Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual
P - Program Mode
A or Av - Aperture Priority
S or Tv - Shutter Priority
M - Manual Mode
Are you new to a camera and you have no idea what the circle dial on the top of your camera does? The one that has the letters “P A S M”? or it might say “P Av Tv M”? Well when I first got a camera I had NO idea what those meant or what they did. Ultimately, each of those modes has a different relationship to the exposure variables (Aperture, Shutter, ISO) and the control you have over each.
But first we need to start with some basics. Exposure is made by the camera sensor (or film) being exposed to light for a specific amount of time, aka shutter speed. The shutter speed is determined by the amount of light that is needed to correctly expose your photo which is controlled in part by the aperture of the lens. In addition, how sensitive the sensor is to light is controlled by the ISO speed. For film, this would be a fixed speed depending on your choice of film speed (200, 400, 800 etc).
AUTO MODE
Level - Beginner Beginner
Purpose - You don’t have to think about anything, the camera does all the work
You Control - Nothing
Camera Controls - Everything
Let’s start with the simple mode, Automatic. I’m pretty confident you all know what Automatic Mode is and what it does… it’s where the camera controls every single setting for you and gives you (what it believes to be) the correct settings for your given lighting situation. This setting gives the user zero control over any settings, so that means you can’t even adjust the White Balance if you wanted to.
I always encourage people to get off Auto Mode immediately and begin to understand the relationship between the exposure variables. Your camera does NOT always know the best settings for your current lighting situation because it does not know what it is that you want exposed. Also, lets say you want to shoot a portrait of your friend and you want the focus on his/her eyes, you would probably want to shoot open up your aperture to an F4 to allow shallow depth of field. Your camera might not know that and decide to shoot at F9 instead.
Long story short, Automatic is fine if you have zero interest in learning about a camera, but I doubt that’s you because you wouldn’t be reading this blog if so.
PROGRAM MODE
Level - Beginner
Purpose - A good step to begin to learn the relationship between exposure variables
You Control - ISO and White Balance
Camera Controls - Aperture and Shutter
Program Mode is very similar to Automatic mode where the camera chooses the appropriate Aperture and Shutter speed for your given lighting situation to give you the best lit photo. However, unlike Auto, you now have full control over your ISO and White Balance.
Even though your camera chooses your Aperture and Shutter, you do have the ability to change either one of those if you please. But be aware that it only holds the change in settings for the next photo you take. After that, the camera steps back into the drivers seat. If you see yourself changing the Aperture or Shutter often, then promote yourself to a different setting.
APERTURE PRIORITY
Level - Beginner/Intermediate
Purpose - You are shooting in multiple lighting situations and don’t have time to adjust settings between shots but there is a specific Aperture you want to maintain
You Control - Aperture, ISO (if you want), and White Balance
Camera Controls - Shutter and ISO (if set to auto)
Aperture Priority is where you control the Aperture (F Stop). The aperture controls the amount of light you let through the lens. The wider you are (smaller F Stop), the more light you let in. The more closed down you are (larger F Stop), the less light you let in. Don’t understand what Aperture means? Click here to get a full run down.
Why would I use Aperture Priority? A lot of street style photographers use Aperture Priority because they don’t have the time to adjust their settings between each photo. Your depth of field choice can determine a style you are going for in your photos, and the majority of those Street Style Photographers like to shoot at a smaller F Stop because they light the depth of field they get from that.
So for example, let’s pretend that we have a Street Style Photographer named John and he is shooting Fashion Week photos for Harpers Bazaar. He loves to shoot at F4 because he has just enough depth to get the person in focus but has enough fall off to allow the background to become blurry. John is running around like crazy shooting models and fashion editors that he doesnt have the time to adjust his settings between each shot. He see’s a model crossing a brightly lit cross walk to his left and then 10 seconds later he see’s another model walking behind him on an open shaded sidewalk. Both those photos have different lighting situations which require two different shutter speeds, which John can’t be thinking about because every second counts. So that’s where your camera steps up and decides for you.
SHUTTER PRIORITY
Level - Beginner/Intermediate
Purpose - You want to freeze motion, such as a sports game OR slow down motion to create motion blur
You Control - Shutter Speed, ISO (if you want), and White Balance
Camera Controls - Aperture and ISO (if set to auto)
Shutter Priority is where you control the Shutter and your camera will choose the appropriate Aperture to give you the best lit photo. Remember that the shutter speed is how long the shutter is left open, so the slower your shutter speed the more light you let in and the faster your shutter the less light you let in.
There’s a general rule regarding shutter where your shutter should atleast match the focal length of your lens to avoid camera shake. For example, if you’re using a 200mm lens, you should have your shutter at 1/200 or faster.
MANUAL
Level - Intermediate/Advance
Purpose - You want full control over everything
You Control - Everything
Camera Controls - Nothing
Manual Mode is the only way I shoot. I highly suggest that everyone who is interested in understanding a camera and advancing their photography skills, to spend at least 20 minutes a day shooting in Manual. It is the only way you will fully grasp the exposure variables and how they work with each other and when to change Aperture, Shutter and ISO appropriately.