When I bought my first DSLR I was sure that I didn't want to work with the automatic mode (for that I would have used a compact digital camera). I knew I wanted to use manual and semi-manual shooting modes, I was also very clear about the type of photos I wanted to produce. The only thing I didn't know was what mode to use at all times. If you identify with this situation I would like to save you a little work. In today's article I explain the different shooting modes of your camera and I bring you a series of situations and photographic contexts for which they are more suitable . This saves you the question of “What mode do I have to select for this type of situation?” And lets you know in advance what mode to choose. I will also show you examples of photographs in which you can clearly see the effect that this Mode produces.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW BEFORE ENTERING THE DIFFERENT SHOOTING MODES?
Although when you enter the world of photography it may seem to you that there are many abstract concepts and strange terminology, and even overwhelm you, you will soon see that in reality with a few clear notions you will master the essentials of photography. Let's do a small basic review before entering the different shooting modes, so that these are clearer:DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm is like the human iris; It is the one that controls the entry of light through the objective. The more open the diaphragm of more light we have in the socket, and the more closed, the less. That is why in situations with less light, we usually open the diaphragm (small diaphragms f / 1.4, f / 1.8 ...), and on the contrary, the more light we have, we can close it allowing us the amount of light that we have (f / 16, f / 32…).DEPTH OF FIELD
Playing with the diaphragm not only affects the light we receive, but also what we call depth of field. This is just the area of ??the image that will be focused or sharp in your picture. The more light you 'demand' from the diaphragm, the less depth of field you will have, that is, the more you open the diaphragm (f / 1.4, f / 1.8 ...) of less focused area you can have. And, of course, on the contrary, the more you close the diaphragm, the more depth of field you will have.SHUTTER TIME
Time is the other variable that you need to understand how photography takes. The shutter time (or shutter speed) is the time expressed in seconds or in fractions of a second, in which the shutter of your camera is open (from when you press the shutter until it closes). If we have a lot of light, the exposure time your image needs is less than if we have low light.ISO
You have everything you need to know about ISO here . As a summary, ISO is the sensitivity of our camera to capture light. A lower ISO means less ability to capture light but better image quality; less noise. On the contrary, a higher ISO (night, indoor photography ...) allows to capture the light better, but we lose image quality (more noise). Once the short summary is done, we will see the shooting modes, related to everything explained so far.WHAT ARE THE SHOOTING MODES?
The shooting modes in the cameras allow us to decide what level of control we want and what we want, that is, we can control everything (Manual), give priority to a specific aspect (Speed ??or Aperture), or control nothing more than the framing (Automatic). The main shooting modes in SLR cameras are as follows:AUTOMATIC MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT ?
The Auto Mode ('Auto' on the mode dial) is one in which the camera has full control over all aspects related to a shot; Control speed, diaphragm, white balance, ISO and even the flash of your camera. This mode is a bit sad because it thinks for you , will do everything possible to make your shot correct according to its variables, but little else. In my view, there are few situations in which its use is justified , especially if you have a SLR camera, since its benefits are not better than those of any compact camera (and these also weigh less, are cheaper and, surely , for the same price you could have acquired a compact much better than the SLR that you have been able to buy). Moreover, if you are reading this article, it is probably because the automatic mode does not interest you too much and what you really want is to delve into the shooting modes in which you have something to say, right? However, automatic mode can be useful in some situations:- When you need speed, that is, you want that image that happens quickly before your eyes and you don't have time to think about what adjustments you need.
- When you want to focus on the composition and what is happening in front of you without missing a moment.
- When you are starting and you make a mess with diaphragms, speeds, ISO, White Balance, RAW and a billion unknown concepts that you think you can never understand (although you will ) you can shoot automatically to whet your appetite to the wonders that you Hold your new SLR camera and look at the values ??that the machine decides in each situation and thus understand how it works.
