Think Before You Shoot

Hihi^^ Its me again..*V sign* *Acts Cute*

Hahahaha... I bet half of you fell off your seats just from the first line...:P Anyways, I think its a great time for another lesson.

People (like me for example) always like to preach to the kiddos that they should think before they shoot. But of cos, like every wonderful senior, they walk away before you can ask wad the hell did they mean by think. So now I am here today to answer that part of the question.

Now, for every wonderful senior who tells you to "Think before you shoot." has a slightly different meaning to their "think". To me, when I ask you to think, what I really want you to "think" is to really be conscious of what you are shooting and your camera settings.

So what does it mean to be conscious of what you are shooting? It really means, is the composition/angle correct? Is the subject correct? Is the background too messy? Is it the right time yet? Is it of the correct context? All theses questions must flow into your mind once you set your eyes on the scene (meaning that you must already decide before you bring the camera up to your face.) If these questions do not flow into your mind, then it means your not thinking at all...

Once you have decided that you know what you wanna shoot, then you start thinking about how you wanna shoot and adjusting your settings. Unless you are playing cheat and using the Auto or P mode, then you no need to think then. But if you never wished to think in the first place, you might have been better off using your compact digicam. Now the reason people buy a DSLR is cos they wanna have control over how they shoot. Of cos you would argue that your compact got all that stupid modes but no matter how you zhng your Toyota Corolla it will still be a Corolla... It might go a lil' faster but, still not much difference.

Now that I've convinced you to use A mode, I bet you'd be wondering why must use A and not S or M (Maybe I'll come up with a mode that merges S&M together, hahahahahahahaha roflmao, sry PPC, but i just couldn't help on that one..). We as photographers are interested in the creative aspect of photography, not in the scientific apsect nor do we have the time to fiddle with stupid dials and buttons. So why A mode when? Cos the only technical aspect of photography that controls over the creative aspect is the aperture. Why? That's cos it controls the depth-of-field (DOF). So now that you know why you use A mode over the other lame ass modes, let me tell you what you should be thinking after setting your composition on your viewfinder.

First, you should decide if you need a shallow or deep DOF or you prefer to have sharpness. Adjust your aperture correspondingly. Then glance over to your shutter speed and make sure its over 1/30. Anything less and you'd end up with a blur pic. So if its less, you need to increase your ISO or plug in a flash, otherwise carry on and check your AF point selection, den focus on the correct spot. After that is done, half press the shutter and double confirm the shutter speed and aperture, den press the shutter fully and let the shutter fly! haha..

Check the preview of your new picture, zoom in and ensure its pin sharp, correctly exposed and DOF is adequate. What a mouthful... Now I bet after reading past 4 paragraphs, you'd be thinking like.. siao! shoot one photo must think so hard and so many things, by the time I think finish, the subject zhao liao, no need to shoot le lorr... Well, the challenge is to finish all the above mentioned though processes in like maybe 5 seconds? Don't worry la.. After a while, most of the above mentioned, especially the second half should be subconscious le..

Ohh well.. no one said photography was a walk in the park...