Photo Basics:

Creative Exposure Modes
Text and Photography by Rick Sammon

Now let’s take a look at creative exposure modes. Except for the Manual mode, which I used for this picture of an iceberg in Antarctica, creative exposure modes are automatic—but not fully automatic. You can still take control and be creative.

Program Mode
When set to the Program mode, the camera sets the shutter speed and ƒ-stop for a correct exposure of the scene. However, at a moment’s notice, you can change that combination (to a slower/faster shutter speed or to a wider/smaller ƒ-stop). That’s because the Program mode on most cameras is what’s called an adjustable or shiftable program mode—meaning you can make adjustments in your shutter speed/ƒ-stop choice while you’re shooting.
So, if you want the background or foreground more or less in focus, or if you want to blur or “freeze” the subject, you can make an adjustment quickly and easily—by turning a wheel that adjusts the ƒ-stop and shutter accordingly. This doesn’t change the actual exposure of the scene. I used the Program mode for this Arches National Park photograph.

Shutter-Priority Mode
If precisely controlling motion in a picture is your objective, set your camera to the Shutter-Priority mode. Use fast shutter speeds (usually above 1/250th of a second) to “freeze” action and slow shutter speeds (usually below 1/30th of a second) to blur action.
I “froze” this pelican with a 1/500th-of-a-second shutter speed, and I blurred the water in this photograph of the rapids at Niagara Falls with a 10-second exposure.
The beauty of this mode is that even if the light level changes, the shutter speed stays set. This is because the camera automatically selects the appropriate ƒ-stop for a correct exposure.

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