Week 5--A New Mode

An expert is someone who knows "the tricks of the trade", a person who is so well-versed in his or her field that they can practically tell you anything about everything.

I found out this week that I am not an expert.

Last week's "flow" was a twinkie. Delicious, but oh so false. So false.

As I was reading through articles, magazines and blogs, there was this common factor among all the pictures: they were sharp all the way through. As I read more into the process of their shots, there was  a common denominator. All of them were using the "Aperture Priority" setting, usually designated by an "A" or an "AV" on a camera.

The aperture of a camera determine the focal length of a shot. The smaller the aperture the more "blur" you get. For example, this shot was at a 5.4 aperture setting:

In landscape photography, the sharper the image, the more appealing it is, the more it invites you in, and the better it looks. So, with something totally new to learn, I was shot down to novice mode. I had only ever shot with a low aperture setting, because generally the "blur" of a portrait image makes for a cleaner image.

After learning how to wield this new-found power (which is harder than just twist-point-and-shoot), I got some pretty decent shots.

This image was something that I wanted to remain sharp, so I used the highest setting possible.

I like the composition of this image, but I feel like a sky would be more dramatic of a background rather the mountains. But alas, such is the life we live in Utah.

Don't get me wrong, I love mountains! Without them, we couldn't have vistas like this! I used the highest setting for this image as well. I wanted to have good lines, good composition, and use a polarizing lens to darken the colors.

I am obviously still a novice photographer and have much to learn about not only the tools but also the tricks of my trade. This new mode has given me a new mode of thinking and a new mode of shooting.

Also, Happy Halloween! This is a creepy house I passed on my drive. My daughter said, "Uh Dad, you aren't going in there right? Because I can't drive home, Jemma (my youngest) is hungry and I'm pretty sure there are witches in there." Enjoy the creepiness!