4. The Creative Zone

• When shooting in a casual environment where quick adjustments are needed

• When you want control over the ISO

• If you want to use exposure compensation

• If you want or need to shoot in the Adobe RGB color space

• If you want to make corrections to the white balance

Let’s return to our picnic scenario. The light is moving from deep shadow to bright sunlight, which means that the camera is trying to balance your three photo factors (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed) to make a good exposure. From Chapter 1, “The T5i Top Ten List,” you know that Auto ISO is just not a consideration, so you have already turned that feature off (you did change it, didn’t you?). Well, in Program mode, you can choose which ISO you would like the camera to base its exposure on. The lower the ISO number, the better the quality of your photographs, but the less light sensitive the camera becomes. It’s a balancing act, with the main goal always being to keep the ISO as low as possible—too low an ISO, and you will get camera shake in your images from a long shutter speed; too high an ISO means you will have an unacceptable amount of digital noise. Go ahead and select ISO 400 so that you provide enough sensitivity for those shadows, while allowing the camera to use shutter speeds that are fast enough to stop motion.

With the ISO selected, you can now make use of the other controls built into Program mode. By rotating the Main dial, you now have the ability to shift the program settings. Remember, your camera is using the internal light meter to pick what it believes are suitable exposure values, but sometimes it doesn’t know what it’s looking at and how you want those values applied (Figures 4.1 and 4.2). With the program shift, you can influence what the shot will look like. Do you need faster shutter speeds in order to stop the action? Just turn the Main dial clockwise. Do you want a smaller aperture so that you get a narrow depth of field? Then turn the dial counterclockwise until you get the desired aperture. The camera shifts the shutter speed and aperture accordingly in order to get a proper exposure, and you will get the benefit of your choice as a result.

Let’s set up the camera for Program mode and see how you can make all of this come together.

Setting Up and Shooting in Program Mode

1. Turn your camera on, and then turn the Mode dial to align the P with the indicator line.

2. Select your ISO by pressing the ISO button on top of the camera, and then turning the Main dial to the desired setting. Then press the ISO button again (the ISO selection will appear in the rear LCD panel).

3. Point the camera at your subject, and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.

4. View the exposure information in the bottom of the viewfinder or by looking at the display panel on the back of the camera.

5. While the meter is activated, use your index finger to roll the Main dial left and right to see the changed exposure values.

6. Select the exposure that is right for you and start shooting. (Don’t worry if you aren’t sure what the right exposure is. We will start working on making the right choices for those great shots beginning with the next chapter.)

Just as with Program mode, Tv mode gives you more freedom to control certain aspects of your photography. In this case, I’m talking about shutter speed. The selected shutter speed determines just how long you expose your camera’s sensor to light. The longer it remains open, the more time your sensor has to gather light. The shutter speed also, to a large degree, determines how sharp your photographs are. This is different from the image being sharply in focus. One of the major influences on the sharpness of an image is camera shake as well as the subject’s movement. Because a slower shutter speed means that light from your subject is hitting the sensor for a longer period of time, any movement by you or your subject will show up in your photos as blur.

• When working with fast-moving subjects where you want to freeze the action (Figure 4.3); you’ll learn more about this in Chapter 5, “Moving Target”

• When you want to emphasize movement in your subject with motion blur (Figure 4.4)

• When you want to use a long exposure to gather light over a long period of time (Figure 4.5); you’ll learn more about this in Chapter 8, “Mood Lighting”

• When you want to create that silky-looking water in a waterfall or fountain (Figure 4.6)

As you can see, the subject of your photo usually determines whether you will use Tv mode. You must be able to visualize the result of using a particular shutter speed. The great thing about shooting with digital cameras is that you get instant feedback by checking your shot on the LCD screen. But what if your subject won’t give you a do-over? Such is often the case when shooting sporting events. It’s not like you can go ask the quarterback to throw that touchdown pass again because your last shot was blurry from a slow shutter speed. This is why it’s important to know what those speeds represent in terms of their abilities to stop the action and deliver a blur-free shot.

