Camera Settings:  You can shoot in Aperture Priority to get the depth of field(control how much is in focus) or shutter priority for your moving subjects (wildlife). You will want to do some landscape shots at a hyperfocal distance. That means your subject to infinity is in focus. Most formulas of hyperfocal distance, which are very complicated, lead you back to  f11 or f13. When we are not in the mood for a long calculation, We shoot in aperture priority (A on your camera dial) at f11 when I want everything in focus. This is good when you want your foreground and background in focus. Shoot in aperture priority and set the aperture for your landscape shots. If you are not below 1/40th of a second, which in sunshine doesn’t usually happen, you do not need to use the tripod. Your shutter speed will drop below 1/30th of a second when you lack light, you must pull out your tripod to avoid a blurry picture. At 1/40th of a sec. Stand completely still and turn yourself into a human tripod. 1/30 sec. is the lowest to ever go without your tripod but be very still.

When doing certain shots such as flowers, you might want the opposite effect. That is when your subject is in complete focus, and the background is blurred called the bokeh effect. You will use your lowest F-number such as 2.8, or 3.5 . Go as small as your particular lens will allow. This allows for a lot of light to come in since your aperture is wide open at this setting so you are less likely to need a tripod and it gives a great blur effect.

Shutter Priority – If you have moving subjects such as the birds flying, black bear or moose you want to shoot in shutter priority to be sure they come out clear. When people are walking through shoot at 1/250th sec. and adjust your ISO accordingly. If people or animals are running by increase your shutter speed to about 1/500th sec and if it’s a bright sunny day we go as high as 1/1000th sec to get the birds crystal clear as they fly by here.

To do your long exposure running, milky water shots you will have to use a tripod.  There are a lot of moving water areas in Jasper National Park.  All of your settings will vary depending on the lighting and what neutral density filter you have. You will shoot in Manual Mode for the milky waters. ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. Aperture is always f22. Your shutter speed will vary depending on the light. Take some test shots to decide on your shutter speed after you put your neutral density filter on. (It’s like sunglasses for your camera to stop light from coming in). Use your live view mode to focus to lock the mirror up and avoid any camera movement. Use your shutter release or your 2-second timer also to prevent camera movement. Voila. You now have your milky water exposure. You want at least a 2-second exposure for running water. If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun. Go to our store to buy your ND filter. I have a 3.0 for super long exposure in sunshine – You can go as long as 30 seconds. We have an ND 1.2 and an ND8 for shorter exposures.

From a boat, you have to remember you are moving and have to account for the movement just as if your subject was moving. You’re moving instead, so it’s the same thing. I never say any boat rentals so unless you find a local that wants to hang out I highly doubt you will out on a boat here. Shoot in shutter priority at least 1/200th of a second, depending on how fast you are moving and how fast your subjects are moving. Up the shutter speed if you have enough light. We don’t go over ISO 800 to avoid noise at any given time.