6 Simple Camera Hacks To Get You Off AUTO Mode Forever

Photography Pro

29 Aug 201719:20

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this video, professional photographer Mark Hemmings aims to help amateur photographers unlock their cameras' full potential. He shares six simple photography hacks to finally get users off auto mode and capture stunning photos, covering techniques like exposure compensation, ISO settings, aperture priority for controlling background blur, f/8 for sharp group photos, high f-stops for landscape focus, and shutter priority to manipulate water movement. After summarizing the key hacks, Mark invites viewers to sign up for his Digital Camera Mastery online course to further advance their photography skills without years of struggling alone.

Takeaways

😀 Most amateur photographers use auto mode and take average photos
📷 Understanding camera settings lets you take stunning, professional-quality photos
🔆 Use exposure compensation to adjust brightness of photos
🌄 Higher ISO settings allow you to photograph in low light conditions
📐 Aperture priority mode lets you control background blur
🎯 The f/8 aperture provides sharp focus for group photos
🌅 Higher f-stop gives sharp focus for landscape photos
💧 Adjust shutter speed to blur or freeze water motion
🎓 It takes years to master creative aspects of photography
🏆 Online photography course helps shortcut learning curve

Q & A

What are the 6 simple photography hacks mentioned in the video?
-The 6 hacks are: using exposure compensation, understanding ISO, using aperture priority mode, using f/8 aperture, using high f-stop numbers for landscapes, and using shutter priority mode.
How can you make a photo brighter or darker than what the camera sets?
-You can use exposure compensation. Press the plus button to increase brightness and minus button to make a photo darker.
How does increasing ISO help you take photos in low light?
-Increasing ISO makes the camera more sensitive to light. This allows you to photograph successfully even when it gets dark by freezing action and extending shooting time.
What are the benefits of using aperture priority mode?
-Aperture priority mode allows you to control background blur in portraits. You can choose a low f-stop number to get more background softness behind the subject.
Why is f/8 a useful aperture for group photos?
-f/8 provides a lot of focus sharpness for multiple people at different distances. It helps ensure all faces have perfect focus.
How can you get sharp focus in landscape scenes?
-Use a high f-stop like f/11 or f/16. This allows sharpness from the foreground to the distant background horizon.
How do you blur or freeze moving water?
-In shutter priority mode, use slow shutter speeds (1 sec) to blur water and fast speeds (1/250 sec) to freeze it.
What limits progress more - technical or creative aspects of photography?
-The instructor says the creative side is even more important than technical. It took 10 extra years after learning technical stuff to improve creativity.
What is the Digital Camera Mastery course offered by instructor?
-It's an online course that teaches you how to take stunning, high-quality photos in just a few days by revealing everything discovered in 20 years as a pro photographer.
Why is the course a better option than trying to learn photography all alone?
-It saves you from wasting 10+ years figuring everything out yourself like the instructor did. The course shortcuts the learning curve significantly.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introducing the instructor and course objectives

The instructor Mark introduces himself and outlines the purpose of the short video, which is to teach 6 simple photography hacks to help viewers get off auto mode and start taking stunning photos. He acknowledges people's skepticism but promises these hacks, from his 20 years of photography experience, will give them confidence.

05:02

😎 Using exposure compensation for brighter/darker photos

This hack allows you to easily make your photos brighter or darker than what the camera exposes for, by using exposure compensation settings. Examples are shown of making a test photo darker and brighter using this technique.

10:11

🌆 Leveraging ISO to photograph in low light conditions

This explains how ISO allows you to shoot in lower light conditions by making the camera more sensitive to light. Examples of using high ISO to get sharp evening photos in Tokyo are provided. Guidelines are given on ISO settings for different lighting conditions.

15:11

📸 Unlocking creative possibilities with Aperture Priority

This segment touts Aperture Priority mode for controlling background blur in portraits. Examples with a low aperture f-stop are shown to blow out the background behind a test subject. This gives portraits more focus on the person.

🌄 Using f/8 aperture for sharp landscape photos

f/8 aperture is explained as a "sweet spot" that keeps all focus sharp in a photo, which is perfect for group shots or landscape images. An example is shown of using f/8 to keep all people in a street scene in sharp focus.

💧 Capturing silky waterfalls with Shutter Priority

This hack demonstrates using Shutter Priority mode to blur water in a fountain photo with a 1-second exposure, and then freeze the water with a fast 1/250s shutter speed. Guidelines cover best practices for long vs. short exposures.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡aperture

The aperture refers to the opening in a camera lens that controls how much light passes through to the camera sensor. In the video, the host talks about using aperture priority mode to adjust the aperture setting in order to control the background blur in portraits. A wider aperture opening (lower f-stop number) results in more background blur.

💡ISO

ISO refers to the camera sensor's sensitivity to light. As explained in the video, higher ISO settings make the camera more sensitive to light, allowing you to take sharp photos even in low light conditions. However, higher ISO can also reduce image quality.

💡shutter speed

The shutter speed determines how long the camera sensor is exposed to light. As demonstrated in the video, slow shutter speeds blur motion while fast speeds freeze action. Using shutter priority mode allows manual control over shutter speed.

💡exposure

Exposure refers to the overall brightness or darkness of a photo, which is controlled by aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings. The host recommends using exposure compensation to easily adjust brightness.

💡focus

Proper focus ensures the subject of the photo looks sharp. Several tips in the video focus on adjusting camera settings like aperture and ISO to achieve good focus on subjects both near and far.

💡composition

While not directly referenced, good composition is essential to taking professional-looking photos. Concepts covered in the video like blurred backgrounds and freezing action allow improving compositional elements.

💡light

Understanding light, including intensity and color, helps photographers get the best shots. The video covers capturing photos in low light using higher ISO and other settings.

💡subject

Choosing an appropriate subject and highlighting it properly through focus, exposure and composition is key. Examples include portraits and landscapes.

💡technique

Mastering photographic technique is central to the video's message. The 6 hacks revealed aim to improve technical proficiency with camera settings.

💡quality

Getting high quality photos is the end goal. Proper use of aperture, ISO, etc. as covered in the video improves quality.

Highlights

Six simple photography hacks that will finally get you off of auto mode and help you take stunning photos

Exposure compensation lets you control the brightness of your photos to create cheerful or moody images

Higher ISO allows you to photograph in low light and freeze action by making the camera more sensitive to light

Aperture priority mode gives you control over background blur to draw attention to your subject

The f/8 aperture provides a lot of focus sharpness for groups of people at different distances

High f-stop numbers ensure sharp focus from foreground to background in landscape photos

Slow shutter speeds create silky, blurred water while fast speeds freeze the motion of water

It took 10 years to master both the technical and creative aspects of photography

The online course teaches stunning photography in days instead of wasting years trying to figure it out alone

Exposure compensation lets you adjust photo brightness beyond what the camera sets automatically

Higher ISO settings allow low light photography but reduce image quality

The f/8 aperture is considered the lens's 'sweet spot' for sharp focus in many situations

Slow shutter speeds require a tripod to avoid blur from camera shake

Shutter priority mode lets you choose to blur or freeze moving water

Mastering the creative side of photography takes even longer than learning the technical skills

Transcripts

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