It’s time to step away from auto mode

Let me guess…you invested in a “nice” camera or are thinking about it. But the thought of figuring out exactly how it works results in your searching for a new binge-worthy series on Netflix. OK maybe that’s just my coping mechanism for overwhelm.

A friend of mine reached out a couple of weeks ago and said “hey you know that camera you helped me pick out? Yeah it’s still in the box. And that was a year ago.” 

WHAT?? That fancy new camera has been in the box for A YEAR?

A cafe in Montauban, France

I know my friend isn’t alone. I know that my camera hid in the closet when I was struggling with learning how to actually use it.

So let’s talk about your fancy camera. Or any camera. Because if you have an actual camera…not your phone…then it deserves to shine. It deserves to create photos in all its glory.

And that means…NOT just picking automatic mode and taking some pictures, hoping for the best.

If you’ve done that ‘pick auto mode and hope for the best’ strategy… you might have also had the thought that your “fancy” camera photos are actually NOT as good as the ones you take with your phone.

Well of course they aren’t! Because you aren’t using your camera to its full potential. And today I’m going to give you a few baby steps to help you and your camera work together to start creating some fabulous photos.

Why baby steps? Because I know that if I told you to jump straight into manual mode that might really send you to Netflix. It’s too much. But there are other things you can do - your options are not Auto mode or Manual mode. 

So let's talk about those options. Because I want your camera to come out and play. It deserves it.

A gentleman in Pau, France. Getting out of auto mode gives you the chance to get creative…and emphasize different aspects of your images.

The first thing I want you to do is move that dial from auto to aperture priority mode. Now that will look different depending on your camera. My Sony says ‘A’ on the dial (so does Nikon but Canon says “Av’). If you can’t figure it out on your camera, do a quick google search and you’ll be there in no time.

This is where the fun starts. See when you’re in Aperture Priority mode, you pick the aperture…and your camera picks the rest. And that gives you some REALLY creative options…without trying to figure out ALL the camera settings. 

**This blog post is not about explaining all the details about what aperture, shutter speed and iso are and how they relate to each other - it’s about playing with your camera. But if you would like some some background on all of that… check out this blog post: The Exposure Triangle Made Easy.  

All right, you’re in aperture priority mode. 

When you change your aperture number, what that affects is how much of your image is in focus. The lower the aperture number…the less of your image is in focus.

With a shallow depth of field, or small aperture number (f/4) the hand and pepper are in focus…but the background is not. Which allows the emphasis to be on the hand, picking just the right pepper.

So get out there and try different aperture settings - f/4, f/8, f/22…ALL the numbers. 

Try different subjects.

Try different distances from your subjects - really close, kind of close, far away.

Now look at all your photos and observe how they are different. 

See how there's a different emphasis in the photo based on your aperture number? 

Now start getting crazy with it! Focus on one small part of your subject - just your kitty’s face (or even nose) instead of the whole kitty, for example. Try to get a flower to stand out from the background…or one part of your lunch from the rest of it.

When I made this image in Pau, France, I wanted the bench but also the background to be prominent. So I selected an aperture of f/16 so that most of the photo was in focus.

Just pushing out of auto mode makes you start to think differently about how you’re taking your photos. What’s the emphasis? How much of the photo do you want to be in focus? 

And that, my friend, is the first step to understanding your new (or neglected) camera and letting it be the best that it can be. And to start making really cool freaking photos.

If you want some more ideas for taking photos that you love…make sure you’ve snagged the free Crazy Good Photos Starter Kit. And let me know how it’s going!