Unlock Your Camera’s Potential: A Guide to Program Modes for DSLR, Mirrorless, and Point-and-Shoot Cameras
One of the most-often-repeated phrases of photographers is “Get off Auto.” That’s good advice, but it’s scary and intimidating if you’re new to camera settings. And maybe you don’t really want to learn all about photography, maybe you really just want to take some good pictures that you want to actually print and display or give away. Camera Program Modes can help with that.
Camera program modes are settings that dictate how the exposure parameters – shutter speed, aperture, and ISO – are controlled during exposure. The program modes are sort of like a collection of settings in one setting. They allow you to get a little creative without having to have a deep background in photography.
The Core Priority Modes
The core set of modes are called Priority Modes. These modes let you select one element to control, and the camera will make exposure adjustments around that. You set the one setting, and the camera will adjust the other elements to expose what it thinks will be correct.
Program Mode is indicated by a P on the camera dial. Program Mode is for controlling the ISO. The camera will then adjust the shutter speed and aperture around your ISO choice. Program Mode works best for quick shooting when you want a bit of creative control.
Shutter Priority will show up as S or Tv. The Tv refers to Time Value, the length of time the shutter is open. You set the shutter speed and the camera automatically adjusts the ISO and the Aperture. You’d use this when you want to control for freezing motion or creating motion blur.
Aperture Priority appears as A or Av. You select the aperture, or the depth of field, and the camera will choose the ISO and shutter speed. This is a great setting for both portraits and landscapes.
Manual is the M on the dial. This is “full manual.” I really believe that if you want to be a good photographer, you need to be able to use full manual at least some of the time, but if you mainly want to take good pictures, you don’t need to go that far. Most of the photography challenges I do have several full manual weeks. In Manual, you control everything – the ISO, the shutter speed, and the aperture. You can get really creative here.
Specialty and Scene Modes: Creative Selections
In addition to the core priority modes, many cameras also include specialty and scene modes. My Canon Powershot has them, and so does my Eos T5. My newest camera, the R6 doesn’t have the specialty modes. You can find them on the higher-end point-and-shoot models, and if you want to have a little fun without feeling like you have to take a whole photography course, consider getting a camera that has them. They’re usually indicated by icons that pretty well let you know what they are, but you’ll have to play with them to get a really good feel for what they do.
- Portrait Mode will set a wide aperture for a shallow depth of field. This isolates the subject and blurs the background.
- Landscape Mode sets a smaller aperture (a higher f-stop) that provides a maximum depth of field. You’ll get a picture that has both foreground and background in sharp focus.
- Sports Mode provides faster shutter speed for action-freeze and a minimum amount of motion blur.
- Macro Mode optimizes settings for close-ups. It allows you to capture fine details of smaller subjects like flowers and insects.
- Night Portrait Mode combines a flash with a longer exposure. This balances the lighting of the subject and the background details in low light.
- Fireworks Mode uses a longer exposure, a low ISO, and a mid-range aperture, combined with infinity focus to give you sharp fireworks shots.
- Panorama Mode captures wide scenes by stitching multiple images into one seamless shot. I haven’t had great luck with in-camera panorama, so I use Photoshop to achieve my panorama shots.
- HDR (High Dynamic Range) Mode will merge multiple exposures to balance highlights and shadows. You can use this when you want to grab high-contrast settings. My lower-end cameras didn’t have this setting, and in my R6, it has to be set in the settings menu. I take several separate shots, the camera makes the adjustments in each image, and I use post-processing tools to combine them.
- Long Exposure/Bulb Mode keeps the shutter open for a really long time, manually controlled. Shooting the night sky or catching light trails works well with Bulb Mode.
Tips for Success with Program Modes
While program modes can give you a lot of flexibility, you need to experiment with them when it’s not important to get that perfect shot, so that when it is important, you know what you and your camera can do. Play around with them using subjects around the house. I recommend that when you’re in experimentation or learning mode, you use a notebook and write down what you think is going to happen with a setting, take the picture, and then write down if you got the shot you wanted. If something didn’t go as expected, try to identify what made the shot go wrong.
Exposure settings can be tricky if the light is inconsistent, like coming through the leaves on a tree. You can try different exposures by pointing your camera at a different object and pressing the shutter halfway. This will let the camera take the measure of that setting and set the adjustments there. Then, move back to your subject and finish pressing the shutter button. The camera will apply the exposure settings to the subject based on the previous settings it chose. By doing this, you have tricked the camera into using a different setting that it would have otherwise selected.
To be honest, I use Program Modes much more often than I use Manual Mode, because the camera does an adequate job of it. I can always trick the camera into making a different choice using that method I described above. I haven’t tried the HDR bracketing, because in the settings where I could actually use it, I haven’t had my tripod with me. There are places in Fort Morgan where I would love to try it, and I may do it next January.
Your Turn
Program Modes give you the creative freedom to capture great photos without having to go deep into a photography theory course. Give these modes a try and show me what you can do! Or, drop a comment below telling me what you learned with Program Modes.
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