SHOOTING MODES: THERE'S LIFE BEYOND FULL AUTO! [UPDATED]
SHOOTING MODES: THERE'S LIFE BEYOND FULL AUTO! [UPDATED]
When I bought my first DSLR I was sure I didn't want to work in automatic mode (a compact digital camera would have worked for that). 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 which mode to use at each moment.
If you identify with this situation I would like to save you some 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 most suitable . This saves you the question of “Which mode should I select for this type of situation?” and lets you know in advance which mode to choose. In addition, I am going to show you examples of photographs in which the effect that said Mode produces is clearly seen.
WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW BEFORE DELVING INTO THE DIFFERENT SHOOTING MODES?
Despite the fact that when you enter the world of photography it may seem 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 little basic review before delving into the different shooting modes, so that they are more clear:
DIAPHRAGM
The diaphragm is like the human Iris; It is the one that controls the entry of light through the lens. The more open the diaphragm is, the more light we have in the shot, and the more closed, the less. That is why in situations with less light, we tend to open the diaphragm (small diaphragms f/1.4, f/1.8...), and on the contrary, the more light we have, we can close it as much as the amount of light that allows us. we have (f/16, f/32…).
Different diaphragm openings
DEPTH OF FIELD
Playing with the diaphragm not only affects the light we receive, but also what we call depth of field. This is nothing more than the area of the image that will be in focus or sharp in your photograph. 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…) the less focused area you will 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 you need to understand how shooting works. Shutter time (or shutter speed) is the time, expressed in seconds or fractions of a second, that your camera's shutter 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 little light.
ISO
You have everything you need to know about ISO here . To summarize, the ISO is the sensitivity of our camera to capture light. A lower ISO means less light-gathering ability but higher image quality; less noise. On the contrary, a higher ISO (night photography, interior...) allows to better capture the light, but we lose image quality (more noise).
Once the small summary is done, we are going to see the shooting modes, related to everything explained so far.
Mode dial on a SLR camera
WHAT ARE SHOOTING MODES?
The shooting modes in the cameras allow us to decide what level of control we want and over what we want it, 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 SLR shooting modes are as follows:
AUTOMATIC MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
Automatic Mode ('Auto' on the mode dial) is one in which the camera has full control over all aspects of a shot; control the speed, aperture, white balance, ISO and even the flash of your camera. This mode is a bit sad because it thinks for you , it will do everything possible so that your shot is correct according to its variables, but little else.
In my opinion, there are few situations in which its use is justified , especially if you have an SLR camera, since its features are no better than those of any compact camera (and these also weigh less, are cheaper and, surely , for the same price you could have bought a compact much better than the reflex that you could buy). What's more, if you're reading this article, it's probably because auto mode doesn't interest you too much and you really want to dig into shooting modes where you have a 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's happening in front of you without missing a beat.
When you're just starting out and you're messing around with apertures, speeds, ISO, White Balance, RAW and a billion unknown concepts that you think you'll never understand (although you will ? ) you can shoot in automatic to whet your appetite for the wonders that your new reflex camera awaits you and pay attention to the values that the machine decides in each situation and thus understand how it works.
When you've been taking photos of your vacation all day and you can't take it anymore, but you still don't want to miss those moments, with automatic mode... You can disconnect!
Automatic mode to capture images that happen quickly
SCENE MODES, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
Scene modes are presets that contain a set of specific settings optimized for the most common situations (mainly aperture, shutter speed or white balance, but sometimes even ISO, saturation, etc).
We've dedicated this entire article to scene modes so you know when and how to use them.
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. If you are starting to get to know your SLR camera, Programmable Mode can be a great option, since it allows you to control the flash, the white balance , the type of metering (Spot, center-weighted, matrix), the ISO, and the point of focus.
In Programmable Mode, the camera offers combinations of aperture and shutter speed, and even in some programmable shooting modes, it lets you change one of the two variables, so it ends up being quite a customizable mode that can be very helpful if you're entering the world of reflex cameras.
This mode can be useful in the following situations:
If you are just starting out, it can help you gradually understand the shutter time related to the aperture, since the camera automatically offers you combinations of both.
'Quick photos': as in automatic mode, it can be very useful in this type of shot, for example, street photography, where you generally need speed.
Photography in very changing light environments.
When the composition of your image is essential.
Celebrations : if you still have little experience in the photographic world, and you are given the 'honor' ? of having to capture some important moment, it is a way of making sure that the photographs will be correct.
Programmable mode to focus on speed and composition
APERTURE PRIORITY MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
The 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 diaphragm opening that interests you and the camera compensates for the necessary speed so that you 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 aperture 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:
Interiors or situations with little light so that they do not come out blurred (always within a minimum in which your camera does not also require speeds that are too low).
Portraits: In portraits where you want to isolate your subject from the environment, making them the undisputed subject of the image, you should definitely shoot with the widest aperture your lens will allow (f/1.4 for example). This will blur the background and highlight your main subject.
Bokeh: surely you will have come across a type of photo on more than one occasion in which the main subject or object is in focus while behind it some diffused lights decorate the background. It is what is known as Bokeh and to achieve it there is no choice but to go to the Aperture Priority Mode ( more on the subject here ).
bokeh
Objects: also with the previous idea of isolating the object to focus the viewer's attention on it. This mode is often used in the world of static advertising, product photography , food photography, marketing, etc., or to capture detail.
Open diaphragm to isolate the protagonist
CLOSED DIAPHRAGMS
When we close the diaphragm, we play with little light coming in but with a lot of depth of field.
