Tips / Guides

Non-technical, camera settings / shooting tips

Not all tips will be relevant to all camera, but

1. Whilst of limited practical use, some cameras allow shooting with no card inserted into the camera.
Some years ago, I once personally made the mistake of running excitedly down a street in India in pursuit of a photographic subject, taking a burst of images, and then realising that there was no card in the camera!

So, unless you have a very specific need for the option, I would highly recommend turning it off.
On a similar vein, if your camera has dual slots then always ensure that you have two cards loaded even if your second has to be SD or a slower CF.

2. Most folk have probably read or heard that you should format your cards between shoots (but after downloading and checking images). If like me, you very rarely use menus to control your camera settings then it is very easy to leave your camera sitting with "format" selected in the menu.

As such, it can be very easy to hit the button without thinking and to format a card that you were using. So, once you have formated your card(s) switch the menu rest position to a selection other than format.

3. If you shoot in a variety of environments or light conditions then do take a few seconds to reset your camera to your own preferred default at the end of a shoot or worst case at the beginning of the next. In many cases you would have the opportunity to review the first image or two in any shoot but do not risk spoiling that 'once in a lifetime' shot by still having your settings based on your last shots of your last shoot.

4. When shooting individual subjects that are often seen in groups or large numbers - for instance Red Kites, or Puffins - it is very easy to become distracted by multiple subjects and to end up swapping from one to another with your camera and in doing so missing many of them. It is far easier to pick one subject and to track it with your camera until it enters the zone in which you have pre-selected to shoot. If another subject crosses through the lens viewpoint simply ignore it.