Blog, How to use your camera
Why you should learn to use the AV function on your digital camera
Aug
Get Started
There is a world of wonder and adventure that you may never see unless you start looking at things a little bit differently.
There are textures, colours, shapes, and creatures hidden in plain sight but just waiting for you to see them. Yes, it sounds far-fetched and fanciful, but by choosing to learn how to use a camera and see the world around you from a photographs point of view you are opening the doors to a world of visual delights which either you can share with others or simply do because you enjoy it.
The purpose of these posts is to help you take your first steps to understanding the magic that you can create using a camera. Once you understand the basics of how to capture a memory inside your camera that is well-exposed and has depth you are well on your way to creating a piece of art inside your camera
Before You Start
The principles discussed in this book are based on a digital camera with an Aperture Priority or Aperture Value function otherwise known as AV mode.
The goal of these posts is to walk you through how to use AV mode as the first step to using the much more creative Manual or M mode.
It is important to understand that the results you see depend on the lens that you are using and the available aperture settings that it has. The better the F-stop range the more control you have over how much of the image you can blur out and the how easier it is to see the results of the changes to the settings on your camera.
What do you need to get started?
Any camera with an AV and Manual option. For example a Canon 1200D or its more modern replacement would work perfectly fine.
The choice of lens depends on the style of photography you want to pursue.
I suggest you refrain from buying expensive equipment until you settle on you niche and become familiar with how to blur backgrounds. To that end, I highly recommend the 1200D camera with the 18 to 135 lens and the 50mm as this will give you a great foundation for both landscapes and portraits.
I will refer to and use both the 1200d and the 77D along with the 18 to 135 and the 50mm within these posts and the exercises will be based on the settings that these cameras or lens can achieve.
I have been taking photographs on and off since I was 14 and could quite easily have “collected” a massive amount of equipment to feed my shinny object desires, but have managed to limit myself and personally use the following (note these are affiliate links and if you click them and purchase an item I will be paid a small commission):
- Canon Eos 1200D (check them out on Ebay)
- Canon Eos 77D (check them out on Ebay)
In addition, I own a number of lenses which I can interchange between cameras which will allow me to take a range of different styles of photographs.
- 18mm to 135mm Canon EFS lens (previously my go-to lens for landscapes and portraits) (find one on Ebay)
- 50mm for fine art portraits as it allows me to blur the background (find one on Ebay)
Why Bother learning about the AV Settings?
The short answer is, by adjusting the aperture size, you can control the depth of field and decide how much of your image you want in sharp focus.
This means that you can become far more creative with your photography.
Here’s how aperture size and depth of field are related:
Large Aperture (small f-stop number):
A larger aperture (like f/2.8) creates a shallow depth of field. This means that a smaller portion of the scene (usually the subject you’re focusing on) will be in sharp focus, while the rest of the image (usually the background) will be blurred. This is often used for portraits or any time you want to isolate your subject from the background.
Small Aperture (large f-stop number):
A smaller aperture (like f/16) creates a larger depth of field. This means that a larger portion of the scene, from the foreground to the background, will be in sharp focus. This is often used for landscape photography, where you want as much of the scene as possible to be in focus.
Watch how the aperture setting can affect your photographs
Here is a visual example of how you can use the aperture to focus on one specific part of your of your photograph:
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