Aperture and Shutter Priority Settings in Photography

When you want an excellent exposure for your shots, besides lighting there are three main settings to pay attention to. Those are your ISO setting, lens aperture and shutter speed. Many digital cameras today come with a “scene” mode, which can be helpful, but if you’re really looking to maximize your quality of exposure, it’s time to switch to a semi-manual mode and adjust some of the settings yourself.

What is Aperture Priority Mode?

On Canon cameras, the Aperture Priority Mode is the “AV” setting, while on Nikon DSLR’s it is the “A” setting. By setting your camera to the Aperture Priority Mode, you are allowing yourself more control over your depth of field. The camera will set the shutter speed in correlation with the aperture you’ve selected. To gain the most out of Aperture Priority Mode, you will want to decide whether you’d like to have a shallow depth of field or a deep depth of field.

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How to Use Aperture Priority Mode:

You will first need to switch your camera to aperture priority mode. This can easily be found by looking to your camera’s manual. Once you’ve done so, you will choose an aperture value based on the depth of field you desire. If you want a shallow depth of field, where a flower will be set in focus while the background is blurry, set it at a large aperture, like f/1.4 If you’d rather have a photo that is more in focus overall, use a lower aperture setting such as f/22. However, when selecting a lower aperture setting, you may want to use a tripod as the camera will set the shutter to stay open longer.

Take your shot and view it in the LCD screen. If you aren’t getting your desired effect, try changing the aperture setting and repeat.

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Aperture Priority Mode and Lighting:

If you’re in a brightly lit setting, set your camera to a small aperture, like f/8 or f/11, and the ISO at 100, then let the camera take care of the exposure.

If you’re in a low light (indoors) area, set your camera at the largest aperture, then begin to adjust your ISO to get at least 1/30 or 1/60 seconds shutter speed.

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What is Shutter Priority Mode?

Shutter Priority Mode on Canon cameras is the “Tv” setting and on Nikon cameras, it is the “S” setting. By setting your camera to shutter priority mode, you are choosing your shutter speed and allowing the camera to adjust the aperture, in order to achieve a well exposed shot. Typically, shutter priority mode is used when you want to freeze a subject that is moving, such as a football player at a football game or a race car in a race.

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How to Use Shutter Priority Mode:

Begin by switching your camera to the shutter priority mode, which can be done by using the information above or checking your camera’s manual. Next, you will want to adjust your shutter speed to compliment your subject. If you want a clear shot of your subject, freezing its action, you’ll want to set your camera to a fast shutter speed, such as 1/2000. Depending on how much light is around the camera will the aperture to be used. If you want to take a photo of a moving object and let some motion blur appear, in order to convey the speed of the object, you will want to set a low shutter speed, such as 1/125 or less. Of course, your shutter speed will also depend on the speed of your subject. It is important to keep in mind that a tripod may be necessary if your shutter speed is low.

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Suggestions:

Be sure to take note of your aperture and that you’re achieving the depth of field you desire, as increasing your shutter speed will impact the depth of field by making the camera choose a larger aperture and thus getting a shallower depth of field. It is also important to keep in mind that it may take practice and adjusting your settings several times to get your desired effect, but it is well worth learning for more creative control. Experimenting with both settings will allow you to learn your camera better and compose better shots.

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