what mode do you shoot with?

[mindchatter]

Has anyone ever...... and can I get away with it;) shooting a wedding in P mode? Does anyone shoot weddings in full manual?

[alt4852]

a mix of M and Av for me.

[OdiN1701]

I shoot in Manual.

I'm sure you could shoot in P mode if you don't want any creative control over pictures at all. If the couple is okay with snapshots I guess it might work.

[mindchatter]

Can you provide a few examples of what you would use creativity on? Perhaps a few pics with the camera configuration?

[tim]

See the similar threads bottom left of this page, or search the wedding forum for one of the dozen previous times the question has been asked.

[PMCphotography]

I don't think i've ever actually used the P mode on my camera.

[Mike]

I shoot manual for about 98% of the time, Av if I'm moving quickly between different lighting conditions.

[Robert16]

Manual and AV(outdoors when the light keeps changing).

[matonanjin]

Has anyone ever...... and can I get away with it;) shooting a wedding in P mode? Does anyone shoot weddings in full manual?


Is this a troll?

If not, just get a point and shoot.

[shaggymatt]

Funny thing is that we're "discussing" this and I was reviewing some portfolios for a bride to be who is out of the area. One guy in his exif data was shutting in full auto mode in some of the pictures that actually had exif info. And... he had a host of different brand cameras in the exif data. hmm... you make your own conclusion from that!

[Mike]

Funny thing is that we're "discussing" this and I was reviewing some portfolios for a bride to be who is out of the area. One guy in his exif data was shutting in full auto mode in some of the pictures that actually had exif info. And... he had a host of different brand cameras in the exif data. hmm... you make your own conclusion from that!

He has a lot of cameras...? ;)

[picturecrazy]

I often shoot in what my local colleagues call "ridiculous Manual". M mode, manual flash power, and K white balance. meh... it works for me. :confused:

[PMCphotography]

Whatever works :)

[Peacefield]

I used to shoot M all day, now only for flash, AV the rest of the day.

[shannyD]

Manual, and AV.. suck at flash.. so maybe only 5% of my photos are flashed.. and half the time im winging it because i hate flash. but its worked out so far-ish. :)

[johnaengus]

I find I'm usually on manual or AV. I frequently use manual and a hand held light meter.

[matonanjin]

Ok, so maybe this isn't a troll. Maybe it is for real. I'm not a wedding photog so one of you correct me.

I thought you had to have a certain number of weddings in your portfolio, is it 20? Then you had to have your portfolio inspected by 3 certified wedding photographers. If they approve of your portfolio then you are now certified and considered professional and can now shoot in "P" mode. :lol:

Do I have that wrong?:confused:

[ofdphoto]

M only here... like Lloyd, except I use AWB in-camera ;)

Joe Buissink uses P mode. P for Professional, M for Master, or so the banter between Joe and Yervant apparently goes. Ha!

I think you need to know exactly what you're doing in M to be able to use P intelligently. Personally, having worked exclusively in M, I would feel like all of my creative control was being taken away by using P. Plus my post time would go up because the camera would read varying exposures under identical light, depending on what was in the frame.

It's my view that you need to know exactly what you're sacrificing when you use P over M for professional work. I certainly don't look down on professionals who choose to sacrifice M on the altar of P ... it's not like anyone will look at your photos and ask what mode you used, after all ;)

[caught14]

M only. When I first started out, I shot Av, but after trying out Manual mode I never looked back. Av was okay for starting out, but I found it to be too unpredictable from frame to frame. I could take two very similar pictures back-to-back, but the exposure for each was sometimes very different depending on what all was in the frame

Mainly I want the control over what the exposure is going to be. This allows me to be creative and consistent. And honestly, it might seem hard or take time starting out, but once you get the hang of M, you will most likely want to stick with it.

[spcalan]

AV for me

[Bkolowski111]

I recently shot a wedding and used Aperture priority the entire time. I probably use that 90% of the time in all of my shooting, occasionally using manual.

[spcalan]

I still haven't mastered manual yet.. unless I am in my studio under flashes...

[Percen%]

Just playing the devil advocate

But i just attended a seminar by Joe Buissink (http://www.joebuissink.com/) and he shoots in P some of the time. He has also spent a year touring with Christine Aguleria and did Jennifer Lopez wedding.....

So I suppose it really comes down to what is captured not how.

But hey to each their own :)

[qtranva]

It seems that most people use manual for wedding work. I've never done wedding so I'm wondering how you can determine which manual setting is best and then change it to adapt to different angle and location, especially when you have to act and move very fast in a high-stress environment.

[booboo]

M mode most of the time and sometimes dips in AV mode

I have 3 saved setting on the 40D
M1 AV mode
M2 Manual settings
M3 Manual settings

this all depends on the condition for the day

[form]

I use M for most things and Av for fast lighting changes. Seems to be a common thing and it works pretty well. I originally refused to use anything but M (possibly a rebellion against P&S limitations), but Av does come in handy sometimes. I use Av only when shutter speed will not be a concern, and I often set to ISO400 or whatever I think will prevent camera shake blur.

I tried P a few times, but after it started changing apertures on me all the time I decided that I couldn't use it.

