DEBBIE VAN DEN HEEVER

Canon EOS 70D • Canon 17 – 85 mm lens

DEBBIE WRITES: I took this photograph from a park near our house in Secunda.

I set my camera to Aperture Priority mode and played around with spot metering and depth of field for a while. Then I noticed these Harvard aircraft, which had taken off from a nearby airstrip. I left the settings as they were and fortunately I got several great shots. The camera did all the hard work! The challenge was to get the fast-moving planes in focus.

TOAST SAYS: Well done, Debbie! I like the composition of your photo: There’s enough space around the

aeroplanes so that the frame doesn’t feel crowded.

Not counting Auto mode (where the camera does everything), most cameras have three other shooting modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and Manual.

When you use Aperture Priority, as Debbie did, you set the aperture – the size of the lens opening – and the camera will automatically select the right shutter speed for an even exposure. Debbie’s automatically chosen shutter speed was obviously fast enough to freeze the aeroplanes. It was a bright day, which helped. However, had the light been poor – say it was late afternoon and a bit murky – then a better shooting mode would have been Shutter Speed Priority. If Debbie had figured out that she needed a shutter speed of at least 1/1 000 second, she could have selected that speed and left the rest to the camera to work out.

Using Manual mode, you have to set everything yourself. It’s empowering, since you gain control of all aspects of your photo, but it’s also risky because you don’t have the safety net of the camera’s rather clever brain.

What about ISO – the sensitivity of your camera sensor to light? In each of the above modes, you can manually select the ISO you require, but there’s also such a thing as Auto ISO, which outsources that part of the equation to the camera, too.

It’s not always needed – keep in mind that a very high ISO can make your image look grainy, especially in the darker areas – but if freezing the action is all you care about (that cheetah chase in the Kgalagadi…) then set your camera to Shutter Speed Priority and Auto ISO, and the camera will automatically drive up the ISO to accommodate for a fast shutter speed, even in dodgy light. Most modern cameras can go up to ISO 6 400 these days; some can even go much higher.

Miracles and wonders, right?

VICKY GELDENHUYS

Nikon D610 • Sigma 170 – 600 mm lens

VICKY WRITES: I took this photo during the annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The wildebeest have to cross the Mara River. This animal literally jumped for joy when it made it across safely.

Here are the specs: shutter speed 1/500 second; aperture f6.3; ISO 200.

TOAST SAYS: I would also have jumped for joy if I’d managed to cross a crocodile-infested river without ending up as dinner. Tanzania’s wildebeest migration is one of the natural wonders of the world. For most wildlife photographers, it’s near the top of the bucket list.

When there’s so much action happening all at once, it can be hard to stay calm and focus on the basics. Don’t forget about composition and camera settings. Choose a main subject and focus on it.

In a situation like this, you have to pay attention to your shutter speed: 1/500 second is pretty fast, but to play it safe Vicky could have used an even faster shutter speed. To do so, she could have increased her ISO to 800 or higher. A faster shutter speed simply means there’s less margin for error: You have a better chance of getting a sharp shot and it’s unlikely that camera shake will spoil the party.

It’s also worth considering a slower shutter speed in a situation like this – it can add a sense of movement, especially where you have subjects moving at different speeds. Dialling her speed down to 1/60 second might have resulted in a stationary wildebeest being sharp in the frame; with the wildebeest walking behind exhibiting movement blur in a swinging hoof. Yet another wildebeest, sprinting flat out, would have registered much more movement blur. It’s a hit-andmiss approach, but you can come up with some really unique photos this way.

I like how the animals fill the frame. You get the idea of a large group of wildebeest on the move, without overwhelming the main subject.