Family Photos and Settings for a walking baby

JohnPInchesJohnPInches
edited March 2012 Posted in » Nikon D5100 Forum
What are the best settings for taking pictures of a 'just walking baby' using a Nikon D5100?

Comments

  • MooseMoose
    @JohnPInches - Which lenses do you currently own? And do you have access to a speedlight? This will help me pinpoint some settings to start with. :)
  • JohnPInchesJohnPInches
    edited March 2012
    Dear Moose, Thanks for your prompt reply. Congratulations for the 'new sack of potatoes'! At the moment I just have the kit lense (18-55mm), but will invest in more lenses in near future. Using mostly 'P' mode and autofocus. No speedlight, just the D5100 flash modes.
  • MooseMoose
    edited March 2012
    @JohnPInches - Okie dokie...So in working with the kit lens, you're going to run into some situations (mostly indoors and in low-light) where you're going to have trouble focusing, freezing movement and keeping the ISO down.

    The kit lens is really meant to be an outdoor shooter. It's average aperture range (f/3.5 to f/5.6) is equivalent to wearing dark tinted glasses. All is well when you're outdoors, but the moment you step inside or the sun sets, it get's hard and harder to see.

    This is what happens to the image sensor when it's "looking" through a lens with an average aperture range. In order to compensate for the low level of light being passed through the lens, it needs to turn up it's sensitivity to light (heightened ISO) in order to obtain a fast enough shutter speed to freeze subject movement. When you raise the ISO, you're left with images that are lifeless, dull and full of image noise.

    Ideally, you would want to shoot with a lens that can obtain an aperture between f/1.4 to f/2.8. This would allow you to use fast shutter speeds at lower ISO's. Giving you sharper, more colorful looking shots with less image noise.

    In addition to that, you would want a speedlight (flash) that can bounce light (off a ceiling) rather than directly at your subject. This "bounce" effect spreads the light evenly throughout the room, giving you much more natural looking shots indoors.

    If you're stuck with the kit lens and no external speedlight (flash), then you're going to have to live with high ISO's in order to freeze subject movement. Set your ISO to Auto and enable Shutter priority (S on the mode dial). Adjust your shutter speed to 1/125 to 1/250 (when shooting indoors) and 1/500 to 1/1000 (when shooting outdoors).

    Enable Continuous-servo AF (AF-C) and set your 'Release mode' to Continuous (Burst). This will allow you to continuously focus on your baby by half-pressing the shutter button. Once you're happy with the composition, fully press the shutter and hold it down to rattle off a series of shots in quick succession...improving your odds of finding a keeper.

    That should get you going in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)
  • JohnPInchesJohnPInches
    edited March 2012
    Hi @Moose - Thank you for your perceptive and thorough reply. I'll follow your advice carefully and perhaps also invest in a Tamron 18-200mm lens recommended by a colleague (+ speedlight). By the way, this comment comes to you from Dalian, China where I teach English. Also a new dad at the grand age of 61. Thank you again for finding time to reply to me. Yours - J.P.
  • MooseMoose
    @JohnPInches - Glad I could help and congrats on the new bundle of joy. :)
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