What settings would you have used?

[LauraSAnne]

My critique request is going to be a bit backward. I'm not so much concerned about the composition of the shot as I am with the settings I chose.

My initial problem with photography is the whole "numbers" thing. I find photography to be very mathematical, and I am not mathematical to say the least. Figuring out the ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture from the triangle aspect is just not easy for me to grasp (Bryan Peterson books have helped a little, but not nearly enough!)

So with this shot, I used my new Canon 50mm f/1.8 that I had had for about a month. I was shooting in Aperture Priority because we were strapped for time and when I have to figure out all the numbers to shoot Manual--well, like I said, it throws me for a bit of a loop.

It was about 6pm, out of direct sunlight (sun was starting to go into setting mode). My thought process was to keep the Aperture open for the sharpest shot because I tend to have shaky hands and I kept the ISO low to avoid graininess. I did not want the background and mountains to be in focus--the couple was the focal point of the photo. What kept happening was what's going on in this photo--one of them would be in focus and the other would be out of focus.

So my question is, if you shot this image with that lens, what settings (about) would you have used to get the couple the most sharp while keeping the surrounding area blurry? I guess really I would like to know what Aperture would have been best for this image. I've read that this specific lens gets the best focus results at f/8.0 but I was worried everything would be too much in focus around them. This image is straight out of camera and I shot RAW so that I could get the best exposure with the couple and then balance out the mountains/sky in Photoshop afterwards. Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire

[lputman]

I probably would have set my aperture to 4.0 and adjusted ISO to allow me to get a proper exposure.

[zona5101]

So it soulds like your thinking of the right stuff when taking your pictures... (open up aperture to keep shutter speed high; low iso to avoid grain)... so good for you.
If you would have went to f4 or 5.6 your shutter would have changed to 1/80 or 1/40 respectively. If thats too slow for you then as Lori stated, up your iso a stop of two.
Also I wouldn't worry too much about having the background out of focus, having them in focus trumps. You can always blur the background in post...

[LauraSAnne]

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely try those Aperture settings next time.

If by chance you were wanting to get both the couple and the background in focus, what aperture would you use on a 50 f/1.8?

I guess I was just really unhappy with how unsharp they ended up being with how much light was available. I figured shooting that wide open with that much light would have given me great results but even he isn't THAT in focus. I do suppose that shooting almost totally wide open takes away from the overall sharpness too. I'm just having a hard time finding the happy medium with all my apertures on all of my lenses.

[Benji]

I agree 100% with the above comment about getting the couple in focus and not worrying about blurring the background because the background can be blurred quite easily after the shot is taken.

Several suggestions about shutter speed, aperture, ISO and camera shake.

1. To prevent camera shake NEVER use a shutter speed slower than the focal length of the lens you are using, in your case with a 50mm lens, no slower than 1/50th of a second (or the closest to it), UNLESS you are using a tripod. A tripod allows you to use virtually any shutter speed you care to use (within reason.) Most people can't hold still for longer than about 1/2 second. I never use shutter speeds slower than 1/15 even if using a tripod. I usually use the fastest shutter speed I can.

2. The DOF of a 50mm lens when photographing people in a full length pose will be large even at f/1.8. I virtually never use any lens wide open (f/1.8 in your case) because most lenses are not sharp wide open. I would never use any aperture larger than f/4.0 on your 50mm f/1.8 lens except when forced to.

