Ok guys, I have a few questions ive googled on, and still cant find myself something i understand, could you help me out please?
White Balance -
How is it used?
When is it used?
Advantages of using it on camera other than on a program?
How to use it properly?
What is aperture and how is it used? / when?
What is shutter speed? How is it used and when?
And what is frames per second and what is it used for?
White balance is a digital thing. Ambient light has different "temperature"; skin tone looks different in morning sunshine versus under fluorescent light. Your camera's sensor is blind to this difference, and needs the white balance adjustment to compensate. I generally set mine to "auto", but sometimes I get screwy results indoors (a trait of Canon, I've read). Indoors I'll set it to the type of light. Some day I'll learn how to set custom white balances, but until then I'll adjust it in the computer, as needed.
Aperture and shutter speed and ISO (which you didn't ask) are the "exposure trinity".
Aperture controls depth of field. Lower numbers separate the subject from the rest of the photograph; higher numbers include more of the photograph in field of focus. It is used artistically to control the message of the photograph.
Shutter speed controls the sense of motion. Higher shutter speeds stop motion, lower shutter speeds add blur and a sense of motion. That's pretty simplified, but it will work for now. When shooting action, for example, if your shutter speed is too high (fast), you can get something like a soccer ball glued to a foot; but if it is too slow, you can get the entire subject an indistinguishable blur. You choose the right shutter speed to stop the athlete but leave the ball with a bit of blur. It's a lot easier to describe than it is to do, believe me.
ISO controls the amplification of the digital signal. In low light, you might not be able to get the optimal balance of aperture and shutter speed for the type of shot you want to take. In that case, you can raise the ISO (higher number) to get the other two parameters in the range you want.
Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO have the advantage of being mathematically related. If you halve your shutter speed, you can double either your aperture or your ISO and get the same exposure. If you double your ISO and aperture, you can cut your shutter speed to 1/4 of its previous value (half, and half again). The best description of how to use the trinity to get the results you desire is Brian Peterson's
Understanding Exposure; he wrote a book about what I've tried to say in a couple paragraphs. And he did a hell of a lot better job than I have. It isn't just getting the proper exposure, it's getting the right
creative exposure to make your photo say what you want it to say.
Frames per second is a fast action thing. If you're tracking an athlete going up for a pass, you want to maximize your chance of getting the "money shot". If you're shooting 2 frames per second, you're probably not getting the money shot. If you're shooting 6 frames per second, you might get it; if you did everything right, one of those 6 generally jumps right out at you and says "ME! ME! PICK ME!" Again, this is a lot easier to describe than it is to do (I'm a lousy action photographer).
I hope this helps, I hope that others will correct anything I got wrong.
