Before going on a trip, walk, or shoot, always check what your camera settings are. I can’t tell you how many times I would take a walk with my camera, see something interesting take a shot, and then realize that something is terribly wrong. That’s the time you wish you’ve checked your camera settings before you were leaving the house. The best way to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to always check your camera settings before you are planning to shoot. Usually it only takes a minute at most.
I know as kids we were taught to share, and I do, but the number one source for most of my big fiascoes in this area is somebody else playing with my camera. So once again check your settings, at very least verify the following:
– File Type (JPG or RAW)
– ISO
– White Balance (Custom/Automatic)
– Camera Mode (Aperture Priority/Shutter Priority/Manual/Program)
– Focusing Mode (Continuous/Single/Manual)
– Focusing Area (Single Point/Dynamic)
– Exposure Mode (Spot/Center Weighted/Matrix)h
– Exposure Compensation (for both camera and flash)
– Flash Mode (TTL/Manual/Commander)
– Release Mode (Single/Continuous/Live View/Multiple Exposures)
– Bracketing
The Daylight Savings Time is on, so don’t forget to change the clock in your camera. Keeping your camera clock accurate will help you later when you will be trying to find that special shot, or sync your trek with pictures, or, even more importantly, combine the images from two different cameras. Keep an eye on your clock when you travel, and don’t forget to change your clock when you get back. Some consumer cameras (like Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35K) even feature an option for your camera to automatically vary time zones based on the pre-selected travel dates.