3. The lower the ISO the better because there is less noise to contend with.

4. FOCUS on the EYES, ALWAYS! If the eyes are sharp the entire image will appear sharp even if it is soft.

My suggestion is to get a hand held meter. I use the Sekonic L 358. You set the ISO to what the camera is set at, hold the meter beside the subject's face on the same side as the main light is on, press the button and it will tell you what aperture and shutter speed combination to use. If you don't like the selection it has chosen simply rotate the exposure wheel and it will immediately give you a new reading. For instance it says to use f/4.0 @ 1/125 but you want greater DOF. All you need to do is rotate the dial counterclockwise three clicks (each one is 1/3rd of a stop) and your new reading is f/5.6 @ 1/60. Still not enough DOF? Rotate it three clicks again and you now have f/8.0 @ 1/30 and so forth. When used correctly and the ISO setting was correct I have never had an image that was incorrectly exposed! How often do I use a meter, only every time I pick up my camera. I have looked at my histogram twice in the five years I have owned a digital camera, and both times it lied to me.

Benji

[lputman]

If still shooting in aperture priority, to have both subject and background in focus, I would have started with my aperture at 8.0 and again, adjust ISO accordingly.

[LauraSAnne]

Benji, thanks for the tips!

I think the only thing I've disagreed with in this whole thread is adding the blur in post. It NEVER looks the same to me...there is just a unique look you get with blur straight out of camera, I think.

Iputman, I see you have the 85 f/1.8...I purchased that lens when I got my 50mm but I haven't yet used it. Do you think that would have been a better lens for the shooting situation of this critique? I've loved using the 50mm so much I haven't taken the time to switch to the 85mm yet!

[lputman]

I absolutely love the 85 1.8 and I keep it on my 5DII. If you're shooting with a crop body, then the 50 would be the better lens for this photo because it appears that you did want some background and as such, you have a greater field of view.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by LauraSAnne

My critique request is going to be a bit backward. I'm not so much concerned about the composition of the shot as I am with the settings I chose.

My initial problem with photography is the whole "numbers" thing. I find photography to be very mathematical, and I am not mathematical to say the least. Figuring out the ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture from the triangle aspect is just not easy for me to grasp (Bryan Peterson books have helped a little, but not nearly enough!)

So with this shot, I used my new Canon 50mm f/1.8 that I had had for about a month. I was shooting in Aperture Priority because we were strapped for time and when I have to figure out all the numbers to shoot Manual--well, like I said, it throws me for a bit of a loop.

When in doubt, bracket! Soon or later you'll figure them out. Do you really think everyone knew these stuff when they were starting out?

Originally Posted by LauraSAnne

So my question is, if you shot this image with that lens, what settings (about) would you have used to get the couple the most sharp while keeping the surrounding area blurry? I guess really I would like to know what Aperture would have been best for this image. I've read that this specific lens gets the best focus results at f/8.0 but I was worried everything would be too much in focus around them. This image is straight out of camera and I shot RAW so that I could get the best exposure with the couple and then balance out the mountains/sky in Photoshop afterwards. Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

I reserve f/1.2 - f/2 for single subject most of the time. You should test your gears out beforehand and note the aperture, distance (e.g., how many steps from the subject), DOF etc. Then stick the note to the back of the lens cap and adjust it according.

Look at the following. If your aperture is OK for the DOF marked in green then stop down for the DOF marked in red.

[LauraSAnne]

Originally Posted by LoveDSLR

When in doubt, bracket! Soon or later you'll figure them out. Do you really think everyone knew these stuff when they were starting out?

I was actually shooting in burst mode at the time, taking about 3 shots each time because I have such a hard time getting a sharp shot. I was finding that generally when I took 3 shots, one would usually turn out to my liking. It was just that so many were turning out blurry and I could not figure out why--PLENTY of light, wide aperture, burst shooting. Sometimes I stop and I think that I've just got to be doing something horribly wrong, I just can't figure out what that is.

Thanks for the other tips too!

How do you people even see your sharpness quality on your screen once you take a picture? I usually take a couple burst shots, look at them on the screen zoomed in and I gotta say, it's not easy to see if I've picked the right aperture. I shot 4 couples that evening (it was for my husbands work convention) and I really thought I nailed the sharpness on all of them--but when I got them home and started processing, I was just amazed at how unsharp most of them were. Wish I could rewind and go back and shoot at f/3.5 or f/4.0!