Technique assessment

Exposure delay mode

Gyda says… Because we would be shooting in a variety of lighting conditions and switching from landscapes to wildlife, I decided to show Tom three settings that we’d need to change between each set-up. Exposure Delay mode is important for landscapes as it would allow Tom to use longer exposures without the risk of camera shake. However, this would be useless for wildlife as he might miss the shot.

shooting modes

Gyda says… Tom also needed to know the difference between Single-shot and Continuous burst modes. With Single-shot the Nikon takes an image with a press of the shutter release button. But with Continuous burst mode, multiple photos are taken by holding the same button. Single-shot is best for landscapes as they don’t change, while Continuous is good for wildlife because the subject moves around, so Tom could achieve a higher success rate by picking from a sequence of shots.

autofocus modes

Gyda says… I suggested Tom set AF-S (single autofocus) mode for landscapes so the camera didn’t attempt to refocus on the static scene, switching to AF-C (continuous autofocus) mode for wildlife as this allows the Nikon to track moving subjects in the frame. I also got Tom to select a single AF point for greater focus accuracy with both types of subject, but especially crucial for getting eyes sharp in wildlife.