Trouble with exposure and focus

aprilwilder31

Any advice on which aperture settings to use, as well as what focus mode to use for more than 2-3 people?

Moose

Howdy @aprilwilder31 - First and foremost, I would reset your current settings back to default. You can achieve this inside the menu. This will clear any rogue settings that may be hindering your exposure.

As for recommended settings for groups, I would stick to Aperture priority (A on the mode dial) and adjust the f-number between f/2.8 to f/4 for groups of two or three and f/4 to f/5.6 for groups of three to six.

More than likely when you reset your D3100, the ISO will revert to a specific value, like 100. In order to get accurate exposures, both indoors and outdoors, I recommend adjusting your ISO to auto. Just access the menu and select ISO sensitivity settings. This will allow you to enable Auto ISO.

When it comes to focusing, you might try enabling the Single-point AF (see page 58 of the manual), along with Single-servo AF (AF-S). This combo will allow you to control where exactly to focus. With a half-press of the shutter you'll be able to lock focus and recompose the shot for better framing. Generally, I will focus on the eyes and then reframe the shot.

Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)