Your essential D-SLR settings

Exposure compensation
W
hen it comes to setting up your
camera for a balanced exposure,
tricky lighting conditions can play havoc
with your cameras metering system,
especially when youve got a light or dark
subject set against a contrasting
background. Your camera is likely to
under- or overexpose to compensate for

EV -1

the difference in light. To combat this

problem you can use your cameras
handy exposure compensation setting
to fine tune your exposure to make it
brighter or darker. In Av mode, if you hold
the Av+/- button down and use the Mode
dial (or use the rear thumbwheel on more
advanced cameras), youll be adjusting

Macro

The devil is in the detail! Learn

how to get crisp close-up shots

s tempting as it may be to switch to the

Close-up auto mode, the results wont do
justice to your macro subject. So were
going to show you how to set your camera up for
optimum results. Start by switching your camera
to Av mode and selecting an appropriate aperture.
When youre shooting extreme close ups its best
to stick to medium apertures as the depth of field
can be just millimetres, so you may end up with
the tiniest area in sharp focus. By stopping down
the aperture youll end up with more of your
subject in focus, with nice background blur.

36 | PhotoPlus November 2014

EV +1

EV +0

d
Depth of field is reduce
to mere millimetres at
macro focal lengths

the shutter speed. A stop of under- or

overexposure doubles or halves the
shutter speed. Most D-SLRs also offer
half-stop or third-stop increments for
more subtle adjustments. But make sure
you dont alter the shutter speed so
much that its too slow to capture sharp
shots when youre shooting handheld.

Self-timer

he simple act of pressing the shutter button can

cause enough movement to blur your carefully
focused shot, even if secured in place on a tripod.
Tocombat the problem use a shutter release to fire the
shutter for hands-free shooting. Alternatively, set the
2-sec Self-timer drive mode on your camera, to allow
anysubtle vibrations to subside.

Macro

Live View mode

S

hooting close-up with a macro lens, even at narrow

apertures, can make accurate focusing a challenge, as your
depth of field is so limited that any slight inaccuracy will result in
blurred shots. So use a tripod and Live View
mode on your Canon D-SLR to compose
and focus your shot. Using the rule of
thirds, position the focal point for the
best effect. For accurate focusing,
press the magnifying glass button
to zoom in x5 or x10 to view your
focal point close up and switch your
lens to MF (Manual Focus). Then
adjust the focusing ring on your lens
until your chosen area is in sharp focus.

Macro
starter
settings
1 Exposure mode
2 ISO
3 AF setup
4 Picture style
5 White balance
6 Metering mode
7 Image quality
8 AF mode
9 Drive mode

Which lens?
Av
Auto
Area AF
Standard
Auto
Partial
Raw
Manual focus
Self-timer

Canon EF 100mm
f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Youll need a true macro lens that offers a
magnification factor or 1.0x or 1:1 at its closest focus
setting, which means that it will be able to reproduce
a life-sized image of an object on the image sensor
when focused as close as possible. Many zoom lenses
have the word macro added to their title, but beware
they will not give the same results as a true macro
lens; it simply means they can focus a little closer.

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