AboutSteve Meltzer Expertise I am a professional photographer and I've been shooting for newspapers, magazines, commercial clients and artists for over 30 years.
I have shot stock photography for dozens of years and in 1977 created West Stock (Seattle, WA) which was one of the first to produce stock photo CDs and later one of the first to establish an online stock photo slaes site.
I have a new book on digital photography "PHOTOGRAPHING ARTS, CRAFTS AND COLLECTIBLES (Lark Books, 2007)which is available at Amazon.com, eBay.com and in bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders. I have another book, CAPTURE THE LIGHT which will be puiblished in November, 2008.
I write 20-30 feature articles and columns for regional and national publications a year.
My education includes studying with photographers like Cornell Capa, Duane Michels and Oliver Gagliani (from the Ansel Adams Center.)
Expert: Steve Meltzer Date: 2/2/2008 Subject: What settings to use for digital camera
Question Hello and thank you for being an expert!
My question pertains to the use of a Canon PowerShot S3 IS super zoom. My issue is with shooting quality shots during low light or indoor situations. For example: At night, with all the lamps turned on in the living room OR where the subject is backlit.
I have read that using Aperture priority mode is the first step in getting off the "auto" setting. Afterwards, it is all about white balance and ISO setting. However, I have yet to find any decent reference that leads me to understand when and how to use these settings.
I understand the function of Aperture mode and what it does to depth of field, so I shouldn't need a lot of instruction there.
I have a White balance setting that allows me to take a sampling first "I think it is called metering?" When there is no clear white surface to sample, what should I use? Should I use the next whitest object or the brightest object?
And ISO settings always amaze me. I set the camera to a certain ISO and i always over or under set it, making the shot to dark or grainy. What is your rule of thumb for ISO? Should I just leave it on auto and get better at white balance?
Finally (if I haven't lost you already!) I wish to be able to shoot indoor shots without the flash. I really prefer the warmth of those photos. The obvious problem is my shots turn out blurry (due to the long shutter speed?) I can reduce the power of the flash, but then the shot comes out dark and it is a pain to always have to set it back. I have read that I should shorten the shutter speed and open up the aperture to let in more light to correct this, but I was hoping there was a better way. Often, I am sitting in my house (yes, I sit a lot) and my kids start doing something cute, so I run, grab the camera, aim and shoot. Though decent, the shots turn out fuzzy (big shocker, right?). Should I setup a Custom setting that is set with this fast shutter and large aperature? If so, then what would be a good ISO, flash strength, white balance, etc to use?
I don't utilize Photoshop or any other notable program to correct photos. Normally I only use Office Picture Manager to brighten up shots a bit. So getting the shot right the first time would REALLY help! (and yes, I know I should take a photo class... but like everyone else, no time to do it! DOH!)
Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions! If you have any Windows or PC questions, pop on over to the computer section and ask away.
Tim Fenner
Answer tim
It isn't you it's the camera. It simply isn't designed to work well in low light.
Here are the settings that should give you the best shot with what you've got.
Use ISO 400 or 800 for non flash shots. These images may be a little soft due to noise (caused by amplifying the sensor signal) but the shots should be tolerable.
Set the camera exposure mode to S- Shutter priority- and the shutter to 1/30th second. With the Image Stabilization this should produce sharp not blurred image. Brace yourself and hold the camera tightly when you hit the shutter release. Wait for the peak of the action rather then trying to catch the kids in motion.
In general the camera will set the lens to its wide open aperture so you may want to stay at the wide angle side of the zoom lens which has a little wider aperture.
Set the White Balance to Tungsten to match the mostly tungsten filament indoor house lights.
This should get you pretty good shots. But you are pushing the limits of the camera. If you really want to do a lot of this kind of photography break out the old piggy bank and get a DSLR.
