In the last article, I wrote about composing good table shots. Now let’s talk about manual camera settings. I took the same photo four times but with different settings so I could show you the differences. Your settings will depend on your own environment and your camera, but it should be similar enough to give you a good idea where to start. Then you can adjust from there.
Photo #1
The settings on this picture allowed too much light. The yellows are blown out so you lose the detail of the pumpkins and some of the dishes. The cup farthest back lost its blue coloring.
The settings are:
aperture: f/2.2
shutter speed: 1/30
ISO: 400
Photo #2
I like the lighting on this one. While a couple of the pumpkins are still a little blown out, I was able to capture good detail overall and kept the ISO at a great speed for the indoors.
The settings are:
aperture: f/3.2
shutter speed: 1/30
ISO: 400
Photo #3
I also like the lighting on this one. The disadvantage of Photo #2 is the slow shutter speed. A shutter speed of 1/30 is too low for hand-holding the camera, which is what I was doing. But sometimes you can get away with it when photographing inanimate objects (as opposed to people, who are always moving, at least a little).
The disadvantage of this one is that I had to crank the ISO up to 800 in order to let in more light. The higher the ISO, the grainier the shot. Photos #2 and #3 were a compromise between slight blur and a little grain. The lower shutter speed in the previous photo let in more light than the higher ISO in this one.
The settings:
aperture: f/3.2
shutter speed: 1/80
ISO: 800
Photo #4
Looking at this photo, you can see that one of the two compromises I mentioned above is necessary. The reason is that trying to get a good ISO and a good shutter speed for hand-holding required a higher f-stop (or smaller aperture).
Even in this well-lit room the smaller aperture produced a dark picture. I wouldn’t want it any darker than it was in Photo #3.
The settings are:
aperture: f/5
shutter speed: 60
ISO: 400
The natural light in your dining room will have a large effect on your settings. Because this was our breakfast table, and because our room gets the most light in the morning, I had a lot of help from the sun. If the sun doesn’t grace your room at the time of your picture-taking, don’t be afraid to push the ISO to 800. Any resulting graininess won’t show up as much in a 4×6 as it will in enlargements.
I hope this give you a good starting point for your own documentation of your holiday table.
