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Yezza, today we’ll be covering aperture priority, considered by pros the only mode that they use or use about 80% of the time. Aperture priority gets its name because it allows you to decide which aperture (f/number) you want to use to take a photograph, while the camera automatically sets a shutter speed, based on light levels, to achieve the correct exposure. In other words, it lets you prioritise the aperture selection, and it chooses the shutter speed accordingly.

As the lens aperture is the most influential factor over the depth-of-field ( the zone of sharp focus ) in a photograph. aperture-priority mode is the most practical choice of shooting mode if you are photographing a subject or situation in which control over depth-of-field is important.

Example :

Landscape photography : You’ll want to make sure that your DOF (depth-of-field ) is broad enough to record the whole scene in sharp focus, from immediate foreground to infinity, which means you’ll need a small aperture such as f/11. AP lets you do that easily, because you have to actively set the required aperture.

This picture was taken in Greece, using an aperture of f/7, enough to include the foreground and a bit of the valley in focus.

Portraits: The opposite tends to apply- you want a shallow depth of field, so that your subject is recorded in sharp focus but the background is thrown out of focus. Which means you’ll need to use a wide aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8 .

Where aperture priority triumphs over other alternative modes, etc programme or shutter priority is that once you’ve set a particular aperture, the camera wont change it, even if light levels change. Instead , the shutter speed adjusts to maintain the correct exposure.

I wanted to isolate the boy from the surrounding people in this demonstration, so i used a wide aperture of f2.8.

Aperture priority is also a handy mode to set for general use, when you’re just wandering around, shooting anything that takes your fancy. whether its architecture, details, abstracts or candids. DOF requirements will vary depending on the shot- one minute you need lots of it, the next a little as possible- but this can be quickly altered with the flick off the camera’s input dial.

One disadvantage of aperture priority is probably at night were shutter speeds vary greatly, and it determines whether your shots are sharp or not. This mode still remains as my most frequently use mode, i rarely change it. And it has proven to be very worthy ; )

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4. Shutter and aperture basics y’all
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