Ever wonder what the different modes on your camera are for?
Do you find yourself struggling in 'M'anual mode because your brother-in-law said you have to use it, missing shots as a result?
Today I am going to discuss some very useful modes you can use in certain situations to limit certain aspects of your exposure to allow you work quickly, but get the results you have envisioned in your head, be it the bride walking down the aisle, the layup at the basketball game, or the high school senior perched by the pond.
A couple of points to start (look for more detailed blogs soon!)
ISO: Sensitivity of 'film' to light, also the speed of the 'film.' This should always be as low as is possible, higher ISO = more noise, though sometimes you have to take the good with the bad
EV: Exposure Value, a combination of all elements totaling to your final result.
AV - Aperture Value
This mode gives priority to the Aperture Value, allowing you to actively adjust your F-Stop while your camera dynamically adjusts Shutter Speed to give you a proper exposure. EV and ISO are manually adjustable, but typically need only be changed a couple times to get your ideal working conditions. This mode will be best suited in a well-lit environment, working with or without flash. An example of an applicable use for the aperture value priority mode would be shooting family and individual portraits simultaneously, or any situation where you switch from shooting a close-up of one subject, to two, three and more characters in the scene.
F/1.4-1.8-2.2 are a great stop to shoot an individual or glamor shot up close, but is too shallow if there are more characters in the scene, resulting in the others to be slightly (or significantly) blurred. If you are working with one subject and quickly throw in a few more family members, simply adjust your F-Stop to F/2.8-3.5 and you are ready to go, your exposures should all be relatively close to one another.
Tip: If you dial up or down more than a couple stops and you find the exposure to be too dark or too light quickly adjust the EV +/- or ISO.
TV - Shutter Priority
This mode gives priority to the shutter speed, who saw that coming? This mode in my opinion is underused. Photographers today will scoff at most people discussing it, maintaining the opinion that anyone trying to enter into photography should be more concerned about lighting, depth of field, and content, rather than just trying to 'catch the moment.' If there is a fast approaching scene about to occur and you simply are concerned about catching the action itself, you should be very familiar with this mode.
Sure, a perfect depth of field and EV combined with the perfect moment creates the perfect photo, those shots that will propel into a long-term career, but those are few and far between (not that you shouldn't be working your pants off to get them)
TV mode is going to prevent your otherwise perfect shots from turning out blurry (owed by an otherwise dynamically changing shutter speed that cannot take into full account your flash unit) Depending on the focal length of your lens, no hand-held shot can be taken with crystal clear results at less than 1/60. Dial down to this at a minimum to ensure every shot is at least this speed. Your camera will automatically adjust the F-Stop to ensure you are getting as much light in as possible. If your ISO is tuned in a 1600 or 3200 and your shots are coming out dark, without substantial fill-flash or turning on the lights, this shot cannot be taken (at least not without a tripod and no moving characters or objects).
I personally use this mode most in conjunction with my flash in party scenes, when artistic fluency and factors such as depth of field are not a concern to myself or my clients. The goal is to capture the goings-on at the party or reception.
Thanks for joining me in my first blog. As I mention in my profile, I am a learning and growing photographer. I believe a photographer is never finished learning. If I am inconsistent in anything or left anything out, commentators please make note.
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