Photo Tutor

Letters and Shooting Modes

The trouble with tools is getting the most out of them.  It helps to learn how to use them properly.  A hammer is pretty simple to get a hang of, but how many of us really know how to program our VCR?  I'm dating myself here.  Even though I can remember a day before VCRs, I do have a DVD player and I'd go as far as to say I know how to burn a DVD too.  So this month I thought I'd explain some of those letters on the dial on top your camera.   Even though I'm one of the few men that reads a camera manual, I know that most people don't get very far in theirs.   It's not very interesting reading and the language is down right dry.  So I'm going to try and help you out here.

Which Icons Do You Choose?

                       Old Abandoned Farmhouse Doorknob
                                         by Gene Rodman

Last month I talked a little about the letters used in the shooting modes of automatic cameras. 

Shooting modes are how the camera sets the aperture and shutter speed by the photographer's preferences for a properly exposed photograph. 

It is possible to have many different exposures that will all properly expose a photograph. 

For example, if you set your lens to let in a lot of light and use a fast shutter speed, it could be the same exposure as setting your lens to let in a little bit of light and use a slower shutter speed. 

Both will result in a properly exposed photograph and the camera takes care of it for you.  So why should I care how I set my camera if it is designed to give me a good exposure no matter how I set it?

Because....