7 Secret Settings In Your Camera Menu That Give Your Images The WOW Factor

7 Secret Settings In Your Camera Menu That Give Your Images The WOW Factor

If your camera does not have a built-in intervalometer don’t worry you can get an external one very cheaply. Basically attached to a camera it will take photos at whatever interval you set it to.

I have tried and used one of the cheaper cheaper ones. That’s a great way to get started. However, there is a company called Triggertrap that has a dongle that attaches to your smart phone and you can use a free app as an intervalometer. I really like using that.

In this video Nikon Ambassador Cory Rich goes over his camera settings and how he shoots a time lapse.

If you can think of any settings that should be included in this list let us know. Feel free to post your comments below.

196 comments

I like what my friend and National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson says, “Want more interesting photos? Stand in front of more interesting stuff.” Plain and simple. Great photos were being made well before there were any menus on cameras. I doubt there are secret settings anywhere on any camera that take the place of knowing what you are doing and the ability to see photographically.

I shot weddings for many years before digital and did very well…the guy who processed my film and printed each shot called me BINGO…cause they were right on……SO !

let it get aclimatized to the ambient temperature … put it on the tripod and leave it alone for 10 minutes. Also make sure that you have a bunch of dessicant pouches in your camera bag during transport …. even more during storage.

Don’t go directly from a air conditioned hotel room to a hot humid day outside.
I learned this when shooting a wedding I. Aruba. We left our camera gear out on the balcony to remain acclimated to the environment. Otherwise – you will need to wait an hour or more. Depending on the extreme change from one environment to another. There is no magic answer here!
Good luck! ☘️

@adil – if your lens is fogging up from a temp change, let it adjust slowly. Especially from say, an air conditioned home to a humid outdoor setting. I let mine warm up or cool down for at least 30 min before I shoot.

That’s gonna make it worse if you’re in a cold environment, you want to keep your camera at ambient temperature. If your lens is fogging, replace it with a weather sealed lens or stop shooting in environments on which you haven’t done your research.

Lisa Cutner-Piernot, that’s not very nice to say “any tog who can’t figure this out should not be a photog” People learn from mistakes and not everyone is a “pro”.

My obligatory star trail photo. No “secret” settings or intervolometers needed for this – just 20″-30″ exposures with a remote shutter switch stuck in the “on” position. Then leave for several hours.

If you really want to give your images the “wow” factor there is really only one step… become a better photographer. No amount of technology is going to magically make terrible photos good. This article would be more accurately be titled “seven minor conveniences on modern cameras”. Oddly enough they don’t even mention picture control settings which, with maybe the exception of custom white balance, would contribute far more to an images final “wow” factor. So sick of these stupid click bait articles.

I stopped at like page 4 because it was so annoying to keep switching pages and because I knew I’d have to do 14 pages to get through the article. I know you want some advertising money, but at least limit it to 7 pages…

I couldn’t make it through all the secret settings because a) the first three were not so secret and b) it’s annoying having to do all that clicking from page to page to get to the next and the next. What is wrong with putting the whole article on one or two pages instead of 14?

Understanding how to use your tools does make you better at whatever you do. Can you imagine a cabinet maker who didn’t know he/she could tilt the blade on the table saw?

its over too many pages…couldnt be bothered after the forth page with not much info on it…Try and halve them to keep ppl interested…Wont be going back to this sight

Try to use manual settings. So you can understand what a difference aperture and shutter speeds can make to a photo. Auto means the camera will make all the settings. Buy or borrow a tripod. Then you can use slow shutter speeds. Experiment! Making mistakes on digital is not expensive like film.

Really appreciated this! I had never checked this feature out even though I always saw it on the back of my camera. Going to practice it now!

Than stop looking at it …….. I can’t believe how rude people are! The comments on this page are nothing more than ignorant rude inconsiderate and most of all not necessary…….

I tried this setting at a children’s festival over the weekend and the results were very good. It takes some getting used to, however.

this isn’t working for me – these things from Modern lens just go to a page FULL of ads, and I can never find the article – just a copy of the same photo and a crapload of ads…

I guess my shots are as good as they’re ever gonna be! I see no secret revelations here. I think it’s also pretty diabolical how they position the ‘click-bait’ links to make it nearly impossible to navigate the pages on a phone or iPad without accidentally hitting an ad link.

‘Secret’ settings? Rofl. The click bait title and having barely-a-paragraph on each page before you have to go to the next; also infested with more ads than content is just obnoxious. Perhaps it’s different on a desktop over mobile but I couldn’t justify going past the second page.

Hey Tony thanks for the heads up. I’ve used the servo focus but I have to admit I wasn’t familiar with the back focus technique. Just goes to show we never stop learning. Thanks again.

Good job dude, you made an article for invalids who have never touched a camera.

There is no magic bullet for making your photos look good, it’s in your eyes, not in your gear.

The pitiful folks who complain about too many pages would also complain that their page loaded too slowly if it were all packed into one or two pages. Those who complain that the site (not sight!) is concerned with making advertising dollars evidently don’t mind performing their own work for free. Folks, if you don’t like it – don’t read it. If complaining about everything makes you feel good then you’re in the minority because for most folks it shows they’re miserable in their lives.
Personally, I found the article to be mostly interesting and I can definitely see how it would be helpful to non-seasoned photographers or to many who are new to digital. I’ve been a photographer for close to 45 years and I even found some of it very useful.

Enough hype. If the settings are on a menu, they are not secret. Try writing headlines that properly reflect the content of the article.

Do you have to do your hands like that when you’re shooting? Using an ND10 or ND 12 filter will give you the same effect with much better results. You can do an 6-8 second exposure in broad day light, and yes you get the “Cotton Candy” effect.

Something that wasn’t brought up in the custom white balance: Flash: Is it possible to do a custom white balance in a studio or location where strobes/speedlights are in use?

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