Photography Q&A

QI’m relatively new to photography, and find the auto-focus on my DSLR (Canon) difficult to use when photographing birds – should I just turn it off and focus manually? D Kirk, Halesowen

AIf the subject is still and relatively close, then manual focus would be fine. However, for birds in flight this would be more difficult. Check your camera is in the SERVO mode so the AF is more active and will track subjects. Depending on the age of your camera, it may be worth an upgrade to a newer model – they have brilliant AF and tracking capabilities these days.

QWhat’s the difference between RAW files and normal image files, please, and is it worth shooting in RAW? G Wainwright, Maldon

AThe difference between RAW and JPEG is very noticeable if you edit your photographs. RAW captures all the information recorded on your camera’s sensor during an exposure. However, a JPEG file does not record all the information and isn’t suitable for editing. If you do not edit your photographs, JPEG would be fine and uses less memory on your card.

QI keep getting a lot of ‘noise’ on my photos – what am I doing wrong? H Follett, Durham

AI would check your ISO settings, ISO allows more light on to the sensor but can often result in grainy or noisy images. A higher ISO allows for a quicker shutter speed in lower light conditions. On brighter days, if kept high this can result in a lot of unnecessary noise on your photographs. More prominent on higher Megapixel cameras.