It's easy to learn how to use a digital camera today.
If you are a beginner in photography, one of the first important things to learn is the different shooting modes you can use on your digital camera.
Camera modes are settings which allow you to control the three elements that will determine the quality of the camera exposure - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Automatic Modes.
In this setting, the camera decides or automatically chooses the right balance of the elements for the exposure.
This is the simplest and most convenient mode as all you would need to do is aim the camera, press the button and the camera automatically calibrates the aperture and shutter speed based on the amount of light available.
With auto mode, you are almost always guaranteed a reasonably good image.
In most digital cameras there are different kinds of automatic modes which you can use for a variety of situations.
Macro mode is for taking pictures up close.
Portrait is for focusing on single subjects.
The background or other elements in the picture are thrown out of focus so that the attention is on the subject.
Sports or action mode is for photographing moving objects or an action scene, such as running animals or sports events.
Landscape mode is for taking pictures at wider angles or a bigger depth of field.
Night mode is for photographing scenes where there is only a low amount of light available.
There are also digital cameras that feature other types of automatic mode.
These are the snow mode, water mode, fireworks mode and movie mode among others.
Secondary or Semi-Automatic (Semi-Manual) Modes.
In these types of modes, you have some level of control while capturing your images.
For one, you can set one element to your preference and the camera then computes for the other settings that will produce a balanced exposure.
If you are starting to get serious in photography, learning these modes is a good way to master the individual elements.
Aperture priority mode is for controlling the aperture (or the size of the lens opening when you take the picture) in a shot.
You can use this when you want to control how much of the scene or the image will be in focus.
Keep in mind that the higher the number, the smaller the aperture (or lesser light) and vice-versa.
This is the "A" or "AV" label on your camera.
Shutter priority mode is for controlling the shutter speed.
A faster shutter speed lets you freeze the motion in the image (best for capturing fast action) while a slower shutter speed blurs the action in the image.
You can also use the "S" or "TV" (as seen on the switch button on your digital camera) for panning and for low light situations.
Manual Mode.
Finally, there is the full manual mode which allows you to have total control all the settings - from shutter speed, aperture, flash, ISO etc.
With this mode, you can experiment with the different settings and you can determine the outcome of your images according to how you compute for the shutter speed and aperture.