Newsletter No. 15: September, 2006
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
1. A Trip to the Douglas Lake area Grasslands: Part IIIn Newsletter #14 I promised to share a few more Burrowing owl images I made during an exciting two-hour shoot in the Douglas Lake area. Here are three for your amusement and enjoyment!
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Burrowing owl © Chris Harris; Canon EOS-1D Mark II Focal length: 700mm; ISO: 800; Shutter speed: 1/1600 sec; Aperture: 8; Exposure mode: Av; Exposure compensation: +1/3 |
Burrowing owl © Chris Harris; Canon EOS-1D Mark II Focal length: 700mm; ISO: 800; Shutter speed: 1/1600 sec; Aperture: 8; Exposure mode: Av;; Exposure compensation: +1/3 |
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© Chris Harris; Canon EOS-1D Mark II |
2. The Story Behind the ImageIn preparation for an upcoming reunion with five friends who climbed Mt. McKinley 30 years ago, I was delving through my old climbing images. Here are two images taken on Mt. Logan where Martyn Williams and I were leading the first commercial mountaineering expedition there in 1979.
Climbing on Mt. Logan, 1979
© Chris Harris; Olympus OM-2 film camera
One of the reasons climbers are lured back to the big mountains is the addictive adrenalin rush of traveling through such a powerful environment. In this image Martyn is finding a route through a huge field of seracs (massive apartment size chunks of ice). I remember feeling completely insignificant and vulnerable here because these seracs can come crumbling down at any given moment. Apart from the colour of our clothing and the sound of wind, this is a pure white, odourless, and silent environment. When I climb through an environment such as you see here, I am on a complete emotional high, living life to the absolute maximum.
In order to capture the magical soft light while climbing within a cloud, I over-exposed by about 1 f-stop. Had I shot on automatic, the magic would have been lost.
Field of Seracs, Mt. Logan, 1979
© Chris Harris; Olympus OM-2 film camera
In contrast, on our descent we passed through the same area on a sunny day. The strong side lighting provided high contrast that I captured by underexposing approximately 1½ f-stops. By recognizing the differences in light and compensating my exposure accordingly, I was able to portray a similar environment in a different way and thus generate a completely different feeling.
3. What I See and How I PhotographIn response to continued requests for my photo seminars, I am now bringing them online as an ongoing feature in my Newsletter. They are designed to give you techniques and insights gained from my experience in the field in the hope that they inspire you in your own image making.
Part II: Using my Camera Dials
Today’s camera bodies have more dials than we know what to do with – literally! My Canon EOS 1D for example has 22 buttons, 3 dials, 3 switches, 22 custom functions and 31 personal functions. I just counted them! It’s overwhelming and you can’t possibly remember them all. The first challenge is to evaluate what type of photography you do most often and then simplify, simplify, simplify, until you know how to quickly use the fewest number of buttons to obtain the desired effect in your image making.
My most important dials:
- I shoot in ‘aperture priority’ mode so I can make depth of field or shutter speed decisions in an instant by using one dial with my forefinger.
- Of next importance is my ‘exposure compensation’ dial that I can change in another instant with my thumb. This enables me to over- or under-expose an image for a desired effect.
- I always check my ISO reading to ensure I am using the lowest possible ISO for the least amount of noise (like grain in film). When shooting a series of images under similar conditions you can omit this step.
So there you are. For general landscape shooting I use two dials and possibly two more buttons to change the ISO if I require changing it. Simple!
Photographer Captures the Early Light Over Ilgachuz Park
© Chris Harris; Canon EOS-3 film camera
I obviously use more buttons when certain situations demand it. For example:
- After most shots I will check the histogram to ensure my exposure is correct (more about histograms in another newsletter).
- when shooting fast moving subjects I may change my drive mode to ‘high speed’ where I can shoot 7-8 frames per second.
- when shooting panoramas I will set a specific white balance, change to ‘manual’ mode and turn off auto focus.
- When changing a flash card I will have to format it.
These all require knowing a few more buttons but you will learn these as you go depending what and how you shoot. When you first purchase your camera it is well worth your while to thoroughly go through your manual and customize your settings as best you can. After a few weeks, review the manual again and you will probably make a few changes – ever simplifying as you go. There is one custom function I know I use more than any other – mirror lock-up. I therefore always have this function set so I can access it quickly and not have to search through the other 22 custom functions. I use this feature when shooting with a long lens at a slow shutter speed (on a tripod) to reduce lens & camera vibration.
Stay tuned for Part III in this new online workshop series. If you have friends who may be interested in photography, forward this Newsletter on to them or have them subscribe through my website. Thanks and have fun photographing!
Question & Answer: I have received several emails asking if I shoot on Program, Aperture or Speed Priority, or Manual mode. During the good old film days I always suggested you learn to shoot on Manual and then over or under expose as required. Everything has changed now in the digital world. I rarely shoot in Manual now. If you shoot in Raw format (more about shooting in Raw or Jpeg in a later newsletter) and therefore develop or process your own images using computer software, there is ample latitude to change your exposure during this process. So shooting on Program is perfectly acceptable and preferred by many. I still prefer to use Aperture Priority mode because I am used to it. Whatever mode you choose, get used to it for quick decision making and be ready to use your compensation dial if over or under exposure is required.
Good luck! I hope I helped rather than confusing you more!