A comprehensive guide about shooting modes and when to use them.
Welcome back! Today I bring you a fun topic. Again, I’ve tried to pack it with lots of information without overwhelming you with it. Also, all cameras are different so what you read here might not be exactly like it looks like in your camera so please familiarize yourself with your camera settings.
If you have questions or comments please contact me and I will try to help/clarify.
Camera Shooting Modes
There are 5 shooting modes: Auto mode, Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode, Program mode, and Manual mode.
You can choose the shooting mode by rotating the mode dial at the top of your camera. The picture below is from a Nikon Z7II so your dial might look different but you get the idea.
Auto Mode
Let’s start with the simplest option: The cozy Auto Mode - the ultimate "beginner's bestie". This mode is like having your own photography genie! It converts your DSLR or Mirrorless camera into a point-and-shoot camera. So literally point, click, and voilà! Your camera does all the work.
The biggest advantage this camera has is that it sets the settings to the optimal exposure (based on the light meter reading). Now this mode doesn’t let you do anything. You are there only to hold the camera and point it in the right direction. Don’t get me wrong, you will get great results, but you are not utilizing everything your camera has to offer. My recommendation is that this is a great first step into photography, but don't get too comfortable and when you are ready jump into another shooting mode.
When should I use Auto mode?
This mode is perfect for quick snaps when you're feeling a little camera-shy or simply want to trust your camera's brilliance.
Within the Auto mode, the camera has "scenes". I've included some of the ones Nikon offers. Different brands may have different names or even completely different scenes so make sure to check the user's manual to see what options you have available.
Scene modes
If you want to choose one of the scenes then make sure to set up your camera dial to the "SCN" option (see picture below). To choose between scenes, you'll need to rotate the rear command dial until you found the option you want. I got my hands on a Panasonic DMC-GF3 and used some of the scene modes so you can see what the photos look like. I tried to take snapshots of common things around the house and not anything fancy to give a more realistic view.
Some cameras might not have this option in the dial so you will have to go into the camera menu.
Portrait mode
This mode is intended for taking portraits as it adjusts the aperture settings to help the main subject stand out by creating a shallow depth of field. The camera uses a "face detection" system (this is not available in all cameras) to focus on people's faces. If there is more than one face, the camera will focus on the face closest to the camera. So if you are using this mode and you want to take a family picture, make sure you place everybody at the same distance from the camera to avoid having blurry people in your shot.
You can also use your flash if you are in a low-light situation so you don't have to worry about slow shutter speeds or noisy pictures.
Another advantage of using this scene mode is that the camera also softens skin tones.
Landscape mode
This scene is designed for vivid landscapes and cityscapes. The camera will focus at infinity which means that things placed in the foreground will most likely be out of focus. This is to give a little bit of depth to the image since we are trying to capture a 3D view into a 2D image.
Note that this option disables flash.
Sports mode
Use this mode for dynamic action shots that freeze motion in a single shot and record action in a series of pictures. If you want to take pictures of a football game, a surf competition, someone running or jumping, this is the scene to use. An important thing to know is that the camera will focus on the subject in the center of the frame so make sure that you compose your shot accordingly.
The camera focuses continuously until the shutter-release button is pressed halfway to lock the focus. To take the picture, the shutter-release button needs to be pressed fully down (a focus and focusing modes post is coming I promise!).
While the shutter-release button is held (fully) down, your camera will shoot frames continuously to a rate either set up by you or to the maximum camera's capability. The more professional cameras have a higher frames per second (fps) rate than a basic point-and-shoot camera. This will also depend on the current settings and memory card. Some memory cards are not capable of recording the information as fast as your camera can shoot so when you get your next memory card, make sure you check the transfer speed capabilities (and, of course, storage capacity). The more storage and faster it is, the more expensive it will get.
Last but definitely not least, it is important to know that the focus, exposure, and white balance are fixed at the values determined with the first shot in each series. To change them, you'll need to release the shutter-release button and start again.
Close-up (Macro)
When you select macro mode the camera zoom will move to a position that allows macro shooting (getting really close to objects). The camera can focus on objects as close as about 5 cm at the widest zoom position, and as close as about 7 cm. IMPORTANT: These measurements will be different in each camera!
Night Portrait mode
Use this mode to achieve a natural balance between the main subject and background lighting in portraits taken at night. Flash is used to illuminate the subject while maintaining the mood of the background. Face detection and focus work the same as the portrait mode.
Also important to know is that the flash fires to light your subject, but the camera uses a slower shutter speed to capture the background lighting too.
There are a few more options but I think this will cover the basics. If you want more information, let me know.
Aperture Priority Mode
From this point on, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of exposure. If you have no idea and want somewhere to start, check out y other post “How to shoot in Manual Mode: A beginner’s guide”. It contains all the information you need to understand how exposure works.
