A look at what the DSLR camera modes - auto, P, TV, AV, M and B - do, how they affect your control over exposure (ISO, shutter speed and aperture) and how they can be used to advance your photographic skills.
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If you look at the mode dial on any DSLR, you are likely to see these modes:
Auto, P, TV, AV, M and B.
So, what do they mean and how can you use them to progress as a photographer?
In a nutshell, the modes determine who controls the exposure settings: you or the camera. By exposure settings I’m referring to the ‘holy trinity’ of photography – ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Allowing the camera to control these settings makes life easy… but it doesn’t necessarily make for great photos.
As you develop as a photographer you should be aiming to make ALL the decisions about ISO, shutter speed and aperture yourself (sneak preview: that’s ‘M’ or manual mode).
It’s worth noting that modes vary a bit between different cameras, particularly for the more ‘automatic’ or ‘beginner’ modes. Experiment with your own camera to find out what each mode will allow you to do and what it will do itself.
Auto or green mode: This is the most basic mode. It will make all the decisions for you: ISO, shutter speed, aperture and when to use flash. That’s fine if you’ve never picked up an SLR before.
Program mode: This is similar to green mode in that it decides on shutter speed and aperture but it does give you control over ISO and use of flash.
If you are watching this video, you probably want to reach beyond these two modes and start applying some real control over how the camera works.
TV – shutter priority mode: This is useful for situations in which shutter speed will be the dominant consideration. Shutter speed is always important but when your subject is moving it becomes crucial. The speed of your shutter determines whether your subject is sharp or blurred.
Some quick examples: to freeze these racing sheep dogs required a shutter speed of 1/400th of a second. But to capture the movement of these sheep I slowed the shutter to just 1/10th of a second. More about shutter speed coming up in another video.
In this mode – as with the other modes we’re about to discuss – you have control over ISO and flash. But the camera will adjust the aperture as you change the shutter speed in order to achieve a correct exposure (not too bright, not too dark).
TV is useful for learning about and experimenting with shutter speed but it does have its limitations, especially when you want full control of aperture.
AV – aperture priority mode: Like shutter priority mode, I’d say this is useful for learning and experimenting.
Aperture affects the amount of light you allow into the camera. This affects your ability to shoot in different lighting conditions, so an open or wide aperture will help you shoot in low light – such as at dusk or indoors. Aperture also has more artistic applications such as depth of field, which, put simply, is how sharp or blurry you’d like the background to be.
In AV mode, the camera will adjust the shutter speed as you change the aperture in order to achieve a correct exposure.
Again, AV is great for experimenting with aperture. The danger is that in some cases the camera will select shutter speeds that are too slow for a crisp image.
M – Manual mode is what most professional photographer use 95% of the time. Why? Because it gives you complete control over the ‘holy trinity’ – ISO, shutter speed and aperture. As you become more experienced, you’ll realise that every image is a balance – sometimes a compromise – between these elements, so the ability to adjust each of them is crucial.
Because manual mode is so important, I’m doing a separate video on how to apply it when shooting.
Finally, let’s look at B or bulb mode. This is for really long exposures, notably night photography. Most cameras have shutter speed settings that allow up to 30 seconds when in the other modes. But some night shots might require shutter speeds of minutes or even hours. Bulb mode allows the shutter to be opened and then closed at the push of the shutter button or a remote switch.
So that’s it for DSLR mode. I hope you found it useful. Thanks for watching and see you next time!
