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The Basic Approach
In order to make good photos, we want to devise a plan which:
 | Allows us to shoot at 1/60th second or faster shutter |
| Gets enough light in the camera to produce good exposures |
The first item is usually easier to accomplish. Many cameras allow you to
specify shutter speed. Some call it "sports mode"; still others give
you the choice of Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Program mode. Choosing
Shutter Priority will let you choose the shutter speed.
There are several factors which improve exposure; that is, they either get
more light into the lens, or they use the light more effectively:
| Get as close to the subject as you can. Sitting near the front and using a
wide-angle lens or wide zoom setting will bring much more light into the
camera compared to sitting back and zooming in. Plus, sitting in the third
row means that you only have two rows of heads to shoot over. |
| Use a "fast" lens. If you have interchangeable lenses for your
camera, choose a lens which has a lower "f" number - preferably
under 2.0. These lenses capture a lot more light compared to other lenses.
For example, I have a Nikon 50mm lens which is rated at f/1.8. This lens
will gather much more than a zoom lens rated at f/2.8-3.4. |
| Use a fast film (ISO400 or ISO800). The higher the ISO number, the
"faster" the film will be. In general, ISO400-800 are good indoor
films because they use the light more effectively. The tradeoff is that
these faster films trade speed for image quality. The ISO800 films in
particular can suffer from a "grainy" finish, especially when
exposed in dark environments. For you digital shooters, many cameras allow
you to choose an "ISO" level as well. ISO "speeds"
of 400 or above will capture more light on a digital camera, but the image
quality will suffer. |
On to Digital Cameras
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