What mode do you shoot in?

[AlexGavillan]

Hey guys,

Me again curious to know what mode some of you shoot in, from beginner to paid professional. I have no problem shooting in manual mode, I'm confident enough on how to read the light meter, histogram, etc. To get the proper exposure. I was reading an article earlier this week and there were some pros saying they shoot in shutter priority, aperture priority, etc. So they don't miss the moment.

When I first started I was in aperture priority almost all the time, while learning about exposure, the different metering modes, etc but once I understood that, I switched to manual mode to have better control over my photos .

So... I bring this up mainly because I do find myself adjusting shutter speed a lot when shooting outdoors and shadows come into play or clouds (ISO set to lowest if possible and I set the aperture to what I want to shoot at) and I can see missing certain shots as a real thing. I don't have a studio so I can see where one can control lighting, etc shooting in manual is easier or just makes more sense. . I have a kid so most of my stuff is outdoors, lots of movement and ever changing light.

I'm not looking for a "hey you should shoot in X" just curious what all of you shoot in and if that changes based on the situation.

Alex

 

[john.margetts]

Where both aperture and shutter speed are important (ie wildlife) I use manual mode with auto ISO and one stop EC. For everything else I use aperture priority mode.

Sent from my 8070 using Tapatalk

 

[480sparky]

I shoot in manual mode with auto ISO. I choose the aperture and shutter speed I want for the image and the camera picks the ISO needed for 'correct' exposure. That works 98% of the time for me. For the other 2%, I just turn off the auto ISO and set all three parameters manually.

 

[tirediron]

All of them, as appropriate. If motion control is important (speed events), then shutter priority. If DoF is important (large groups), then aperture priority. When the conditions aren't ideal, or I want to achieve something particular (backlight) then manual. In general, I try and leave my bodies in 'P', so that if I have to grab one and shoot in a hurry, then I'm reasonably assured of getting a usable image.

 

[SquarePeg]

Same as above I set aperture and shutter speed to meet my needs and use auto ISO (max set to 12800). I use EC to tweak the exposure. Spot or matrix metering depending on the subject and light. I rarely, if ever, shoot in any other way but...

If I really want low ISO (portraits), I’ll set that too and let shutter speed be my variable.

 

[AlexGavillan]

Thank you all!! This is very helpful and awesome to hear. Another question that I forgot to include in my OP. I remember why I stopped using aperture priority mode, I do a LOT of focus and recompose. So what was happening is I would meter off of the subject, focus and the recompose the shot. When using center weighted metering this would sometimes throw off the exposure of the subject and thus be overexposed or under. I guess I could us spot and choose one of the AF points, but that's hard with a 2 year old haha.

since I shoot with a D3400 I only have 11 AF points so that's what I switched to manual so I could meter off the subject then focus and recompose and still get the shot I was looking for. I guess this is where exposure compensation comes into play?

I'm trying not to set bad habits since I'm still a beginner I guess I'm looking for best practice when it comes to that.

 

[Gary A.]

Typically I shoot Manual with Spot. I'll meter off something Medium Gray or a shade/zone/density I recognize and manually compensate accordingly. Of late, I've been shooting with an EVF and I manually adjust to the viewfinder, completely disregarding the meter.

 

[SquarePeg]

I never focus and recompose. I had a terrible keeper rate when I tried that. I would think you’d have better luck with apps-c zone focusing than focus/recompose if using the focus point and moving it to your spot won’t work for you. Also when I had only 11 focus points, I found it easiest 90% of the time to use the center focus point and shoot wide then crop after as needed instead of scrolling the focus point all over the place and missing the shot.

 

[Gary A.]

I never focus and recompose. I had a terrible keeper rate when I tried that. I would think you’d have better luck with apps-c zone focusing than focus/recompose if using the focus point and moving it to your spot won’t work for you. Also when I had only 11 focus points, I found it easiest 90% of the time to use the center focus point and shoot wide then crop after as needed instead of scrolling the focus point all over the place and missing the shot.

I always focus and recompose. Rear Button Focus, Center Point Focus and recompose.

