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Shooting Modes
On A Digital Camera
Today’s digital cameras are a lot more complicated than most of the cameras just
a few years ago. This makes it possible to take great pictures on even
inexpensive point and shoot digital. The problem is that many people buy a
camera and never bother to learn to use it. It only takes a few minutes to learn
what some of your camera’s features are, but learning can make the pictures you
take a whole lot better. The simplest thing to learn is what the shooting modes
are on your camera. Most people just keep their camera on auto mode, but you can
do a lot just by flipping the little dial.
Special shooting modes:
One kind of option you have is special shooting modes. These modes are basically
just like auto; just set up for special shooting situations. This means you
don’t have to set the exposure, aperture, shutter speed, or anything else, but
you should get better results than just using the auto function.
Landscape Mode
The first of these special shooting functions is landscape mode. This generally
looks like a little mountain with clouds on your dial. Landscape mode is used
for just that: landscape shots. You can use this to take pictures when
everything is far away. This adjusts your camera setting so everything it the
picture is in focus.
Macro Shooting Mode
Another great feature I use all the time is
macro shooting mode. This icon
usually looks like a flower. It is either a mode on your dial or a special
button on your camera. You can use this for pictures taken very close up,
usually within two feet of the camera. With macro mode, the camera automatically
focuses on the close-up object. If you just use auto mode for these situations,
you’ll likely have a clear background and a fuzzy foreground.
Portrait Modes
Many cameras have two
portrait modes to shoot in. Standard portrait mode usually
is represented by a face and is used for taking normal, everyday portraits. If
you want to take standard vacation pictures with a person standing in from of
something, you should use the other portrait mode. This one is usually
represented with a face and a mountain behind it. This way, you can have both
the person and the background in focus. Just be sure not to get your subject too
close to the camera or they may not be in focus.
Nighttime Mode
The last common shooting mode is for
nighttime shooting. This usually looks like
a person and a star on a dark background. This is used for shooting people after
dark. If you have the option of flipping up the flash, you obviously want to
have the flash on. Another option some people have is fireworks mode. This can
also be used for lightning or any situation where you want to photograph bright
lights in the dark. For this mode you don’t want to use your flash because it
will only wash out the background. For both these shooting modes, you generally
want to use a tripod or set the camera on something steady so the picture won’t
turn out blurry.
Control modes:
There are other modes on your camera that give you more control, but also
require a little more knowledge on camera functioning. They are usually
represented by one or two letters on your dial as opposed to pictures. These
modes may not be available on some smaller point and shoot cameras.
Aperture Preferred Mode
The first of these modes is aperture preferred mode. This is usually represented
by “Av” on the dial. In this mode, you get to choose how large the aperture of
the camera is open; the shutter speed is automatically adjusted. This is usually
used to control your depth of field or the size of an area is in focus.
Shutter Preferred Mode
Another useful feature, represented by “Tv” on your camera, is shutter preferred
mode. With this option, you choose how long the shutter is open and the aperture
size is automatically adjusted. This is most often used in a low light
situation; especially to create low light special effects.
Fully Manual Mode
The last common shooting mode on cameras is fully manual mode. This mode is just
like it sounds; you control everything. You can change the aperture size,
shutter speed, and anything else you want to control, including focus, white
balance, iso, and anything else that can be changed. Some of these features can
be adjusted in other modes depending on your camera, but all of them can be
controlled in manual mode.
Hopefully this quick guide has helped you to better understand what your camera
can do. Good luck and happy shooting!
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