Semi-Automatic Control - Creativity Even
in
Auto Mode
By: Tedric Garrison
 It
occurs to me, that if I mention the phrase f-Stops,
there are a growing number of young photographers
who don’t know what I’m talking about. That’s not
bad, if you know what they do.
In the old days, when someone mentioned "f-stops",
we knew they were going to talk about "Depth of
Field". To those of you who have never seen an f-16,
don’t worry, it’s not your fault. In this world of
automatic cars and power windows, it stands to
reason that automatic cameras, would some day
dominate the market. That day has come.
In most cameras you now see several "automatic
settings". These include: the green rectangle, the
small child’s head, the mountain with a cloud, the
small runner, a flower, and a person with a star
over one shoulder.
The green rectangle means go. Quick, don’t think
about the settings, just start shooting.
Unfortunately, this gives you very little creative
control. It is a great mode for snap shots or
someone who is too intimidated by cameras in
general.
The girl’s head is a portrait mode; meaning the
camera will pick a small f-stop, giving you a small
depth of field. Before I go too far, let me explain
the idea of depth of field better. Hold a pencil out
at arms length and stare at the tip. Now look beyond
the pencil. As the sharp pencil tip becomes soft and
the soft background becomes sharp this is "Depth of
Field". The human eye can only focus on one point at
a time; but how wide that area of focus is, does
vary greatly.
If I want to take a picture of my cute granddaughter
who’s playing beside the garbage can, do I want all
the garbage can in focus? No. I only want to see my
granddaughter, so I choose a “Small” Depth of Field.
If on the other hand, this cute kid is playing in
Zion’s National Park in front of a waterfall, do I
want both child and water fall in focus? Yes. That’s
when I use a landscape mode (the small mountain and
cloud), because that’s when the camera would pick a
“Large” Depth of field. The easiest way to remember
this is: small child equals a small amount in focus.
Large Mountain equals a large amount in focus.
 The
small runner is a sports mode. This allows the
camera to pick a fast shutter speed which can stop
action. The opposite would be the person with a
star. Although basically meant as a night shot mode,
it also forces the camera to use a slower shutter
speed, good for dreamy effects on moving water.
The flower is a close-up mode - which is similar to
the portrait mode, but on a much closer scale. In
most cases, the Depth of Field is fairly small.
Remember that close-up generally means taking
pictures within a foot or two, NOT an inch or two.
To get that close you either need a special Macro
Lens . . . or a set of Close-Up filters to increase
your magnification.
The person with a star over one shoulder indicates a
long exposure. Don’t even play with this mode unless
you are using a tripod. This is where you start
shooting in full seconds, full minutes, or even
hours. Great for fireworks or lightning, but not
something you want to hold by hand.
Knowing what the symbols are for, gives you much
more creative control than always shooting in green
mode. Remember your camera is like a paintbrush to
the painter, you control how much light to apply to
the photo. Point and shoot cameras that offer NO
adjustments, are for tourist not photographers. As
long as your camera has options; whether they are
manual or automatic you still have choices.
“Creativity” comes form having those choices and
using them.
This Article Written By: Tedric A. Garrison Cedar
City, Utah
Tedric Garrison has done photography for over 30
years. In college he was an Art Major, and firmly
believes that “Creativity can be taught.” Today; as
a writer and photographer he shares his wealth of
knowledge with the world, at:
http://www.betterphototips.com
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