 

[AlexGavillan]

I never focus and recompose. I had a terrible keeper rate when I tried that. I would think you’d have better luck with apps-c zone focusing than focus/recompose if using the focus point and moving it to your spot won’t work for you. Also when I had only 11 focus points, I found it easiest 90% of the time to use the center focus point and shoot wide then crop after as needed instead of scrolling the focus point all over the place and missing the shot.

That's a good tip. I find that my exposure is off (when not using full manual mode) vs focus not being sharp.

I never focus and recompose. I had a terrible keeper rate when I tried that. I would think you’d have better luck with apps-c zone focusing than focus/recompose if using the focus point and moving it to your spot won’t work for you. Also when I had only 11 focus points, I found it easiest 90% of the time to use the center focus point and shoot wide then crop after as needed instead of scrolling the focus point all over the place and missing the shot.

I always focus and recompose. Rear Focus Button, Center Point Focus and recompose.

Ya, back button focusing. Haven't used it all that much, but have played around with it when shooting in VERY low light with a tripod. Lights on, set focus (back button) lights off then snap the photo .

 

[Derrel]

I shoot mostly in Manual mode with Auto ISO if conditions are variable. This allows me to pick the shutter speed and aperture that I want or need, and to maintain those settings no matter which direction I point the camera. In places where the light can change tremendously, such as at the beach, auto ISO makes a lot of sense.

I also like aperture priority auto, and used it quite a bit, and just look and see what shutter speed I'm gettin, and if it's good, then I'm good to go. I usually have a pretty good idea of what the speed will be anyway.

When I do flash photography either with a speed light or studio strobes, I always pick the ISO and I always use manual mode since it's the easiest way to make adjustments that actually get applied to the photo. I am not a fan of TTL flash control, because I don't like trying to outthink it.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

I typically use ap for most of my shooting and just manually adjust when the scene dictated it. The exception to this is when I shoot with a flash, then it’s always manual.


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[AlexGavillan]

Thanks guys, can't tell you how helpfull this is. I dont have any family/friends that are into photography, everyone has a camera phone these days so... Haha

 

[jcdeboever]

I shoot in manual most of the time. I mostly manual focus as well because my camera has focus peaking highlights.

I spot meter mostly, unless the light is harsh and there is a lot of landscape around my subject.

When I shoot sports, I use aperture priority mode, shoot wide open to isolate subject, auto ISO is adjusted to a point that allows for desired shutter speed to freeze action and accommodate lens focal length. Typically I am in center or matrix metering mode for sports. I use single point focus, pump the shutter, and have my focus square in the area where the head of the subject is, when the head drops in the square I fully depress the shutter.

The EC button is your friend, test it occasionally against the histogram while working a scene. You can't recover blown highlights and it's easier to lift shadows.

Practice sunny 16 rule. Look at the light, where it's at, how its falling on subject. Set your camera where you think it should meter correctly at, then bring the camera to your face, adjust if necessary, saves tons of time in both taking images as well as editing them.

Practice your cameras light meter, see how it responds in different lighting conditions. You will be surprised at what each mode can do for the look of an image.

With flash, always shoot manual. Spot meter the brightest area around your subject and use the flash to fill the subject with light. I don't like being restricted by sync speeds, I'm just trying to illuminate the subject. I'm not a fan of ttl unless I doing an event of some sort, it always needs to be edited in post. Manual flash with flash compensation works better for me in most situations, or times when I can dial it in. Practice this in back yard, inside the home under relaxed conditions. Pay attention to all your settings and how they can be controlled when it matters. Flash compensation is your friend here, it can saves tons of time in post.

IMO, EC is the greatest feature a camera can have. Shoot a film camera without it for a while to truly appreciate it. If you hate editing photos, it is your best friend.

 

[weepete]

Another one here that mostly shoots in manual most of the time. I just find it simpler and easier to control shutter speed and depth of field that way. It's rare that I'm shooting in conditions where I don't have to pay attention to both, so setting them once and then I'm good to go is just easier for me. I also don't like the alogarithm in my camera, seems to default to wide open, 1/60th sec and low ISO where most often. Admitedly not so much of an issue if you can set a minimum shutter speedbut I don't have that functionality yet. If conditions vary I'm much more likley to up the ISO.