The Digital Photography Companion

187

Appendix

A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE FOR A

VARIETY OF CAMERA SETTINGS

Exposure compensation reference guide

Lighting situation

Recommended exposure

compensation (via the scale setting)

Subject against a bright-sky background

(high clouds on a sunny day)

Overexpose by 2 (+2.0); use fill flash if

within 10 feet

Light object (white color), front-lit Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)

Subject against white sand or snow

(e.g., person skiing)

Overexpose by 1.5 (+1.5)

Landscape scene dominated by a

bright, hazy sky

Overexpose by 1 (+1.0)

Fair-skinned subjects with bright front

lighting

Overexpose by .5 (+.5)

Subject against green foliage in open sun

(e.g., outdoor portrait with background trees

and shrubs)

No compensation

Dark-skinned subjects with bright

front lighting



Brightly-lit subject against dark background

(e.g., theater lighting)



Dark object (black color), front-lit 

APPENDIX

188

Flash mode settings

Situation Recommended flash mode*

Outdoor portrait in open shade or sun Fill flash (flash forced on)

Subject against bright background, such

as hazy sky

Fill flash (flash forced on)



indoor and outdoor shooting)

Fill flash (flash forced on)

Subject in brightly lit evening scene, such

as Times Square, New York, or Sunset

Strip, Las Vegas

Slow-synchro flash

(hold camera steady or use tripod)

Portrait against twilight sky, brightly-lit

monument, or building

Slow-synchro flash

(hold camera steady or use tripod)

Portrait in brightly-lit room where

ambient lighting needs to be preserved

Slow-synchro flash

(hold camera steady or use tripod)

Subject who typically blinks as flash fires Red eye reduction flash

(to eliminate recorded blinking)

Mood portrait by window, bright lamp, or

other light source

Flash off (steady camera with tripod or

other support)

Sporting event or outdoor concert when

shooting from the stands

Flash off (steady camera with tripod or

other support)

* On some point-and-shoot cameras, these flash settings are accessible only when you enable

manual mode. Cameras typically ship in automatic mode, which limits the number of adjust-

ments that the photographer can change. Refer to your owner’s manual for more information.

APPENDIX

189

White balance settings

Lighting condition

Recommended white

balance setting

Sunny, outdoor conditions Auto or Daylight

Open shade (e.g., under a tree), indoor portraits by

window light, or when flash is on indoors

Cloudy (add fill flash

when possible)

Snow setting, bluish winter light, or when overall light

balance is too cool

Cloudy

Indoors with flash off, when dominant light source is

tungsten light

Tungsten

Outdoors at sunset or sunrise, when light is too warm Tungsten

Indoors, when dominant light source is fluorescent tubes Fluorescent

Metering modes with explanations

Metering mode* Explanation

Evaluative metering Camera divides viewing area into segments and evaluates

each area alone and in combination with others. End result is

very accurate overall exposure for most scenes. Good choice

for general photography.

Spot metering Camera reads only center portion of viewing area, usually

within the center brackets or crosshairs. Good choice

for situations that require precise exposure control on a

particular element in the scene. Most popular use is to

correctly meter a person’s face in difficult lighting situations.

Center-weighted

metering

Camera reads entire viewfinder area, but with more emphasis

placed on central portion of scene. Typically used for

landscape and general photography. Evaluative metering is

usually preferred over center-weighted metering.

* Many point-and-shoot cameras offer only one metering mode—usually center-weighted or

evaluative. Intermediate and advanced models usually include spot metering too.

APPENDIX

190

Camera modes with explanations

Camera mode* Explanation

Programmed

autoexposure (P)

Camera sets both aperture and shutter speed. Good for

general photography.

Shutter priority/

timed value (S or Tv)

Photographer sets shutter speed and camera sets

corresponding aperture. Best for action, sports, or running

water photography.

Aperture priority/

aperture value (Av)

Photographer sets aperture and camera sets corresponding

shutter speed. Best for landscape photography or any

situation that requires depth-of-field control.

Manual (M) Photographer sets both aperture and shutter speed. Advanced

mode for those with an understanding of photography.

Movie Camera records video segments and saves them as QuickTime,

AVI, or MPEG files. Some models also record sound to

accompany the video.

Panorama Camera designates a sequence of shots to be stitched together

later to create one image with a wide perspective. Some

cameras give you onscreen assistance to line up the sequence.

Nighttime Allows for longer shutter speeds (even when the flash is

turned on) to enable photography in low ambient light, such

as at sunset or for brightly-lit interiors. A tripod should be

used to help steady the camera when using this mode.

* Your camera may have all, some, or only a couple of these modes available. Typically, aperture

priority, shutter priority, and manual modes are available only on advanced models.