- When you have been taking pictures of your vacations all day and you can't do it anymore, but you still don't want to miss those moments, with the automatic mode ... You can disconnect!
PROGRAMMABLE MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
Programmable Mode (P on the mode dial) allows you to adjust and customize some variables that Auto Mode does not allow. If you are starting to know your SLR camera, Programmable Mode, it can be a great option, since it allows you to control the flash, white balance , measurement type (Spot, center weighted, matrix), ISO, and the point of focus. In the Programmable Mode, the camera offers combinations of aperture of diaphragm and speed, and even in some programmable shooting modes, lets change one of the two variables, so it ends up being a quite customizable mode that can be of great help if you are delving into the world of SLR cameras. This mode can be useful in the following situations:- If you are starting it can help you gradually understand the shutter time related to the diaphragm, since the camera automatically offers you combinations of both.
- 'Quick pictures': just like in automatic mode, it can be very useful in this type of shots, for example, street photography, where you usually need speed.
- Photography in very changing light environments.
- When the composition of your image is essential.
- Celebrations : if you have little experience even in the photographic world, and they give you the 'honor' of having to capture some important moment, it is a way to ensure that the photographs will be correct.
OPENING PRIORITY MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av, depending on the brand) is Mario's favorite and many photographers. It is the one in which you decide the aperture of diaphragm that interests you and the camera compensates for the speed necessary for you to obtain a correct image. That is, you basically decide what depth of field you want. Knowing and knowing how to play with the depth of field through the opening of the diaphragm will give you the ability to create amazing images.OPEN DIAPHRAGMS
As I have already mentioned in the previous summary, the diaphragm controls the amount of light that enters through the lens as well as the depth of field. An open diaphragm (f / 1.4, f / 1.8, f / 2.5, f / 3.5, etc.) can be used in the following situations:- Indoor or low-light situations so that they do not move (always within a minimum in which your camera does not require speeds too low).
- Portraits: in portraits in which you want to isolate your subject from the environment making him the unquestionable subject of the image, you have to, without a doubt, shoot with the most open diaphragm that your objective allows you (f / 1.4 for example). This will blur the background and highlight your main subject.
- Bokeh: surely you will have encountered more than one occasion with a type of photos in which the main subject or object is focused while behind a blurry lights decorate the background. It is what is known as Bokeh and to achieve this there is no choice but to go to the Opening Priority Mode ( more on the subject here ). Bokeh
- Objects: also with the previous idea of ??isolating the object to focus the viewer's attention towards him. This mode is frequently used in the world of static advertising, product photography, gastronomic photography, marketing, etc., or to capture details.
CLOSED DIAPHRAGMS
When we close the diaphragm, we play with little light input but with a lot of depth of field.- Landscapes: Aperture Priority Mode is wonderful when it comes to capturing a natural landscape in all its splendor. Why? I have already commented that this mode allows to control the Depth of Field , that is, how wide or reduced the focused part of the photo has to be. Just as in the portrait we can lower the number f / as much as we want so that the focused area is only the face of our main character, it turns out that in the landscapes what interests is quite the opposite, that is, having more focused area. In fact, the ideal in a landscape is usually that the entire photo has focus and sharpness (foreground, background, trees, rocks, mountains, rivers, nearby elements, distant elements, clouds, EVERYTHING ...) so We use the same technique as in the portrait, but this time the other way around: we select the Opening Priority Mode and adjust a rather high f / value , usually from f / 11 or more (I usually shoot between f / 11 and f / 16 if it's a sunny day). Shooting with high f / values ??allows you to provide the landscape with all the sharpness and focus it requires.
- In general when you need to have all the planes focused on the image, for example to make this type of images with what we call 'forced perspective', here is an example:
- When you want to capture movement in situations where there is light, for example in the fantastic ' silk effect ' images of water. The vast majority happen in spaces with light, but to be able to capture the movement of water, you will need very low speeds. For this, what we do is close the diaphragm as much as possible (yes, tripod or near support point) to shoot at low speeds and capture all the movement of the water.
