The Mode Dial Modes & What They Do
The mode dial on a digital camera is very diverse. All of the different modes control either the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and flash. On the camera, which I will be using for this post, has eleven different modes I will be telling you about. There are two different zones in which the eleven modes fall. These zones include the basic zone and the creative zone.
The basic zone includes portrait, landscape, macro, sports, night, no flash, and auto mode. All of these modes are like training wheel modes. In portrait mode the camera picks the largest aperture in order to create that depth of field blurry portraits should have. In landscape mode the camera picks a small aperture in order to make more of the photo in focus. Macro mode is like portrait mode but is made for close-ups by emphasizing a faster shutter speed. Sports mode also picks a fast shutter speed in order to blur motion. Night mode is used for dark scenes because it uses your camera’s flash and a slower shutter speed in order to brighten the photo. No flash mode is essentially auto mode but the flash in forbidden, which can be helpful when taking photos in a museum. Lastly, auto mode is like a mindless mode where the camera picks every setting for you.
Now, there are also four different modes in the creative zone, which can be used to take control of the camera settings by making key decisions. These four zones are called Program shift, Time Value (TV), Aperture Value (AV), and Manuel mode. Program shift mode is when the camera picks the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed but allows you to change it according to your preferences. Time Value mode allows you to adjust only the shutter speed, which can be used when wanting blurry motion. Aperture value mode is when you adjust the aperture, which can be used to make small and large depth of fields. Lastly, manual mode is when you get to pick aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. This mode can be used for anything really. It just allows you to have a lot of creative freedom with your photos.
In this post I will be showing five pictures I took using five different modes on my camera.
Macro Mode
I took this close up of some flowers using macro mode. If I took this shot again I would try to get even closer to a particular flower in order to show even more small detail.
Sports Mode
As you can see this photo was taken in sports mode because the motion of my friend Megan jumping is frozen. If I took a shot like this again I would take it in a sport setting and not just in front of the school.
Landscape Mode
This picture was taken on landscape mode. If I would take this shot again I would make sure to leave out the cars, people, parking lot, and signs from being distracting in the photo. Instead I would take a landscape of the fields and the horizon.
Auto Mode
This picture was taken in auto mode, which means the camera picked all of the settings. If I took this picture again I would use manual mode to try to make the exposure lower. I think this photo would have more of an interesting feel if the exposure was lower.
Portrait Mode / Featured Image
This photo was taken in portrait mode. If I took this photo again I would make my subject take her camera off because it doesn’t really fit with the school aesthetic that the background is giving.
This photo is my featured photo because of two reasons. One reason is because I think it perfectly shows how portrait mode can be very helpful when trying to take a portrait picture. All I had to do was take the photo without worrying about exposure or making sure the background was blurry. The second reason I picked this photo is because I love how real and authentic it is. I love how Megan is showing us her true smile.
Which mode felt most natural to use?
When I was taking pictures using the different modes of my camera, the mode that felt the easiest to get a good result was portrait mode. I loved how easy it was to take a perfect portrait without having to mess with any settings. It allowed me to focus more on how to set up an aesthetic looking picture than trying to find the right shutter speed and aperture on my own.
When might you choose manual mode over an automatic one?
I think the biggest reason I would use manual mode over the automatic one is because it allows me to have more creative freedom. In auto mode the camera picks everything and does not allow you change it. You are stuck with whatever the camera thinks is best for your photo. In contrast, when you use manual mode you can create unique and creative photos. You can change the exposure of your photo in order to tell different stories and set different moods.