landscape, I'll go high like f/11, f/16, and that's it. That's the mood. Next up, we got shutter speed. This one is all about purpose. Do you want to freeze the action or show movement? Do you want to freeze the action of the bird's wings in mid-flap? Well, you'll need a fast shutter speed, and I'm talking 1/2000th of a shutter or a second or faster. Or do you want silky waterfall look or motion blur on that subject, fast-moving subject? Well, that would be a slow shutter speed like 1/30th of a second. So you ask yourself, what is the purpose of your photo? Hmm, do I want to freeze the action or not to freeze? And that is how you decide your shutter speed. Before we continue, I just want to go over a few things real quick. I have a few upcoming hands-on workshops. I also have a book My Journey Through the Lens, and I also have a field guide that you can purchase online. And you can also download 2 free resources, either the travel guide for photo locations or the Get Out of Auto PDF to help you take control of your camera. My school community called Feathers and F-Stops, that's where we really get into the action and we talk all about birds I have guest speakers, and there's always a photo tip for the day. So now let's get back to the video. Last but not least is ISO, or ISO. Think of it as a radio dial. You turn up the volume, the noisier it gets, but if you turn it too far, you start hearing static. Same with ISO. Turn it up, your photo gets brighter in low light, but you turn it up too far and you get noise. So the goal is turn the dial up as much as you need to and no more. Sometimes you do have to sacrifice a setting in aperture or shutter so you can get your ISO in check. The modern cameras like this a6700 handles a lot more volume than you'd think before the static starts to show up. About 6400 ISO is the max for the a6700. So that's it. You got mood, you got purpose, you got the radio dial. Which equals aperture, shutter speed, ISO. 3 decisions, 7 minutes, and auto mode doesn't get any say anymore. Try switching your camera over on your next adventure and tell me how it goes. Do you have a clicking habit? Well, you belong here. Don't forget to like and subscribe. Subscribe and ring my bell so you get notified the next time one of my videos comes out. I will see you on the next video, and keep on clicking.
