Question for professional photographers

[digabella]

I am just learning to use my d40x and would actually like to go into photography. I am just wondering if the professional photographers actually shoot (people shots) using the manual modes or do you actually use one of the auto options when shooting?
Thanks,
Angie

 

[jamesdavidboro]

Not a pro but i'll tell you not many pro's use the scene selection mode. Everything in them can be done better manually. Aperture Priority is the favourite although some swear by full manual mode. As a mere amature i use Aperure Priority mainly although i have started to use full manual more lately. It just gives you more control but for portraits i'm pretty sure Aperture Priority is your best bet.

 

[jamesdavidboro]

Btw D40X, nice camera!

 

[Blake.Oney]

I think you will find that most people on here wont really consider themselves professional even if they make money shooting.

Different people do different things. I think it is really important to take the time to learn your camera, and learn how to shoot manually, as well as composition, lighting and all the other basics. I didn't charge anyone for almost a year after I started because I didn't want to learn on other people's dime, but I needed the shoots to learn. As far as what mode I use; I use aperture priority most of the time. The only time I'll use manual mode is if I'm looking for a specific effect, or the a mode isn't getting the lighting the way I want it. As I said, though I think it is very important to learn manual.

 

[Jcampbelll]

I would ask for: experienced photographers (not professional).
Depending on the situation I will take 'test shots' in aperture priority to see what the shutter speed is, then go over to manual.

 

[Overread]

f8, ISO 100, 1/200sec

will give you the exact same shot in manual mode as you will get in aperture priority; shutter priority, program and full auto. The difference is how you get to those settings and further if those settings are the creativly correct ones for your shot.

I strongly suggest that its not a case of learning just one mode; but instead of learning what each gives you and also learning the basics of exposure. That then empowers you to make the mode choice that will work best for yourself.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is an oft quoted book in this and other forums and is well worth getting a copy of and reading as a good comprehensive introduction to exposure control.

As a basic reference though aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual mode are generally the most popular modes since they give you control over the camera. Program and full auto offer less direct control and thus are decent enough fora solid exposure; but you won't have much of a creative control over the camera and what you produce.

Also once you start working with flash lighting as a dominant light source you'll mostly have to use manual mode for shooting.

 

[KmH]

The auto modes in todays cameras make a guess at what it is you are wanting to make a photo of. They don't always guess right.

I usually use aperture priority when I shoot sports, and manual for everything else.

The photographer not only needs to choose that one creative combination of the exposure triad, the photographer also has to choose the correct white balance, metering mode, focus mode, and focus area mode.

The thing that usually separates professional images from amature photos, is lighting.

 

[digabella]

I think you will find that most people on here wont really consider themselves professional even if they make money shooting.

Just as a matter of curiosity, why do people consider themselves experienced instead of "professional"?

By the way, thanks jamesdavidboro. I do love my camera. Really hard to take a bad pic with it!

I am trying to learn the camera in the manual modes, I just wondered if that is what the experienced photographers used during photo shoots, since I would assume that you don't have time to "play" with the settings a lot during the shoot. (at this point, still takes me a while to figure stuff out)

Overread, you actually bring up another point that I would like to know about. You mentioned Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson as being an often quoted book. Right now, what I have is the d40/d40x for dummies book. It does teach you some good things about my specific camera, but I figured that I really need something else to help me "truly understand" the art of shooting great photographs-the manual way. I know I eventually want to shoot portraits but I love outdoor shots as well. Just wondering what you guys would suggest to help me learn what I need to know about shooting the actual photography-not just my camera. Hope that makes sense. I am having some difficulty understanding aperature and shutter speed-much less full manual mode. Anyway, I wanted to know what some really good publications are for learning this stuff without it being so technical.

 

[IgsEMT]

professional - experienced, a thread that was here few months ago...

As for modes, once in a blue moon, when bored, i shoot in PSA modes, cause - well i'm bored and don't want to think, but 99.99999% of the time, in M mode. I did get lazy with digital, especially later gear since it is more accurately reads the scene thus flash is in TTL mode, but otherwise, all M MmmmmmMost of the time (hey, that sort of rhimes )
I am tired, been a LooooooooooooNG day
On scene modes, even with higher end/ later gear, i think they suck b/c they rarely correctly evaluate the scene w/o common sense intervention.

I live in NYC and 4/7days a week travel on the Staten Island Ferry. Not so much in the morning but in afternoon the boat is usually 60% tourists who want to take pics of each other with South Manhattan as the background: you have someone standing on the boat, with back towards the City and another person taking a pic of this guy/girl - pics tend to turn out dark and then these are the same ppl who are like "hmmm, I wonder why?"
Now if someone with a PS camera does that - ok w/e - but when I see freaks with higher end SLR bodies on scene modes and no common sense - thats just funny

 

[kric2schaam626]

I strongly suggest that its not a case of learning just one mode; but instead of learning what each gives you and also learning the basics of exposure. That then empowers you to make the mode choice that will work best for yourself.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is an oft quoted book in this and other forums and is well worth getting a copy of and reading as a good comprehensive introduction to exposure control.

I'm going to agree with this, especially that book. I have it and it has helped me A LOT in understanding exposure.

Manual mode is an excellent thing to learn. It takes a lot of practice, because you are *obviously* controlling everything manually, which requires balance. Practice with different exposures and compare what you did differently to produce each shot.

And have fun!

 

[manaheim]

Search on "manual auto" and you'll bring up about 80,000 threads... per day.

 

[EddieDerbyshire]

Keep your camera on program mode all the time! Its sort of like a cross between auto and manual! Try it out!
Hope this helps...

 

[Robin Usagani]

Keep your camera on program mode all the time! Its sort of like a cross between auto and manual! Try it out!
Hope this helps...

I never shot in P Mode even once. I dont even know what it does really.

 

[jamesdavidboro]

I used to use P all the time but i can't remember the last time i used it now. It basically controls the exposure for you, ie you have no control over shutter speed or Aperture but you can control ISO speed, white balence ect. I found it a decent learning setting when i 1st started.

I very nearly bought a 2nd hand D40x but in the end my local store had the Sony a450 on offer so i went for that instead.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Then dont encourage her to use that LOL.