Note that depending on your camera brand, Aperture Priority will be shown as “A” or “Av” (Aperture Value). They are both the same mode just different names.
Ok, let’s get into it. This mode is part of the auto exposure modes and prioritizes the aperture. Why auto-exposure mode? Because you only choose your f/stop and ISO and the camera will adjust the shutter speed accordingly to obtain the correct exposure based on the light meter reading. It should really be semi-auto since you are doing part of the work but I didn’t create the categories so don’t shoot the messenger.
The first advantage is that you get your desired f/stop every time. This is the preferred option for many photographers because depth of field (DoF) is, in many cases, the most important consideration. For example, if you are a landscape photographer, your work might require a deeper depth of field with a low ISO since you want most (if not all) of the scene to be in focus. So you can set it up and start shooting and you will always get images with the DoF you want and the appropriate exposure - based on your light meter.
Note that if your camera constantly shoots a little bit too bright or too dark for your liking, then you can always adjust the exposure compensation. I know we haven't mentioned this before I will cover this in another post as this is already extremely long!
How to set it up?
The first thing I do is, funnily enough, set up the ISO to the highest I am willing to go. Nope, I’m not going crazy, hear me out. Ask yourself, what’s the highest ISO value I feel comfortable with? 400? Ok let’s set it up to that. Why? Because this means I will always have the maximum shutter speed available and even if the light changes, I will have a high enough shutter speed that I won’t get too much motion blur. After that I set up my aperture depending on what I want the image to look like.
I really recommend Steve Perry’s book “Secrets to Exposure and Metering for Nikon” (well books in general but he talks about this topic on this one). If you are a Canon or Sony user, a lot of the information is based on Nikon cameras but the technical explanations are still valid and applicable so I would still check it out. His explanations are absolutely brilliant and a lot of what I know today is because of his books and Youtube videos (I am not sponsored in any way, shape or form. I just truly think he is fantastic).
Shutter Priority Mode
This is also an auto exposure mode but, instead of aperture, prioritizes the shutter speed. This shooting mode allows you to set up the shutter speed and ISO while the system selects the appropriate aperture.
If you are shooting sports or action, setting up your shutter speed as high as you want will let you sleep at night knowing that your shot will not have any motion blur (or at least no more than what you want it to have).
The con is that you might end up with a scene completely in focus or a really shallow depth of field that does not show everything you wanted it to show. This is because the camera adjusts the aperture based on the light meter information. So if your scene needs more light, it will stop down as much as it needs to (or can).
Also, for some reason when you use shutter priority, there is a lack of f/stops available. This means that once you get to the widest aperture your camera will start to underexposure (unless you happen to check the camera and adjust your ISO).
How to set it up?
The first thing I do is set up the lowest shutter speed and the maximum ISO I am willing to go. This means that my shutter speed will still be fast enough that it will freeze the scene without forcing the camera to go to the widest aperture so there is room for adjusting if the light changes.
Program Mode
Program mode is Auto mode’s really close cousin. Why? Well because this mode works by setting up your aperture and shutter speed for you. And if you happen to have your ISO in Auto ISO, then it will do that too. Then why do I call it the cousin and not the identical twin? Most cameras will allow you to tweak or persuade camera adjustments. Essentially what it does is that when you tell the system you want a faster shutter speed, the camera will find a reciprocal set of values (an aperture - and ISO if you have this in AUTO- that would provide the same exposure).
The advantage is that is an easy way of setting your camera without having to be worried if your images are going to be under or overexposed.
The disadvantage is that if the light changes drastically (and believe me, this happens) then the camera takes it upon itself to make decisions you should be making as the photographer. Granted, is easy enough to set it up again but if you are outside in the sun and decide to go inside and the baby does a silly face that you cannot resist, the camera will just decide for you what your settings will be.
To be completely honest, this is not a mode I have used a lot. I learned how it works, I understand it but I haven’t really felt the need to use it.
Manual Mode
In this mode, you are responsible for all 3 settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) leaving all the creative freedom to you. It sounds like the best option but that issue begins when you have no clue where to start. So first of all, do you understand the exposure triangle enough to shoot in manual mode? If your answer is no, then click on the button below to familiarize yourself with it.
The biggest advantage of shooting in manual mode is that you get the freedom to do whatever you think is best. The disadvantage is that it can become overwhelming to think of everything at the same time. Luckily the camera gives you a hand with the light meter (which you can find in your viewfinder and it might look like the picture below).
The light meter will tell you whether you are under or overexposing so you can adjust your settings accordingly.
How to set it up?
I have a whole blog post discussing manual mode in detail so you might want to check it out. In that post I include my process to set up my camera in manual mode.
If you have any questions, comment down below or contact me at info@belenradaphotography.com. I’ll be happy to help as much as I can.
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