Aperture, Auto ISO, or Manual Mode: Which Should You Set Your Camera To?

Manual mode is often held up as the standard measure of a professional photographer, with semiautomatic and automatic modes thought of as crutches upon which a truly competent shooter would never lean. But the truth is far from that black and white; in fact, many professionals frequently use semiautomatic modes like aperture priority and auto ISO. So, when is each appropriate, and when should you switch to manual? This great video discusses just that. 

Coming to you from Dylan Goldby, this excellent video discusses why photographers choose to use aperture priority, auto ISO, and manual mode for different scenarios. Although we often hear that manual mode is the choice of professionals, it is not that simple. For example, when I am photographing baseball and the ball is flashing across the diamond at over 100 mph, darting in and out of light and shadow, it would be absolutely impossible to change settings in the middle of a play. However, I know how fast my shutter speed needs to be to stop the action, and I am always shooting wide open, so I set my camera to auto ISO to handle the changing light and dial in a little negative exposure compensation to protect the highlights, and it works like a charm. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Goldby.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
4 Comments

Your bio screams that you have never had to think for even a moment about supporting yourself financially. That's nice for you to have so much time to think about these issues confronting people interested in photography.

Huh??

Sir, this is a Wendy’s.

And the last batch of chocolate ice cream I made didn't have any bones in it. ???????????