SPEED ??PRIORITY MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
Speed ??Priority Mode (S or Tv on the mode dial), is the one in which you are going to control the speed at which you want to shoot, and the camera will compensate by opening or closing the diaphragm so you can take pictures of correct exposure. It is suitable for all those images in which the movement or lack thereof is essential, for example:HIGH SPEED PICTURES
Speeds above 1 / 250s or 1 / 500s are recommended, always depending on the type of objective and the speed of the protagonist of your image, since the speed of a racing car is not the same as that of a man running, for example. This type of images, you can find them in:- Sports: In principle, in sports, what interests you is to stop the action. Speed ??is present in most of them. Capturing a good move requires the photographer a speed similar or superior to that of the player or athlete who is trying to photograph, otherwise we will most likely obtain a photo in which the subject is moved and possibly lacking in sharpness. The solution then goes through choosing the Shot Speed ??Mode and selecting a fast, very fast, or very fast speed depending on how fast the action we want to photograph is. Well here it is usually not interesting (or yes, but it is not usual) to see the subjects moved, but frozen, for example, in car races, games, athletics, etc.
- Animals: when we photograph birds, mammals or any type of animal, we are interested, in principle, that it comes out clear, so if it is in motion (which is usually usual), it is advisable to have a high speed ready to freeze it in a way correct in the scene.
- Children: almost with the same reasons as the previous ones, once they start walking, chasing them with the camera is an odyssey, if you have already had this experience you will know. If when you look at what you think will be great photographs you only see a kind of blurry appearance because it just moved , here you have a good option to avoid the error.
PHOTOS WITH LOW SPEED
When you work with low speeds, the objective changes, it is no longer freezing the image, but leaving the movement in the photo. The games provided by the movement are many, here are some examples:- Lightpainting or painting with light; You can see it step by step here .
- Photographs of long exposure: the long exposure photography is a graphic and very artistic way of representing the passage of time. Would you like to produce one of those night photos that portray the passage of cars with the typical trail of red or white light that they leave behind? Nothing easier: simply plant your camera on a very robust tripod, select the Shooting Speed ??Mode, adjust your camera at a relatively slow speed and shoot. You will have to experiment at the beginning until you find the speed that gives you the best result, but the result is very worthwhile (here I explain the complete technique of long exposure photography, detailed step by step ).
- Dynamism in the scene: the images in which we see movement, if it is right, contribute a lot of dynamism and vitality to your photographs.
MANUAL MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN TO USE IT?
The Manual Mode (M on the mode dial) is the one that allows us the total control of all the variables that a SLR camera provides us (EVIL or any that has manual controls). Here you have to decide everything, what speed you will use, what diaphragm, what white balance ... everything. But do not be scared, it is easier than it seems, since the camera will always let you know if you are exposing correctly through its exposure meter. In addition, if you are beginning to enter the photographic world, although a priori it may seem very complicated, it is of all the shooting modes, which, in my opinion, will teach you to understand what all the variables are and how do they work. It's just a matter of patience and trial-error. Luckily now the error will be free, so do not hesitate to start using it . Of course, it is a somewhat slower method than the previous ones, although over time you will be able to use it more agile, it will rarely be as fast as an Automatic or a Programmable, so it is more advisable in situations where you do not You need too quickly. Regarding the best time to use it, I will tell you that anyone, because absolutely all the above situations can be obtained in Manual Mode. Of course, perhaps in those recommended for Automatic or Programmable uses, the Manual option is a bit more risky, especially in situations of changing light, for example, you enter an outdoor market, there are awnings but the sun comes in and at the same time you want photograph the shopkeeper, and quickly that child who runs in the sun, and you don't want to miss anything ... Then you better opt for an automatic or semi-automatic mode. But if it is not in this type of situation, do not hesitate to use it and make it one of your favorites, when you discover it you will love to be the authentic director of your images.