Quick Capture Skills of Documentary Photography

The most frequently mentioned concept is to shoot with a wide-angle lens and a small-aperture hyperfocal distance. There are many concepts involved, which are actually not so complicated and profound. I basically take SLR as an example here. Because the depth of field of small digital cameras is very deep, you can play whatever you want. The following are the quick snapshot techniques of documentary photography that I brought to you. Welcome to read.

1. Manual focus estimation shooting.

put the focus in manual mode, and then adjust the focus to an appropriate distance, such as 2m or 3m. The next thing you have to do is to walk the street, wait for the subject to enter your focus distance, and just press the shutter. It sounds like a trap focus.

this method needs some practice, that is, the distance you visually observe can match the actual focus distance set by the lens. Proficiency determines the maximum aperture you can use. The more skilled you are, the more you can risk using a large aperture such as f1.4, and at the same time have a good success rate. It sounds a bit difficult. In fact, after practicing several times, you will find that it is not as profound as you think. I don't know about the situation of female compatriots, but men usually have a sense of space and distance.

And I think the speed of capturing is the fastest among all methods. The camera doesn't need to do anything except the shutter. You don't need to do anything except pressing the shutter. It's as fast and refreshing as blinking your eyes. This method must be mastered.

2. focus manually.

in the digital age, this method requires a powerful focusing system.

Because a machine like D9 is not sensitive enough to the focus prompt, in fact, the indicator light will always be on in a range before and after the focus plane. This will cause some troubles to everyone more or less. And models like D7 or above do not have this problem.

in my personal experience, the speed of manual operation is not inferior to that of automatic operation. The only thing is to change the focus frequently, which is somewhat troublesome. Unlike focus estimation, the target enters the warning zone and is ready to shoot at any time. Digital SLR, some people choose to convert it into a split screen to better use the manual lens. I think if your camera has a D7 focusing system, it is really unnecessary, because it is much easier to confirm whether this small green light is on or not with your eyes than to observe the split screen. Skilled people can fine-tune the focus by leaning back and forth, which is not only easy to use, but also very interesting. Very suitable for use with coke estimation, with excellent effect.

3. Auto-focus, using area focus mode blind shot.

this shooting method has certain requirements for the focusing function of the camera. taking Nikon as an example, I personally think that at least the focusing ability of D7 can play a good role. According to my own experience, the 11 focus points of D9 can't accomplish this task well.

autofocus uses area focus mode blind shot

It is very simple to shoot blindly by area focus method. Generally, the camera will choose the point closest to the photographer from a pile of focus points, focus and shoot. A better machine with face recognition will choose the focus point close to the face, which will be more intimate to use. After all, it is the machine that helps you choose where to focus, so there will be a chance of making mistakes. Fortunately, the probability is not great. However, the most serious problem of this focusing mode is that the focusing speed is not ideal because of a lot of calculations. Press the shutter, the camera will think, there is a delay.

4. Auto focus, single focus mode.

It's not a good idea to focus blind shot with a single point. Obviously, it's better to adopt the first method J.. This method is suitable for those machines with less focus, such as D9. To capture the subject quickly, you need to observe carefully and have the ability of pre-composition. Before shooting, set the focus point at the right point, then fine-tune the focus point to the subject in the viewfinder while holding up the camera, and then press the shutter. This method is better for people who make good use of fixed-focus lenses, but it is more difficult to have a pre-composition if the focal length is changed from time to time.

Two last points:

First, use automatic ISO and set the highest ISO to the default maximum value of the machine. For example, if D7 is 64, then set it to 64. Many people may be worried about image quality and noise. To be honest, compare the effects of film ISO4 and D7 ISO64, which are similar, and even the performance of D7 is better. So, feel free to use automatic ISO boldly.

the second is about hyperfocal distance, that is, using a small aperture to get as large a depth of field as possible. In my opinion, this is not an important issue. I have mastered the skills of snapshot and can use all kinds of apertures at will.