Bummer-the 12,000-plus ISO creates an extremely noisy and grainy file. Unfortunately, the evening sunset found you mounting the camera to a tripod knowing you want to make a 20×30 of the beautiful scenic. You do what’s necessary by raising the ISO. ![]() The light was low and the action was furious. Yes, all of your images are too blurry because you overlooked the fact the shutter was still locked at 1/15th and you weren’t panning this time! ISO For your follow-up session seven hours later, you witness a bison stampede with amazing action. You locked in your shutter speed to 1/15 th of a sec. You tried panning to expand your creativity. Be sure the active point is on the most important part of the subject. If the subject moves, move the point in conjunction with its new location. A time will come when you’re glad you did! Proper Focus PointĪlways be cognizant of what focus point is active. Make a list and carry it in your camera bag. Check them all before you press the shutter. Take an extra second to study your viewfinder.īelow is a list of ways you can get burned if you don’t study your viewfinder. But each time you pressed the shutter to make the bear photo, it was revealed. The Oops-the minus-1 stop you dialed in during the previous shoot went unnoticed. Sadly, you do a mass deletion of all images due to underexposure. Without hesitation, you fire off 40-plus shots. The next morning, you encounter a grizzly bear as you drive the road. Upon completion, you put all your equipment away and smile ecstatically thinking about the captures. You saw lots of “blinkies,” so you dialed in minus compensation to the tune of minus a full stop. An ounce of prevention may net you 60-plus great images as opposed to all deletions.Īnother example: The subject matter you just finished photographing contained a lot of white. Had Henrietta noticed them, she would have realized the aperture/shutter combination was improper for the situation. A quick glance provides the feedback to make sure your settings are appropriate. To activate them, press the shutter halfway. Most DSLRs show the following if you study your viewfinder: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering mode, exposure compensation and focus point. Better to miss one or two shots than have the entire session go awry. Prior to pressing the shutter, I make the necessary changes. I quickly scan the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, white balance and exposure compensation to determine if any aren’t appropriate for the given situation. I take notice of those little numbers, letters and readouts found within. Did I ever do the same when I was starting out? Absolutely-but I’ve since learned to preview and study my viewfinder. By the time Henrietta noticed, the foxes left the yard. The corresponding shutter speed prevented her from attaining sharp images. She shot 60-plus pictures before noticing her aperture was set to f/22. For the sake of anonymity, I’ll call her “Henrietta.” Henrietta shared with me how a situation unfolded before her with a momma and baby fox in her backyard. Some time ago, I received an email from a safari participant. ![]() Heed my message to study your viewfinder so every time you pick up your camera, you walk away pain-free. By sharing my words, I hope I can save you the same heartache and frustration I endured. Because I committed the “crimes” a number of times, unfortunately, I qualify as an authority. It’s advisable to cover the viewfinder even when shooting at just a few seconds but at the very least, cover it for exposures of 30 seconds or more to avoid interference.I stand accused and admit my guilt in regard to the concepts about which I write in this week’s tip. Another option is to compose the image through the viewfinder and cover it up before taking the shot. That means I’m using Live View to compose my images. So, when do you need to cover the viewfinder?Įxactly when light leaks become visible depends on the scenario but I’ve made it a habit to always cover the viewfinder when placing the camera on a tripod. A normal exposure typically only lasts for a fraction of a second, which isn’t enough time for the leak to affect the image. There’s more time for even a small leak to create a strong artifact in the image when the shutter is open for a longer period of time. Notice that the viewfinder was covered for this Long Exposure ![]() Light leaks normally don’t occur during regular exposures but when using a slow shutter speed, it’s a problem that most encounter regardless of the camera’s quality. When to Cover the Viewfinder for Long Exposure Photography Note: this tip is NOT relevant for those using mirrorless systems. Luckily, there’s an easy fix: cover the viewfinder.
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