Camera settings can make or break your images, yet sorting through endless menus to find the right combinations can be overwhelming. Getting comfortable with just a few important settings can greatly speed up your process and improve your results.
Coming to you from Pierre T. Lambert, this practical video breaks down the settings Lambert relies on for efficient and high-quality street photography. The focal point is autofocus, specifically continuous autofocus (AFC), paired cleverly with back button focusing—essential for quickly shifting between moving and still subjects without fiddling with your camera. Lambert also covers the exceptions when manual focusing becomes necessary, such as photographing portraits in low light at wide apertures. He explains how pre-focusing helps him capture precise shots in challenging street scenarios, such as carefully composed frames where he's waiting for subjects to step into position. His strategies around autofocus zones are equally helpful, primarily advocating for spot tracking. Lambert values intentionally selecting the precise point of focus, which gives far better results than relying too heavily on the camera's auto-detections.
Next, Lambert covers exposure modes, emphasizing the consistent use of aperture priority to control the depth of field creatively without slowing his shooting rhythm. He gives insight into how aperture choice can influence storytelling—wider apertures bringing a subject sharply forward from the background, while narrower apertures add context. Lambert occasionally shifts into shutter speed priority to achieve creative effects such as motion blur through panning techniques or drops into manual for precise exposure and contrast control in challenging lighting environments. Importantly, he makes good use of the auto ISO function to simplify exposure without sacrificing the shot.
He also discusses metering modes, primarily defaulting to multi-mode because of its versatility. Lambert points out how effectively this mode facilitates editing afterward by allowing enough flexibility to recover shadows and highlights in post-production. However, he includes helpful hacks like exposure compensation and a quick way to meter complex lighting through the AE Lock (Auto Exposure Lock) toggle function.
Lambert briefly expands on other essential settings such as image quality—opting for compressed raw files over JPEGs for better editing flexibility—and drive modes, suggesting sticking to single shots unless the scene absolutely calls for burst mode. He also offers a useful tip for cropping directly in-camera using APS-C crop mode, enabling you to quickly switch between focal lengths without changing lenses. Another practical bit of advice involves rating images directly on-camera to eliminate wasted editing time later, emphasizing keeping the gap short between capture and image review.
White balance, a common stumbling block, receives practical attention. Lambert emphasizes that, shooting in raw, automatic white balance typically suffices and assures flexibility to adjust afterward. He notes situations where adjusting the camera's white balance can help establish a more realistic preview right in the field. Lambert delivers uncomplicated, actionable advice throughout the video, deliberately avoiding unnecessary complexities. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
