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IMT – Cholla Training Center
What are all those symbols for?
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You went out and purchased a digital camera and the instruction book mentions
"Scene Modes" and you see a lot of funny icons on one of the dials of your camera.
So what are they and what do they do?
The first thing to remember is this is a still a camera and you get a picture by having
the right amount of light hit the film or light sensor in a digital camera. You do this
by adjusting the size of the lens opening (Aperture), or the length of time the shutter
is open (Shutter Speed). How you adjust the two of these in tandem will create a
different picture. Without going into a long photography course, I will briefly explain
what each of these does.
The Aperture controls how much light is hitting the sensor at any instant and the
depth of focus. If I want everything in the picture to be in focus, both near and far
objects, I will choose a small aperture. If I want selective focus, for example taking a
portrait with a blurred background, you adjust the camera the other way.
The Shutter Speed controls how long the shutter is open so the light can get to the
sensor. For a sporting event where you want to stop the action, you would use a
short shutter speed, but if you want to burl the movement to imply motion, you
would use a longer shutter speed. You would also use a very long shutter speed for
night shots with motion you want to capture like fireworks.
How does this relate to Scene Modes? In its default setting, the camera guesses at
the best exposure, adjusting the Aperture and Shutter Speed without really knowing
what you are taking a picture of. It goes for an average setting. By selecting a
"scene" on your camera, you are telling the camera what you are taking a picture of
so it can make a better choice of how to set the camera. It generally gives more
accurate and pleasing results than the default auto mode.
Digital cameras have a variety of modes,
which are optimized for specific scenes
and automatically select focus and
exposure. Settings such as white balance
are preprogrammed by the
manufacturer.
Backlight - eliminates dark shadows
when light is coming from behind a
subject, or when the subject is in the
shade. The built-in flash automatically
fires to "fill in" the shadows.
Beach/Snow – photographs of beach,
snow and sunlit water scenes. Exposure
and white balance are set to help prevent
the scene from looking washed out.
Fireworks - shutter speed and exposure
are set for shooting fireworks; pre-
focusing & use of tripod recommended.
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Panorama - obtain extra wide vistas;
take a series of shots then stitch them
together with software to make a single
photo.
NOTE: Your
camera’s icons
may differ.