Master camera parameters to have good source material for post-production

(NADS) - The workshop of photographer Tran Minh Dung organized by Sony, with the theme "Mastering camera parameters" attracted many young people to participate, the event took place at Sony Store Vincom Dong Khoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

During the 2 hours of the workshop, with his experience, Mr. Tran Minh Dung gave general and simple instructions on how to use and adjust parameters such as white balance, histogram, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and the exposure triangle.

By presenting 2 similar or even almost similar photos in terms of shooting angle and time, 1 normal photo with parameters adjusted to achieve the highest efficiency and 1 photo with parameters adjusted more specially to express his own intention, Mr. Dung explained in detail the reason why he chose those parameters, and what points the adjustment brought about different effects.

*Photographer Tran Minh Dung performs intuitive operations with a camera connected to a Sony TV screen to help you easily receive information.*

Emphasizing the importance of raw materials, Mr. Dung said: “Aperture and speed affect the content, ISO affects the quality of the photo. You must take photos to optimize information, content, and quality, master how to fine-tune the parameters so that the original source material is the most standard, then when post-processing the final product will have the best quality.”

When mentioning some mistakes that young people who are new to photography make, Mr. Tran Minh Dung frankly shared:

First is the saying “low ISO is good”. Don’t be afraid to use high ISO, because current camera models reduce noise very well and there are not always good lighting conditions, so if you want that moment, that content, you have to make a trade-off.

The second is to set the parameter F22; 30s for exposure. Most people think that F22 will be the sharpest. This cannot be stereotyped, because depending on the type of lens, the lens will be sharp in the middle, not sharp at the focal length or maximum aperture. At the same time, if you want to expose for a long time, you should consider using an ND Filter.

The third thing is overemphasizing shooting in Manual mode. Many of you will think that shooting manually is beautiful and unique. But in fact, the shooting mode is not important, the only things that affect the quality of the photo are aperture, shutter speed, ISO, histogram... If you have adjusted the important parameters, it is your operation in that context, quick visual thinking, choosing the most important parameters to achieve the desired content, then you adjust. And usually, only aperture and speed are directly related to the content of the photo, and the other parameters are prioritized later.

For Dung, when the scene changes continuously and there is no time to adjust the parameters, Dung takes Auto shots with many parameters and will prioritize choosing to focus on adjusting a few parameters that affect the content of the photo the most, because the important thing in photography is the speed of processing and capturing the moment.

Young *photographer* Tran Minh Dung (35 years old), currently living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, has received a series of international awards such as third prize at the Sony World Photography Awards 2017; EPSON International Pano Awards 2018, Chromatic Photography Awards 2018, 2019, EPSON International Pano Awards 2019

"If you have passion, Dung thinks you can start taking photos with anything, even a phone. When your passion is big enough, you will want to learn more to satisfy your passion. With the same shooting angle and setting as someone else, if you choose the right parameters, you will make your work convey completely different emotions and content, and be more impressive.", Mr. Dung shared.

Regarding Sony, the company organizes many free workshops for young people with diverse topics and levels from beginner to intermediate and advanced. Sony representative said that through these workshops, the company hopes that you will be able to adjust your camera more accurately and creatively in each photo to satisfy your passion.

Some pictures at the workshop: