What Are Creative Modes In Photography - And What Are The Other Modes?
Creative modes in photography are aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, and program modes. In these modes, the photographer can change most if not all of the camera settings. The other modes are called basic modes, which have picture styles for different types of photos, and a limited choice of camera settings to change.
Hi and welcome to Episode 107 of the Photography Explained podcast.
I’m your host Rick, and in each episode I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google.
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Ok - now let me explain
I want to start off with an apology but I am talking here about how Canon does things. Now I am sure that other camera manufacturers have similar set-ups, and the principles will apply to all camera systems.
There are two broad image capture modes, Creative Modes, and Basic Modes.
Creative Modes allow the photographer to change most of the camera settings. I say most if not all for a reason. Let’s quickly look at the four creative modes, and then the basic modes.
In all the creative modes the photographer sets the ISO, which is the sensitivity of the camera to light (in broad terms).
Aperture priority, or aperture value
You set the aperture, the camera sets the shutter speed.
Now you can change anything on your camera using this mode, apart from the shutter speed that the camera selects to give you the correct exposure for the aperture and ISO set by you the photographer.
This is also known as Aperture Value and has the designation Av on Canon cameras.
Shutter priority, or shutter value
As with aperture priority, but this time you select the shutter speed and the camera selects the aperture to give you the correct exposure.
Manual
You select everything. Aperture, shutter speed, and everything else. So in manual mode, you can change everything.
Exposure triangle
These camera settings that we are changing adjust the exposure that we get and are of course determined using the exposure triangle, which is the relationship between aperture, shutter, and ISO.
Program
I have spelled this programme for years, and only found out recently that there is no "me" on the end! Oh well!
In program, the camera selects the aperture and shutter to give you the correct exposure.
Basic zones
When I say Basic Modes I am talking about these, well these are the ones that my Canon 6D has.
Scene Intelligent Auto
Creative Audio
Special Scene
Portrait
Landscape
Close-up
Sports
Night Portrait
Handheld Night Scene
HDR Backlight Control
OK – some interesting stuff in there then.
The talky bit
Why are there so many different modes?
Well, I have spoken at length about this, so check out the previous episodes that I will mention at the end.
The creative modes give the photographer more control over the camera settings than the basic modes.
I have decided that I am going into each of these in more detail, so the next episode will be about the creative modes, and why you might use each of them. Or not.
And I am going to do the same for the basic modes in the episode after. I listed those earlier, but
I have to tell you that I have never used many of these, so I need to do a bit of work on them. Well, I want to so I can understand them better.
But why so many camera modes?
There are many variables in photography, and people have different levels of technical ability, as well as different levels of interest in such stuff.
If you want to use landscape mode to photograph landscapes, and portrait mode to take portraits then that is just fine.
I don’t mind repeating myself, I would rather that people made the best use of the technology available to them to help them take photos, rather than be put off by manual mode. You know what I am saying here, we have all seen “gurus” (yes I am using air quotes here) tell us that to be a real photographer you have to use manual mode.
Nonsense. These different camera modes are here to help people take photos. These different modes have been created for a reason. And that is to help people take photos. They are not a bad thing.
I have mentioned photography snobbery before…..
Sure I hope that everyone learns how to use manual mode and fully understand the exposure triangle, but we have to remember one thing.
Not everyone is interested in this stuff. And that is fine. Photography after all is drawing with light, so if programme mode is your preferred way of taking photos, and creating new things, then that is just fine.
As I said better than not doing it because you have been told you have to use manual mode but you do not understand it.
And if after all these episodes you are still not sure about this stuff get in touch, tell me what you are not sure of and I will give you a whole episode to answer your question or questions.
Other camera settings
What do I mean by other camera settings?
If you check out episode 105 I tell you 20 camera settings that I use. The point is that in the basic modes, you can’t change as many of the settings as you can in the creative modes.
And there are so many camera settings.
In manual mode, you can change everything.
In aperture value mode you can change everything apart from the shutter speed that the camera picks.
Shutter value mode is the same but the camera picks the aperture.
You get the idea.
And in the basic modes, you can set a few things yourself – there is a table in the Canon 6D camera manual that shows you these.
Yes, the camera manual. You should get one with your camera, and all this stuff is explained in there somewhere in a factual, non-fun kind of way. I know there is a lot to get through but I strongly recommend that you go through your camera manual, if only once, and find out all you can about these camera settings. Whatever your ability level I bet you will find something in there that you did not know – I found all sorts of stuff about my Canon 6D when I went through all 402 pages (small pages) of the manual, which I have in Pdf format on my PC, phone, and iPad.
Yes, I really did that.
What do I do?
I use Av mode, aperture value, aperture priority, call it what you want. I choose the aperture (having already set the ISO) and the camera selects the correct shutter speed. Sorted.
Big takeaway
Use whatever you are comfortable with to take photos - if you are more comfortable using the basic modes fine. But look at the results you get and learn, at your own pace, what the camera is doing.
Related episodes
Plenty of good stuff that you can catch up on if you missed it. Episodes 100 – 106 are all about camera settings.
Episode 100 - Why Are There So Many Camera Settings? I Am Confused - Help Me?
Episode 101 - Camera Settings 1 - Things That You Can Set And Forget
Episode 102 - Camera Settings 2 - Things That You Might Change When Out Taking Photos
Episode 103 - Camera Settings 3 - The Things That You Set For Each Photo You Take
Episode 104 - 10 Camera Settings For Beginners - Let's Keep Things Nice And Simple
Episode 105 - Do You Want To Know The 20 Camera Settings That I Use?
Episode 106 - Program Mode - What Is It? Is It Ok For Me To Use It?
Next episode
Photography Explained Podcast Episode 108 – How Do I Use Creative Zone Modes To Help Me Take Photos?
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I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to me and for giving 10 (ish) minutes of your valuable time, and I will see you on the next episode.
Cheers from me Rick