Outdoor art installations (4–10 m, morning light)
- Aperture: f/5.6–f/8 (lens sweet spot; enough depth to hold the whole piece — lean f/8 for depth).
- ISO: 100 in sun; 200–400 under cloud to keep shutter up.
- Shutter: 1/250 s or faster to beat handshake and moving elements (at 100mm aim for ≥1/100 s unless stabilised).
- Focal length: 24mm for context, the 28-300mm to isolate details.
- Focus: Single-shot AF (AF-S) on the detailed front third. Metering: Multi. White Balance: Daylight ~5200K / Cloudy ~6000K, or RAW.
Blue-hour city skylines
Set White Balance to Fluorescent in camera: it cleans the green cast from office interiors and adds a pleasing magenta/blue to the sky — you can do it in post, but it's satisfying to nail it in camera.
Lantern parade (just after sunset)
- Aperture: f/2.8–f/4 for light and sharpness.
- Shutter: from 1/60 s for ambient; 1/125 s or faster for sharp moving subjects.
- ISO: 800–3200 to taste (watch noise).
- White Balance: Tungsten or Auto for natural tones under artificial light.
- Focus: Continuous AF (AF-C) for movers, or Manual Focus for control. Exposure Comp.: +0.3 to +0.7 EV to lift shadows without blowing highlights. RAW.
A tripod or monopod helps at slower shutter speeds.
Consolidated from notes: Art installations in outdoors; City scapes at blue hour; lantern parade settings