APERTURE PRIORITY : THE EASY ALTERNATIVE TO MANUAL MODE
Have you ever picked up your camera and wished that you could take in off Auto mode but found Manual mode just a little bit too confusing? Or maybe you just don’t have the time to sit down and figure is all out? If this sounds like you, read on.
Aperture Priority, just like Auto or Manual mode, is simply a shooting mode on your camera. It’s a semi-automatic mode, because you basically tell the camera which Aperture setting you want to use, and then the camera figures out the correct exposure for you.
I like to think of Aperture Priority mode as a helpful stepping stone between Auto and Manual mode. It’s not quite as daunting as taking full control of all the functions in your camera but it’s not fully automated either. It’s like a lovely halfway house, enabling you to have some creative control while still getting the exposure right.
By following a few simple steps, you’ll be able to have properly exposed photos, but ones where you can also express yourself a little. Those out of focus backgrounds that look oh-so-pro can easily be achieved with this handy little setting.
The Theory
It’s always a good idea to understand a little of the why behind the decisions you make with your camera. It takes you one step closer to making informed creative choices. So without overwhelming you, theres’s a few things I think would be worth keeping in mind before we jump into settings.
The word “aperture” literally means “opening”. So Aperture Priority means that you’re making the opening in your camera the main focus of your creative decision making. You get to choose the aperture (size of the opening) and your camera chooses the shutter speed for you.
Try this
Squint with your eyes. Now open them up wide. This is basically what changing your aperture number (known as f-stop) does for your camera. When your eyes are squinting, you’ve got more eyelid covering your eyes. When you open your eyes wide, you’ve got less eyelid covering your eyes.
This “eyelid” inside your camera lens is essentially what you’re controlling with Aperture Priority mode.
The numbers
This is often the bit that confuses people. I’ll be the first to admit that the number system does feel counterintuitive. A big aperture you’d expect a big number right?! Well, let’s clear this up right now. The number doesn’t refer to the size of the opening but the size of what’s covering the opening.
So, squint your eyes again. As you squint, there’s more eyelid covering your eyes. If you were a human camera, your aperture number (or f-stop) would be high. Something like f10 or higher.
Now open your eyes wide. As there’s now less eyelid covering your eyes, if you were a human camera, your aperture number (or f-stop) would be low. Something around f2.4 or lower.
This is what different apertures in your camera look like:
A wide aperture will create what’s known as a “shallow depth of field” in your photos. This is the sort of aperture that helps draw attention to your subject and create those lovely blurred backgrounds . A small aperture will result in a deeper depth of field where more will be in focus. This is a much better choice when you have more than one person in your frame. If you’d like to understand more about depth of field you can read this post.
Once you’ve decided on your preferred aperture setting, your camera will assume you want to make a properly exposed photo and choose your shutter speed for you before you press the shutter.
So, let’s now jump into how to take a photo in aperture priority mode:
Step one
Using the dial on the top of your camera, switch the setting to Aperture Priority mode. If you’re using a Canon camera this will likely say “AV” or if you’re using Nikon or another camera model it could say “A”
Step two
Choose your ISO setting. Honestly, don’t overthink this one. If you’re outdoors and it’s nice and sunny, choose a low ISO of around 100. If you’re indoors and the light isn’t so good, choose something a bit higher like 500 or more. The darker it is, the higher you’ll want to go with your ISO.
Every camera has a slightly different way to change it’s ISO setting so if you’re unsure how to do this, a quick google along the lines of “How do I change the ISO on my <insert camera model> camera?” should suffice.
Step three
Choose your aperture setting. For my Canon camera, changing my aperture setting is easy. I just have to scroll the command dial on top of my camera.
To work out the best aperture number (or f-stop) to use, it’s worth thinking first about what it is you’re wanting to shoot. Let’s say, for example, you’re standing in front of your family and you want to get them all in focus, choose a higher number (something higher than f5).
On the flip side, let’s say you’re with your little one at the park and you just want to take their sweet portrait and everything else to be thrown out of focus. In this case, you’ll want a low f-stop like f2.4 (for example).
You’ll probably notice when you’re scrolling through to choose your aperture setting that there’s another number changing next to it. This is just your shutter speed which your camera is automatically choosing for you so that your photo comes out properly exposed.
Still not sure? Here’s a quick video to help with the settings:
Is it cheating?
No way! Manual mode tends to gets all the glory but Aperture Priority is a real unsung hero. Even the very best photographers like to use it from time to time. Award-winning photographer Jeff Ascough swears by it. He reckons that Av mode has saved him losing many shots over the years. With considerable less faff time than manual mode, it really helps a lot of pro-photographers work quicker.
Troubleshooting
My photo is still blurry what can I do?
Change your ISO to something higher. This will help your shutter speed work faster and stop your photos being blurred. When I’m photographing my daughter (a lively toddler!) I never let my shutter speed go slower than around 1/200. If you’re unsure what I mean by this, I’m just referring to the number at the bottom of the fraction. The bigger the number, the faster your shutter speed.
My aperture will only go as low as f3.5
Some lenses will only have a maximum aperture of around f3.5. This is especially true of lenses typically sold with a camera. If you’re using the lens that came with your camera (this is known as a kit lens) I’d suggest you consider replacing it with a 50mm lens. You can buy one for less than £100 and it’s a real game-changer. The image quality is better and your photo-making will instantly feel more creative and fun. You can read more about the benefits of a 50mm lens here.
My photo is still dark. Why is that?
Are you shooting with a window behind your subject? If it’s bright outside (and the room you’re in is darker), your camera might think you’re outside and therefore set the exposure for being in a brighter environment (ie. outside).
Check you’re using evaluative meter mode (just google how to change this for your camera model) so that your camera can take a wider reading of the room. Failing that, you could just angle yourself away from the window so that your camera knows you want to set the exposure for inside the room and not outside.
Pro tip
Back button focussing is a real game-changer when using Aperture Priority mode. Without it, your shutter button has to be in charge of two very important jobs 1) locking the exposure 2) locking the focus.
When you seperate these two functions and allocate them each a button of their own, it makes things much easier. Back in my wedding-shooting days, if I was in a dark church and the bride was in front of a bright window, I could just point my camera down to the the floor to set the exposure (by half-pressing the shutter button), then use my back button to focus before taking the photo.
Back button focusing is a technique that really deserves its own post. If you’re a beginner photographer I wouldn’t worry about this for now but I did think it was worth a quick mention.
I’m still not getting those dreamy out of focus backgrounds I wanted
The higher your aperture number (f-stop) the more details you’ll have in focus. This is known as a a “deep depth of field”. If you want a “ shallow depth of field” you’ll want to choose an f-stop that is nice and low. The aperture on my 50mm goes as wide as 1.8mm but I find the the best, sharpest point that still offers a lovely shallow depth of field is around f2.4.
Quick summary
Large aperture = Small f-number = Shallow (small) depth of field
Small aperture = Larger f-number = Deeper (larger) depth of field
If you’re keen to delve deeper into some of the topics related to this post, you might find the following helpful:
The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Exposure
P.S. This post contains affiliate links to things I am recommending, which means that if you decide to use them, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
