We are not equipment snobs here at LLS, nor are we married to one brand. However, we will mostly discuss Canon because that is what we’ve got in our bag. You can shoot with anything, however unless you are hanging out with Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins, please check your .30-06 (“thirty-ought-six”) at the door! Come on what kind of site do you think this is? FOCUS! No pun intended… ahhh who am I kidding, of course it was intended!

Whether you are sportin’ a point and shoot, entry level DSLR, pro level DSLR, or even an IPhone you can capture great moments every day using any of them. As a matter of fact, we have some great prints from our Iphone cameras, that’s right I said IPHONES! IPhones take pictures too, quite conveniently actually and the quality ain’t too shabby either. (Spoiler alert: Watch for future Weekend Warrior posts as we are out and about with our IPhones).

So back to the topic at hand, (pun intended) Canon Rebel that is…. With the decreasing costs of getting better equipment, most of us have gone out and purchased a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera). The Rebel, otherwise known as a “pro-sumer” camera, can be categorized as one step above a point and shoot, yet not quite a “pro” like the 50D or 7D, or BIG dog like a 5D Mark II (insert drool here).

So, this week’s post is all about this button and all the little letters and pictures on it (photo courtesy of http://steves-digicams.com) :

There is an easy way to break this down, and is actually listed this way in the manual for the camera (One of the best tips I received when I was learning is read the manual cover to cover, I promise it’s full of tons of great information, keep it in your bag for referencing at all times!).

Canon refers to the above in two zones: 1) the creative zone (everything north of the green square: A-DEP down through P), and 2) the basic zone (the 7 small icons south of and including the green square). The creative zone is the place where you have either complete control, or as close to complete control as possible over the way your camera is taking pictures. It’s truly ideal, but a can be a very overwhelming area to shoot from but oohhhh so fun. Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself… stay with me!

The basic zone, is a group of pre-determined settings designed for optimal exposure in specific circumstances, taking into consideration your subject(s), distance to your subject, available light, and/or overall goal/end result you seek. (For example, freezing your son’s wild t-ball swing versus capturing your children naturally posed, clean as can be, all smiling and sitting ever so still on your front porch for a family photo) It’s ok to dream, right? This zone takes a lot of the thinking out of the equation but still allows you to optimize camera settings for a desired outcome. Hopefully this makes sense!

We will spend some time in the future getting to know each of these on a more intimate level, the purpose today is to get a basic understanding of what each one means, ideally in laymen’s terms…. photographically speaking.

Some definitions:
Aperture: a small opening in the lens that changes the diameter of the opening to control how much light reaches the sensor as the photo is taken. Controlled by setting fstops.

Shutter Speed: the amount of time the shutter stays open, the longer it is open, the greater the amount of light allowed into the camera.

The Creative Zone:
A-DEP: Automatic Depth of Field. Camera selects both shutter speed and aperture with the goal of having everything in the viewfinder in focus. (Instead of your subject being in focus with a blurred background for example).

M: Manual mode, you must set the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to get the right exposure.

Av – Aperture Priority – You choose the aperture, and the camera chooses a shutter speed to get a proper exposure

Tv – Shutter priority – You choose the shutter speed, and the camera chooses an aperture to get a proper exposure

P – Program – automatic mode, but unlocks some of the creative functions. Camera selects shutter speed and aperture.

The Basic Zone:
Head image –best to use when taking a portrait, the setting assists in blurring the background and softens the subject’s hair.

Mountain – this is landscape mode, useful for wide scenery shots, where you want to have everything in focus that is in the picture, whether close up or far away. (Instead of a blurred background like with a portrait)

Flower/tulip – close up mode, for shooting items close up, such as flowers or simple objects. Have you ever seen those pictures of a bee so close up you can see its wings in great detail? It’s called macro photography, typically most effective with a macro lens. In any case, this preset option optimizes times you want to be up close and personal with your subject.

Person in motion – for shooting action shots, like sporting events when you want to freeze the action.

Person with star – nighttime shooting mode, tripod and wide angle lens strongly recommended to avoid the image being blurry or missing some of the detail that a great night shot can highlight.

Final choice – block with line and arrow going through it. This is how you are able to take an image and know with confidence that the flash will not fire. I am generally a flash avoider, but you have to be careful. Flash is needed in many cases to properly capture the moment. An example of a time you may want to turn the flash off would be shooting those lovely little seahorses through the aquarium glass. Seahorses hate bright lights anyway, so it’s a win-win! (I only speak the truth you must believe everything I write oh I am sorry was that out loud?)

Watch for future volumes when we dive a bit deeper. If you have any immediate questions, please feel free to leave a comment, or email us Julie at livelaughshoot(dot)com or Anne at livelaughshoot (dot) com.