I compare photography to cooking to new photographers. All you have to do is use a certain combination of ingredients (camera settings) know how to mix them in order to achieve the desired outcome. Students ask me all the time how to shoot certain scenes and I end up writing down the settings and directions as a “recipe.”
I use this analogy so much, I created an app that has thirteen recipes. I take the “cooking” analogy very seriously because thirteen is a baker’s dozen.
Let’s take a look at the recipe below for a shallow depth of field. The most important ingredient is the aperture. Without a wide aperture, a shallow depth of field would not be possible. I recommend f/2.8 (or wider if your lens allows), f/4 or f/5.6. The shutter speed is not important as it does not affect depth of field, so shoot in aperture priority and let the camera choose the shutter speed. The ISO should be set according to the ambient light or set on auto. Choosing a white balance preset is recommended, but will not affect the depth of field, just improve the overall color of the image. The lens focal length is recommended because the longer the focal length, the blurrier the background will be at a wide aperture. Finally directions are given on whether or not to use a tripod of if fill flash is needed. An image is shown that demonstrates the camera settings used. It is that simple! If you need a recipe for any type of photography, contact me and I will write one up for you. For more information on the Recipe App click here.
For more information on DSLR photography check out the online course.
To view my portrait photography site visit Lightscapes Portrait Studio.
To view my fine art photography site visit Mary Buck Photography.