First, let’s examine just how much control you have over the shutter speeds. The T5i has a shutter speed range from 1/4000 of a second all the way down to 30 seconds. With that much latitude, you should have enough control to capture almost any subject. The other thing to think about is that Tv mode is considered a “semiautomatic” mode. This means that you are taking control over one aspect of the total exposure while the camera handles the other. In this instance, you are controlling the shutter speed and the camera is controlling the aperture. This is important to know because there will be times when you want to use a particular shutter speed, but your lens won’t be able to accommodate your request.

For example, you might encounter this problem when shooting in low-light situations: if you are shooting a fast-moving subject that will blur at a shutter speed slower than 1/125 of a second but the largest aperture of your lens is f/3.5, you might see that your aperture display in your viewfinder and the rear LCD panel will begin to blink. This is your warning that there won’t be enough light available for the shot—due to the limitations of the lens—so your picture will be underexposed (too dark).

Another case where you might run into this situation is when you are shooting moving water. To get that look of silky, flowing water, you’ll usually find it necessary to use a shutter speed of at least 1/15 of a second, if not longer. If your waterfall is in full sunlight, you may get that blinking aperture display once again because the lens you are using only closes down to f/22 at its smallest opening. In this instance, your camera is warning you that you will be overexposing your image (too light). Workarounds exist for these problems, and we will discuss them later (see Chapter 7, “Landscape Photography”), but you should know that there can be limitations when you’re using Tv mode.

Setting Up and Shooting in Tv Mode

1. Turn your camera on, and then turn the Mode dial to align the Tv with the indicator line.

2. Select your ISO by pressing the ISO button on top of the camera, and then turning the Main dial (the ISO selection will appear in the rear LCD panel).

3. Point the camera at your subject, and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.

4. View the exposure information in the bottom area of the viewfinder or by looking at the rear LCD panel.

5. While the meter is activated, use your index finger to roll the Main dial left and right to see the changed exposure values. Roll the dial to the right for faster shutter speeds and to the left for slower speeds.

Why, you may ask, is this one of my favorite modes? It’s because the aperture of your lens dictates depth of field. Depth of field, along with composition, is a major factor in how you direct attention to what is important in your image. It is the controlling factor of how much area in your image is in focus. If you want to isolate a subject from the background, such as when shooting a portrait, you can use a large aperture to keep the focus on your subject and make both the foreground and background blurry. If you want to keep the entire scene sharply focused, such as with a landscape scene, then using a small aperture will render the greatest amount of depth of field possible.

• When shooting portraits or wildlife (Figure 4.7)

• When shooting most landscape photography (Figure 4.8)

• When shooting macro, or close-up, photography (Figure 4.9)

• When shooting architectural photography, which often benefits from a large depth of field (Figure 4.10)

We have established that Aperture Priority (Av) mode is highly useful in controlling the depth of field in your image. But it’s also pivotal in determining the limits of available light that you can shoot in. Different lenses have different maximum apertures. The larger the maximum aperture, the less light you need to achieve a properly exposed image. You will recall that, when in Tv mode, there is a limit at which you can handhold your camera without introducing movement or hand shake, which causes blurriness in the final picture. If your lens has a larger aperture, you can let in more light all at once, which means that you can use faster shutter speeds. This is why lenses with large maximum apertures, such as f/1.4, are called “fast” lenses.

On the other hand, bright scenes require the use of a small aperture (such as f/16 or f/22), especially if you want to use a slower shutter speed. That small opening reduces the amount of incoming light, and this reduction of light requires that the shutter stay open longer.

