What mode do you shoot in?

[vintagesnaps]

I don't do modes. Mostly I use mechanical film cameras or my digital camera with vintage lenses, so I'm usually shooting manual.

With the photo of your daughter in the garage, your camera's meter may have been reading the light coming in from the doorway. I sometimes frame lower to meter the scene where the subject is, then reframe to take the picture - I don't want the meter to read just the light coming in from the background and adjust for that. Or sometimes I frame roughly halfway in between the foreground and background.

I suppose over enough years you learn how to meter and get proper exposures. And being a film shooter, you have to learn proper exposure unless you want to waste a lot of not so inexpensive film these days (even when film was cheaper, you didn't want to waste it).


What was the question again...?? lol

 

[vintagesnaps]

I don't use EC or get blinkies; did when I first had a digital camera and was shooting in the JPEG setting. When I started shooting in Raw a light bulb went on over my head and for me things fell into place. (My digital camera is DNG so it automatically produces a Raw image and a JPEG from that.

Anyway, I'm not sure why in an article some pros said they used a particular priority so as not to miss the moment. I shoot hockey in manual so it's a matter of learning good techniques and practicing if you don't want to miss the moment. I've often known shooting film that I nailed it (or that I missed it and cuss or mumble under my breath). But you don't get to that point overnight of sometimes knowing as soon as you release the shutter that you got it or you didn't (or, maybe you got it, maybe you didn't...).

 

[AlexGavillan]

More great info. I never shot film, at least nothing better than a disposable camera haha

Shot some tonight in aperture priority and I loved it set my aperture and adjusted EC to -3 and was nailing the exposure I wanted. I took a ton, but I won't share them all haha. One of my favorites.

 

[DanOstergren]

I shoot in manual 100% of the time these days. I don't judge others for using priority modes or auto mode, nor do I feel any sense of superiority over photographers who shoot in other modes. For what I shoot there just isn't any need for me to shoot in any other mode besides manual.

 

[pixmedic]

ive only had luck in shooting with the camera in "ON" mode.

 

[john.margetts]

'On' works well . . .

 

[AlexGavillan]

I don't think my camera has this "on" mode you speak of. It's funny though, next to my "off" mode I do have a "no" mode and that seems to work for me....

 

[AlanKlein]

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.

I use focus and reframe a lot. Check to see if your camera has an exposure lock setting. That way, you can lock the exposure so it won't change when you reframe.

 

[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.

I use focus and reframe a lot. Check to see if your camera has an exposure lock setting. That way, you can lock the exposure so it won't change when you reframe.

I actually mapped that AE button on my camera so that it holds the exposure so that I can then focus and recompose. I played around with it a tad bit and then switched to using EC instead. I may give it some more time though as it was pretty helpful.

 

[adamhiram]

I typically shoot in aperture priority, especially where I might be shooting in changing conditions or need to just grab and go. If the exposure is way off, such as in snow or at the beach, I can easily tweak the exposure compensation by a few stops as needed. Most of the time I am using matrix metering. For relatively constant lighting conditions, I'll often take a test shot in aperture priority to get my settings close, then switch to manual. For a more controlled environment such as with studio lighting, full manual with a light meter.

 

[Ysarex]

Shot some tonight in aperture priority and I loved it set my aperture and adjusted EC to -3 and was nailing the exposure I wanted.

That is a typo right? You meant -.3 as in 1/3?

Joe

 

[AlexGavillan]

Shot some tonight in aperture priority and I loved it set my aperture and adjusted EC to -3 and was nailing the exposure I wanted.

That is a typo right? You meant -.3 as in 1/3?

Joe

My camera shows it as -/+.3 for EC (Nikon D3400) depending on which way I go.

Link for reference: Nikon | Imaging Products | Digitutor | D3300

 

[birdbonkers84]

Aperture Priority for Wildlife

Manual or Aperture for Landscapes

Manual for Astro

 

[Peeb]

Wildlife- M (1/1000 and f/8) with auto ISO
Landscapes- A (to start- might switch to M after a few test pics)
Portraits- A with flash- tho M is fine too
Astro-photography- M
Snapshots or family gatherings- full auto (often).

 

[Bear Dale]

Mostly aperture priority and manual.