Pics, Tips and Tricks

One of the great things that today’s film and DSLR cameras have is the Mode Dial. Even most of today’s Point & Shoot cameras have them. One of the best things about the mode dial is that you can be creative without a great amount of knowing the inner workings of the camera. Set the mode for the type of picture you want to take and the camera adjusts the combination of shutter speed or aperture to give you the best results for that particular mode.

Years ago, other than a Point & Shoot camera, the person taking a picture had to make a lot of decisions. Everything was manually set and you didn’t get to see the results until you got the prints back from the lab. (Makes me cringe just to remember it)! An understanding of the workings of the camera was a MUST!

A couple of the Point & Shoots I grew up with was the Kodak Instamatic and the Kodak Disk cameras. My Mom (RIP) sure had a ball using her Instamatic and, when Kodak came out with the rotating flash bulbs you put on the top of it, WOW! It was the greatest thing since sliced bread!

My Mom wasn’t into learning new things with cameras but she did break down and get a Point & Shoot 35mm. She loved how sharp the pics turned out on the 35mm I owned. And, above all, you could have HUGE 4”x6” prints made!

Then along came the “sophisticated” 35mm cameras with their many shooting options dial!

Since your camera manual goes into more depth about what each dial setting does, I’ll only do a short version explanation here.

Manual:When using this mode, the user sets both the aperture and the shutter speed. Why shoot in Manual mode? Let’s say you’re shooting a white subject (ex. snow). Remember I said that camera meters are calibrated to expose at 18% gray? So, pure white would expose as 18% gray instead of white. To adjust for this fact, you would have to add more light on the sensor or film. In Manual Mode, you could add more light by opening the aperture OR by slowing the shutter speed. (Your light meter would highlight one or two lines on the “+” side of the proper exposure mark). When shooting a complete black subject (ex. tuxedos at a wedding), you would want to take away light because the meter would want to add light to make the subject 18% gray. You would have to adjust the aperture to a higher number or adjust a faster shutter speed.

Aperture Priority:When wanting to blur the background, the user sets a low F-stop number or when wanting a lot in focus, sets a high F-stop number. The camera will set the proper shutter speed.

Shutter Priority:The user sets the shutter speed. A high number (ex. 1/500^th second) to stop motion or a slow number (ex. 1/60^th second) to allow blur on a moving subject. The camera will set the proper aperture.

Program:Program mode is used much as a Point & Shoot. The difference being is you can adjust the camera away from what it automatically sets for exposure. Let’s say you want a little more background blur than having F-16 as the camera sets. You can dial down the aperture to a smaller number and the camera will keep adjusting the shutter speed to match. If you wanted to stop motion more by having a faster shutter speed, you could dial in a faster speed (ex. 1/250^th second instead of the 1/60^th second the camera had set). The camera will keep changing the aperture to match. Flash will not fire automatically.

Automatic:This is the equivalent of “Point & Shoot”. There is no input from the user at all. What you get is what you get. The flash will fire automatically if the camera senses you need more light. I personally would recommend Program instead of Automatic. If all you’re going to use is Automatic, why spend the money for a DSLR?

Lightning bolt with a line through it:By setting this symbol (if your camera has it), you will be using the camera in “Automatic” mode but you’re telling the camera you don’t want it to use the flash. One use of this feature is if you were shooting through aquarium glass so you don’t get “flashback”.

Portrait:This mode will set the largest aperture (smallest number/most background blur) it can. The camera will set the shutter speed to match.

Landscape:This will tell the camera to set the smallest aperture (largest number/a lot of in-focus area). The camera will set the shutter speed to match.

Close-up:This mode is for close-ups of flowers, insects, etc. It will automatically use the center focus point. Personally, I’ve never found a practical use for this mode.

Sports:Camera sets high shutter speeds to freeze motion which, in turn, sets a large aperture (blurry background). The flash and Automatic Focus Assist light is turned off.

Night portraits:This mode is used when shooting a subject near the camera with background lights behind the subject. (Ex. Taking a picture of a person standing in front of a building or house at night). The flash will expose the subject then leave the shutter open a bit longer to expose the background lights. A tripod or some form of solid object to lean the camera against is a must.

Not all cameras use these exact symbols so consult your camera manual for more info.

Camera manufacturers take a lot of pains to make your photography fun and easy. Take advantage of it and try out the different modes.

I, and a lot of professional photographers I speak with, prefer shooting in “Aperture Priority” mode. However, it’s all about personal preference and subjects.

Shoot, shoot, shoot!