Shoot like the pros

I’ve been a Canon shooter for all of my professional career. I started with the EOS 5D and here I am at the EOS 5D Mark IV. I get loaned all sorts of kit from Canon UK, so I’ve worked with them all. I always shoot in raw and I shoot SD cards (just one). I hate straps so unless I need one for security reasons, I tend not to bother.

My camera settings continually change to suit the environment. I shoot in manual mode exclusively, but also choose aperture priority for a lot of travel imagery. I don’t mind using higher ISOs, as modern sensors are so clean. I do set an ISO maximum of around ISO 6400, but I only use this at night time. I switch between a 2-sec timer, bulb timer and single shot, with or without mirror lock-up, changing constantly to suit landscape, travel and astro landscapes. I choose a K white balance mode, so I can continually ride the colour temperature to accurately reproduce the scene.

When it comes to custom modes, I have three sets to suit outdoor and movement scenarios, which works so well for travel landscapes. All the buttons have custom features assigned and with Canon’s R series I set aspect ratio to the M button. I always make the scene fit a ratio, not try to cram it into 3:2, which is a fundamental photography mistake.

In addition to this, when it comes to composing a scene, I use grid modes in the viewfinder to align my images with precision. Although many people use a 3x3, rule of thirds grid,