Setting Up and Shooting in Av Mode

1. Turn your camera on, and then turn the Mode dial to align the Av with the indicator line.

2. Select your ISO by pressing the ISO button on top of the camera, and then turning the Main dial.

3. Point the camera at your subject, and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.

4. View the exposure information in the bottom area of the viewfinder or by looking at the rear display panel.

5. While the meter is activated, use your index finger to roll the Main dial left and right to see the changed exposure values. Roll the dial to the right for a smaller aperture (higher f-stop number) and to the left for a larger aperture (smaller f-stop number).

When you have your camera set to Manual (M) mode, the camera meter will give you a reading of the scene you are photographing. It’s your job, though, to set both the f-stop (aperture) and the shutter speed to achieve a correct exposure. If you need a faster shutter speed, you will have to make the reciprocal change to your f-stop. Using any other mode, such as Tv or Av, would mean that you just have to worry about one of these changes, but Manual mode means you have to do it all yourself. This can be a little challenging at first, but after a while you will have a complete understanding of how each change affects your exposure, which will, in turn, improve the way that you use the other modes.

• When you need to maintain exposures between different frames for a panorama (Figure 4.11)

• When your environment is fooling your light meter and you need to maintain a certain exposure setting (Figure 4.12)

• When shooting silhouetted subjects, which requires overriding the camera’s meter readings (Figure 4.13)

Setting Up and Shooting in Manual Mode

1. Turn the Mode dial to align the M with the indicator line.

2. Select your ISO by pressing the ISO button on top of the camera, and then turning the Main dial.

3. Point the camera at your subject, and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.

4. View the exposure information in the bottom area of the viewfinder or by looking at the rear display panel.

5. While the meter is activated, use your index finger to roll the Main dial left and right to change your shutter speed value until the exposure mark is lined up with the zero mark. The exposure information is displayed by a scale with marks that run from –2 to +2 stops. A “proper” exposure will line up with the arrow mark in the middle. As the indicator moves to the left, it is a sign that you will be underexposing (not enough light is hitting the sensor to provide adequate exposure). Move the indicator to the right and you will be providing more exposure than the camera meter calls for. This is overexposure.

6. To set your exposure using the aperture, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated. Then, using your thumb, hold in the Av button on the back of the camera, and then use your index finger to turn the Main dial right for a smaller aperture (large f-stop number) or left for a larger aperture (small f-stop number).

If I have a need to control the action, I use Shutter Priority. If I’m trying to create a silky waterfall effect, I can depend on Tv to provide that long shutter speed that it will deliver. Maybe I am shooting a motocross jumper. I definitely need the fast shutter speeds that will freeze the fast-moving action. Although the other camera modes have their place, I think you will find that you will use the Av and Tv modes for 90 percent of your shooting.

The other concern that I have when I am setting up my camera is just how low I can keep my ISO. I raise the ISO only as a last resort, because each increase in sensitivity is an opportunity for more digital noise to enter my image. To that end, I always have the High ISO Speed Noise Reduction feature turned on Standard (see Chapter 7).

To make quick changes while I shoot, I often use the Exposure Compensation feature (covered in Chapter 7) so that I can make small over- and underexposure changes. This is different than changing the aperture or shutter; it is more like fooling the camera meter into thinking the scene is brighter or darker than it actually is.

One of the reasons I change my exposure is to make corrections when I see the “blinkies” while looking at my images on the rear LCD. Blinkies are the warning signal that part of my image has been overexposed to the point that I no longer have any detail in the highlights. The highlight alert will flash wherever the potential exists for overexposure. The only unfortunate thing about this feature is that it doesn’t work with the full-screen preview mode. You have to set your camera display to one of the Histogram modes, and then you will see the highlight alert (Figure 4.14). If you see any area of the thumbnail blinking black, you are probably overexposing that part of the image.

As you work your way through the coming chapters, you will see other tips and tricks I use in my daily photography, but the most important tip I can give is that you take the time to understand the features of your camera so that you can leverage the technology in a knowledgeable way. Doing so will result in better photographs.

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