MOVE AWAY FROM AUTO

Jason Parnell-Brookes shows you how to leave the safety net of auto behind, and get creative with Aperture Priority mode

- Jason Parnell-Brookes

1 HOUR In this Crash Course we’re going to show you how to move out of the comfort zone of your camera’s fully auto shooting mode and experiment with the semi-automatic Aperture Priority mode. This mode is great for shooting static subjects, like our rock formations, but if there are none to hand then look for anything stationary, such as trees, some urban architecture, or perhaps a statue. We chose to shoot rock formations because they give you the opportunity to capture some wonderfully abstract shapes and colours, so they’re a great place to start your photographic journey while you learn more about your camera.

Aperture Priority mode allows you to take control, and get creative, while still having a safety net. In this mode you get to decide what aperture value (the size of the opening in your lens) and ISO sensitivity you want, and the camera automatically selects an appropriate shutter speed to give a well-balanced exposure.

Typically this will work as follows: widening your aperture to f/2.8 or f/3.5 will let more light into the camera, so the camera will increase the shutter speed to counteract this flood of light. Conversely, narrowing your aperture to f/8 or f/16 will let less light pass through into the camera, so the camera will set a longer shutter speed to ensure a good exposure. There’s more to it than that, though, as the aperture value also affects the depth of field, or which parts of the scene are in sharp focus and which are blurred, further expanding your creative options.