Canon pro Jeremy helps Peter set up his Canon 5D Mk IV for great photos in Budapest

APERTURE PRIORITY

PETER usually shoots in Manual mode as he likes to take total control over his settings, though Jeremy showed him the benefits of Aperture Priority (Av) mode. Peter says, “It usually takes me three attempts to get my exposures looking right with Manual, but working in Av mode has streamlined this and I’m now getting exposures that I’m happy with on the first attempt. I can see how this is a better way of shooting for fast-paced spur of the moment city shots and when working with daylight that’s changing fast.”

HISTOGRAM GRAPH

PETER WAS already well-versed in shooting RAW with his Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, though was less experienced with the histogram. Jeremy explained that the histogram is a graph showing the range of tones in a scene and if the data on the graph is bunched to the left, it means some tones have clipped to pure black, while if it’s bunched to the right, it means the highlights have blown and it’s best to pull the exposure down to stop the highlights from burning. He also switched on Highlight Priority which shows any blown-out highlight detail on playback so you know to readjust your settings and take another shot.

HOT SHOT #1

CARRY-ON-FRIENDLY PHOTO BACKPACK

JEREMY IS an ambassador for f-stop bags and uses an f-stop 40L Ajna. With dimensions of 59.7x33x26.7cm, it’s small enough to fit in overhead cabin luggage compartments on planes, and it has side pockets for stowing a travel tripod or water bottles. It also has separate internal space for the main camera compartment which is a removable padded insert, and top section for other non-photo camera essentials such as clothes, chargers and food.

JEREMY’S COMMENT

We had two days for our workshop so for day one we focused on locations on the West Buda side. A sunrise didn’t look likely but we got up early and headed to the Széchenyi Chain Bridge to take our chances. Lo and behold the light was amazing and we set up on our tripods to try some long exposures to blur the Danube river in front of the stunning Hungarian Parliament building with its neo-gothical architecture and 365 turrets. I zoomed in with my Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM to get a tight composition and closed the aperture to f/11 for a good depth of field and to slow the exposure.

PETER’S COMMENT

We travelled on the funicular to the aptly named Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walking along the promenade 60m above sea level rewarded us with panoramic views across the Danube river and I picked out the Hungarian Parliament building. Jeremy explained that it’s best to try both portrait and landscape orientations as this helps give his clients variety. I began shooting with my wide-angle to get a wide view and shot in the portrait orientation to include both the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in the foreground and the Hungarian Parliament building, but quickly switched over to my 70-300mm telephoto lens to zoom in at 125mm on the Hungarian Parliament building and get some tighter compositions for a better angle.