Landscapes: Aperture Priority Mode is wonderful when it comes to capturing a natural setting in all its splendor. Because? I have already commented that this mode allows you to control the Depth of Field , that is, how wide or small the focused part of the photo has to be. Just as in the portrait we can lower the f/ number as much as we want so that the focused area is only the face of our main subject, it turns out that in landscapes what interests us is the opposite, that is, having more focused area. In fact, the ideal in a landscape is normally that the entire photo has focus and sharpness (foreground, background, trees, rocks, mountains, rivers, nearby elements, distant elements, clouds, EVERYTHING...) for which we use the same technique as in the portrait, but this time in reverse: we select the Aperture Priority Mode and set a rather high f/ value , generally starting at f/11 or more (most of the time I shoot between f/11 and f/16 if it is a sunny day). Shooting with high f/ values allows you to give the landscape all the sharpness and focus it requires.
completely sharp landscape
In general, when you need to have all the planes focused in the image, for example to make this type of images with what we call 'forced perspective', here is an example:
Example of Composition in Forced Perspective
When you want to capture movement in situations where there is light, for example in fantastic ' silk effect ' images of water. The vast majority take place in spaces with light, but in order to capture the movement of the water, you will need very low speeds. To do this, what we do is close the diaphragm as much as possible (yes, tripod or support point nearby) to shoot at low speeds and capture all the movement of the water.
Closed diaphragm to achieve low speeds: The silk effect of water
SPEED PRIORITY MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN DO I USE IT?
The Speed Priority Mode (S or Tv on the mode dial), is the one in which you will control the speed at which you want to shoot, and the camera will compensate by opening or closing the diaphragm so that you obtain photographs of correct exposure. It is suitable for all those images in which movement or the lack of it is essential, for example:
HIGH SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY
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 running man, For example. These types of images can be found at:
Sports: in principle, in sports what you are interested in is stopping the action. Speed is present in most of them. Capturing a good play requires the photographer to have a speed similar to or greater than that of the player or athlete who is trying to be photographed, otherwise we will most likely end up with a photo in which the subject is moved and possibly lacks sharpness. The solution is then to choose the Shooting Speed Mode and select a fast, very fast, or very very fast speed depending on how fast the action we want to photograph is. Well, here it is not usually interesting (or yes, but it is not usual) to see the subjects moved, but frozen, for example, in car races, matches, athletics, etc.
High Speeds to Freeze Motion: Sports
Animals: when we photograph birds, mammals or any type of animal, we are interested, in principle, that it comes out sharp, so if it is moving (which is usually usual), it is advisable to have a high speed ready to freeze it permanently . correct in the scene.
Fast speeds for photographing animals
Children: almost for the same reasons as above, once they start to walk, chasing them with the camera is an odyssey, if you have already had this experience you will know it. If when you look at what you think will be great photos all you see is a kind of blur because it just moved , here's a good option to avoid the mistake.
SLOW SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY
When you work with low speeds, the objective changes, it is no longer to freeze the image, but to capture the movement in the photograph. The games that movement provides us are many, here are some examples:
Lightpainting or painting with light; you can see it step by step here .
Long exposure photography : Long exposure photography is a very artistic and graphic way of representing the passage of time. Would you like to produce one of those night photos that portray passing cars with the typical trail of red or white light that they leave behind? Nothing could be easier: just plant your camera on a sturdy tripod, select Speed Shooting Mode, set your camera to a relatively slow speed, and shoot. You will have to experiment at first until you find the speed that gives you the best result, but the result is well worth it (here I explain the complete technique of long exposure photography, detailed step by step ).
long exposure photography
Dynamism in the scene: the images in which we see movement, if it has a reason for being, bring a lot of dynamism and vitality to your photographs.
Movement to give dynamism to the image
MANUAL MODE, WHAT IS IT AND WHEN TO USE IT?
The Manual Mode (M on the mode dial) is the one that allows us full control of all the variables that an SLR camera provides us (EVIL or any that has manual controls). Here you have to decide everything, what speed are you going to use, what diaphragm, what white balance... everything. But don't panic, it's easier than it seems, since the camera will always let you know if you're exposing correctly through its exposure meter. In this mega guide we teach you how to use Manual Mode .
Also, if you are beginning to enter the world of photography, although it may seem very complicated a priori , it is of all the shooting modes, the one that, in my opinion, will teach you the most to understand what all the variables are and how do they work. It's just a matter of patience and trial and error. Luckily now the error will be free, so don't 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 in a more agile way, it will rarely be as fast as an Automatic or a Programmable one, so it is more recommended in situations in which you do not you need too fast.
Regarding what is the best time to use it, I will tell you that anyone, because absolutely all of the above situations can be achieved 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 open-air market, there are awnings but the sun enters and at the same time you want to photographing the shopkeeper, and quickly that child running under the sun, and you don't want to miss anything... Then it's better to 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 being the authentic director of your images.
Manual mode allows you to make all image-related decisions
The moment in which, as a great fan of photography, you acquire your first reflex camera , is one of the most exciting you will ever have. This moment opens up an infinite world of possibilities, it gives you the chance to create everything that comes to mind, or to make those images that you saw one day and thought 'I'm going to do this' come true . It gives you the opportunity to be the director of your photographs, because soon or maybe you are already doing it, when you see an image you will think, 'This was exactly what I wanted to achieve', you wanted this like this and this like that, and at that moment you will realize or have realized that you are creating something unique, yours, that you have participated in each of the decisions that have resulted in that image.
And that is one of the many magnificent moments that the world of photography will bring you, so never stop practicing, never stop learning , and above all, don't give up! because surely you are closer than you think, you just need something you already have, a camera, lots of enthusiasm, perseverance and desire to enjoy this wonderful art ? .
Oh, I almost forgot, if you liked this article about the different shooting modes, please share it. You will make me happy ? . Thank you so much!
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