So, you have decided to enter the world of DSLR photography, but you don’t know where to start. You might just be looking to take some high quality photos as a hobby or you have hopes of pursuing a career in photography.

You know nothing of ISO or Shutter speeds and what the hell is an ƒ/stop?

Now this isn’t exactly a hack but it will help you better than looking at the exposure triangle and trying to wrap your head around it when you are first starting out. Quite simply put the camera into it’s Auto setting and go out and start snapping. If you are a novice shooting in Auto, look at it as having on your training wheels. Work on your composition and then cherry pick your favourite images you have taken. Look and see what settings the camera selected. This will help you make decisions when you switch to manual.

This was one of the first images I took when I first started using my camera with Intelligent Auto mode. I analysed this one, and other images taken over time, to give me in idea of what settings to apply once I was ready to start experimenting in Manual. Getting out there with some prior knowledge of what sort of settings achieve the desired effect you are looking for can aid you immensely. Don’t be afraid to experiment as trial and error can offer lots of learning experiences and can lead to some great shots.

Even when you do get more confident with shooting in Manual you will be constantly making little tweaks and fine tuning as the lighting and scenery dictate.

Here is a recent shot I took in Manual;

As a photographer I am always trying to broaden my horizon and test myself so I decided to shoot some photos at a concert I was attending.

I had never shot at a concert before. I learned there are several challenges to overcome when shooting at a gig and a lot of questions that went through my mind.
Is the stage going to be well lit? What sort of changes to light should I expect with lighting cues? What lens will be the best for capturing the action?

I was fortunate that the stage was small and fairly well lit so this allowed me to keep my ISO relatively low. Which means I was able to cut down on the noise in the images. I was able to stick to 800 ISO and I kept my shutter speed between 1/40s and 1/160s and my aperture between ƒ/1.8 and ƒ/3.5. This allows the camera to take in a lot of light while also giving me a the speed to ensure the image doesn’t blur. Obviously there are instances where a slower shutter speed could offer a more artistic composition and capture motion in a blur. I did one shot where I put the settings to ƒ/14 Shutter Speed 2 sec ISO 800. It is the final image shown below. It is not quite the desired effect but it shows what sort of image you can get by pushing the settings in the opposite direction.

Shooting with a prime lens obviously means you won’t be able to zoom so how do you overcome that issue? If you can’t get a photo pass you might not be able to get up close and personal so you have to choose your position wisely. I simply asked the venue in advance if I would be able to bring my DSLR into the gig and they agreed (a big thank you to the Night & Day Cafe for that) and found myself a safe spot near the front.

I used a Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 Lens but what if the stage had been bigger or raised higher up? I may have required something different. However simply cropping the image in post might be sufficient and save you having to lug around a larger lens.

Overall I really enjoyed the challenge of shooting at a gig, as it poses similar lighting issues to the evening reception at a wedding, and I hope to shoot some more gigs again soon.

To check out Mike West you can do so here.

Chris Shiflett “Hard Lessons” the forthcoming album out 14th June (June 21st in the UK)