Camera Setting Errors

As I have been posting photos here on the blog, I have noticed that I have used some strange setting combinations.  If you look at the setting details under the photo, you will see some of them.

I have taken photos with shutter speeds of 1/500,  apertures of F/4.0 and ISO 800, for example.  Shot after shot will be at EV 0.33.  I attribute these from not taking time to properly set the camera and unfamiliarity with the new camera.

Unfamiliarity with the camera is the easier problem to rectify. It just takes time and shooting until it becomes second nature.  With the current kit (body with Tamron 18-200mm lens), the 60D is the camera I use most.

My EOS Rebel T1i has become my back-up camera.  I am considering having my original Rebel converted for IR photography.

Now, as for the settings problems.  A couple things have masked problems with my final photos.  The purchase of the 60D was primarily for the better frame rate for shooting mountain bike race photos.  I set the camera for recording both RAW and L jpg.  I would shoot every rider at basically the same place on the the trail, there were little changes needed.  All I needed to do was to tweak the RAW image and convert to jpg. 

The other photos I take are mostly landscapes.  For landscapes, I prefer bracketed exposures and HDR processing.  The processing software also masks camera setting problems (or should I say "errors").  I can get some damn good results adjusting the sliders in the software.  But, I am sure I could get better results if I took the time a properly set the camera (or at least verified the settings) before taking the shot.

Finally, by taking the time to evaluate the photo and read the EXIF data, I can learn from my mistakes.