Taking my camera off auto mode . . .

I am happy to report that I am FINALLY taking a few photography courses and learning how to take my Nikon D50 off the green button. Yeah! One of the first things we discussed last week in class were the different semi-automatic modes commonly found on D-SLR cameras.

(photo courtesy of Nikon)

1. P: Program mode offers partial control over shutter speed and aperture.
2. S: Shutter priority controls the shutter speed, and aperture is calculated by the camera.
3. Av or A: Aperture priority controls the aperture, and the shutter is calculated by the camera.
4. M: Manual mode controls shutter speed and aperture independently.

(info courtesy of Wikipedia)

Our homework assignment for this week . . . take a few photos on program mode and compare them to auto mode.

This photo was taken inside a library at our local university. The first photo was taken on auto mode. Although the flash automatically pops-up in this setting the onboard flash is not sufficient to light up the stairwell.

This next photo was taken by setting the dial mode to program. In this setting the onboard flash does not automatically pop-up. Instead, the flash must be manually triggered. I took these photos around sunset with the camera set on program mode without a flash.


P mode also allowed me to capture this next shot without the flash attracting attention or disturbing the students who were studying.

Things I like about program mode. I prefer the warm glow of the stairwells captured when the camera was set on program mode than when the same photo was taken on auto mode. I love the fact that the flash is not so intrusive. Moreover, I love the fact that in program mode the camera does not automatically think I want the flash initiated based on the lighting conditions. So although in some ways program mode is similar to the green button, in P-mode the photographer gains control over such features as the flash, ISO and white balance.

I hope you find this information helpful. Moreover, I hope it encourages you to go out and take your camera off the auto mode.

Thanks for stopping by . . .

Yoli