While I was out hiking last week, right before I saw that big herd of deer that I rambled on about for days, I noticed a problem with my camera. Whenever I looked into the viewer, everything looked washed out. It was completely unsuitable to get any photos like that.Since I was in a hurry, I changed to a mode I don't normally use. That seemed to do the trick! The color was much better! There was only one problem, and it was a big one. Most of the time I took a picture of a deer, it came out blurry. I have tons of deer photos, but most of them are unusable.
This last time I went out to that place, I noticed the same problem. I wasn't going to use the blurry setting I used before, so I stuck with the washed out one. It didn't seem so bad at first, but it was still a little irritating.
Then I remembered that I had been trying to learn how to use my camera better. I actually have learned a lot of new tricks, but along the way I changed some settings that I should have left alone. At the time I thought when I shut the camera off, the settings would all return to normal. All of the simpler settings do this. Boy was I wrong!
Somewhere in my mind I realized my mistake during this last trip there. I took a picture of the forest, and I was completely unsatisfied with it. Then with the help of my new understanding, and the remembrance of what I had done, I changed the ISO speed back to the default. I had turned it up too fast, and the colors weren't coming out well in my photos.The two photos I have chosen today illustrate what happened perfectly. It was right after the first one that I discovered my mistake. The second shot is the one I took right after I fixed my error. They are very similar pictures, but the second one has the color I had previously lost.
With my mistake now corrected, this was a good learning experience for me. It actually helped me understand my camera a little bit better. The higher ISO speed takes some blurriness away, but at the cost of deeper color. A lower ISO speed, of course, does the opposite.
Even a mistake can be an excellent learning experience. I always think of them that way. I make plenty of mistakes, but I always pay attention and try to learn something when I make them. This was just another fine example of a big one with my camera.
And for any of you who didn't know about this little beginner tip on cameras and ISO speed, I hope it helped you. This is what this blog is really for. It's to share the experiences of a normal person that likes nature, and hopefully to help others along the way.
If you've never done any of this nature stuff before and you'd like to start, read my experiences. This should help you realize that it's actually kind of easy, it's inexpensive, and even the big mistakes can be made small. Just follow along.
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Ratty, I have to admit that I tend to use my Fuji Finepix S5000 on Auto. However just lately I too have started to play around with aperture and speed setting so thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteThis is part of our journey where we continue to learn.
ReplyDeleteWe explore, we discover and we learn, though through mistakes sometimes. Funnnnnnnnnnnnn...
Interesting post. Due to my SLR camera giving up the ghost, my film processor going out of business, and my point and shoot digital getting fussy, I just came home with a new digital camera which I am working on figuring out. I haven't blogged about it yet, but I will. Figuring out the camera is a real chore sometimes!
ReplyDeleteGood lessons. When I got my new camera at Xmas I started playing with it and found out that the setting for landscapes at dark did not work very well. My auto setting is better even for the fast moving things than the "fast moving" setting. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteBut have fun...that is what I love about digitals...what you don't want, you just erase!! I like even your washed out pics, so don't worry!!
It's such a beautiful and peaceful spot you have there.
ReplyDeleteoh, i do make some similar mistakes a lot of times too, the good thing is that most of them were just local. sometimes i do change my settings, and i forget to change it back, and i just wonder why my pictures were no good. and then when i review my picture's settings, i realize what i did, i would verify by checking my camera, and there, mistake revealed. it is also a learning process for me.
ReplyDeleteMike - I was using my camera on Auto most of the time until recently. I wanted to be quicker with my shots, so I had to learn to use other modes.
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Rainfield - I think the mistakes help us learn the most. As long as the mistake isn't very bad, it turns out to be a good thing.
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Sharkbytes - It is a chore, but it's a fun one. My camera is the first I ever owned. I never wanted to take pictures before, but now I'm a camera freak. I envy you with your new camera.
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The Retired One - I think my auto setting works the best in most situations too. I've been kind of hit or miss with night photography. If I take a picture of my truck, it works great. But then if I try for a serious shot, I end up with nothing.
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Grottogirl - It's a very good nature preserve, and it was created only a few years ago.
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Betchai - I'm glad you and most everyone else here seem to have the same experiences with these things as me. It lets me know I'm doing alright. Sometimes I'll see something exciting and get the picture, and when I get home it's terrible. I'm just glad that I can go back the next day sometimes and try again.
I learn by all the mistakes I make :) Your photos are still great.
ReplyDeleteJodapoet - Thanks. I think learning from a mistake gives us an extra sense of accomplishment.
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