From a distance

With the third Covid wave rolling with full force through Germany, we are now facing a socially distanced Easter holiday. It’s been more than a year since the pandemic started. A year of failed promises from the countries leadership. People are worn out, it is visible everywhere. We are all in need of closeness, being able to able to physically embrace our friends when we see them. You remember the times when complete strangers stood in our pedestrian zones holding up signs offering free hugs? Instead we now only talk from a distance. But what is the photographic lessons learnt?

If you look at the image specs (1/30 sec @ f/5.6 and ISO 125), you probably notice why I snapped the photograph at a shutter speed of only 1/30 sec while having dialed in a rather low ISO of 125. The light wasn’t all that great anymore during this late afternoon. But with the low ISO still set from an earlier shot, I simply wasted the opportunity to trade some higher ISO against a faster shutter speed. No problem in this image, as it still came out sharp. But if this would have been an more dynamic scene, the 1/30 sec would surely have resulted in unwanted motion blur.

The lesson learnt? There is nothing wrong in shooting with Auto-ISO set to the maximum ISO your camera can shoot in low light without generating too much noise. Which very well can be ISO 1600 or even ISO 3200. Then you can be sure to still get the fastest possible shutter speed, especially when shooting in P-Mode. This can be helpful when shooting street scenes in low light and longer focal lengths from a distance.

If you are looking for more tips, explanations and inspiration around photography, check out my free Learning Center.

Have a great Wednesday and stay safe!

Marcus

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