[tombramwell]

I shoot on Manual for the majority of the time, however I have the tendancy to shoot on P if something unexpected happens and I have to take a shoot really really quickly!

[RobNYC]

I use M and Av. If the church has alot of light pockets/uneven lighting I might stay on Av. For the reception and strobe work all M.

[C.Steele]

Manual always, unless I just absolutely can't, then it's AV. One wedding this summer had half the wedding party in the shade, the other half in the sun during the ceremony. Talk about suckage. For that situation I used AV, but otherwise 99% of the time it's manual.

[tim]

Manual always, unless I just absolutely can't, then it's AV. One wedding this summer had half the wedding party in the shade, the other half in the sun during the ceremony. Talk about suckage. For that situation I used AV, but otherwise 99% of the time it's manual.

Next time you could try manual camera, manual flash, flash head manually zoomed to point at the right people. That's a pita though.

[RichLPhotography]

Has anyone ever...... and can I get away with it;) shooting a wedding in P mode? Does anyone shoot weddings in full manual?

I would say that the vast majority of professional wedding photographers shoot in M, or some variation of M (i.e. TV or AV) where they can select precisely the aspects they want to control. I don't believe any professional shoots in P... and if they are telling you they do, they are lying or joking. The auto modes will provide satisfactory results in average conditions, but rarely will any excellent shots result.

I don't think my 1DmkIII even has P mode....

[ofdphoto]

I'm pretty sure you're wrong on all points.

Tv and Av aren't variants of M. They both depend on the camera's automatic metering of a scene.

Some top-end wedding photographers (e.g. Joe Buissink, who shoots celebrity weddings) are known to shoot in P, and I'm sure there are many others who do it too. And if you think Joe's photos aren't "excellent", you might need to get your eyes checked.

Finally, your 1D3 definitely has P mode (although I think it lets you disable it? I had one for a few months and vaguely recall a custom function for that). 1-series cameras don't have the fully-automatic green box mode, however.

I myself shoot 100% M, but I have nothing against photographers who use P, as long as they understand how their camera is metering the scene in that mode.

[RichLPhotography]

I'm pretty sure you're wrong on all points.

Tv and Av aren't variants of M. They both depend on the camera's automatic metering of a scene.

Some top-end wedding photographers (e.g. Joe Buissink, who shoots celebrity weddings) are known to shoot in P, and I'm sure there are many others who do it too. And if you think Joe's photos aren't "excellent", you might need to get your eyes checked.

Finally, your 1D3 definitely has P mode (although I think it lets you disable it? I had one for a few months and vaguely recall a custom function for that). 1-series cameras don't have the fully-automatic green box mode, however.

I myself shoot 100% M, but I have nothing against photographers who use P, as long as they understand how their camera is metering the scene in that mode.

Yes... you are correct, AV and TV both use the camera's automatic metering, but so does M, if you are using the meter to dial in your settings. I think of TV and AV as variants of M because they allow the photographer to choose what he feels most important depending on the shot he's trying to capture. He/she still has no know what those settings are and how they'll effect the options that the camera has to choose. Additionally, you can always override those decisions and push the camera one way or the other, accomplishing the exact same thing as M.

Regarding Joe B., I'm well aware that he says he shoots in P, but I personally have never shot with him, so I haven't seen his camera to inspect if he actually does or doesn't. What I'm saying is that I don't believe he does... just my opinion. You are entitled to your own.

You are correct... my 1DmkIII does have P, but I have it disabled. After I wrote that I went back and checked.

[jptsr1]

AV normally.
Manual for flash.
TV occasionally.

[npompei]

Now, call me a newb, but when I shoot in AV I am always getting blurred pics. AV works great for still shots, but whenever people are moving I cannot get a crisp shot. Lighting is usually too low, even with the lens opened all the way.
So how do I adjust in AV to keep the movement still?

[jptsr1]

Now, call me a newb, but when I shoot in AV I am always getting blurred pics. AV works great for still shots, but whenever people are moving I cannot get a crisp shot. Lighting is usually too low, even with the lens opened all the way.
So how do I adjust in AV to keep the movement still?

In AV you choose the aperture that suits how you want the shot to come out. you are still burdened by the same rules in regards to shutter speed as you are in any other mode. if your pictures are blurry it may be the aperture you selected is giving you a dof that is to shallow. more likely since you say its blurry when there is movement in the shot it is that your shutter speed is to low. try selecting an aperture that gives you a higher shutter speed. if you stray to far and get a dof that is to narrow then bump up your iso.

[npompei]

Yeah, whenever I do that its too dark. By the time I adjust the aperature to get a good shutter, its under exposed.

[RobNYC]

You either have to jack up your ISO or get yourself more light. When people are moving around alot I personally try to stay at a shutter speed of around 1/60 maybe 1/50. When I get much below that I get motion blur that I am uncomfortable with. I've seen others go a little slower but I prefer to stay around 1/50.

[npompei]

I was just shooting last night in full manual, in RAW, and with my 430EXII indoors with the dog. Just trying to get some practice. I had some great shots turn out! I might just shoot in Manual all the time now!

[egordon99]

Now, call me a newb, but when I shoot in AV I am always getting blurred pics. AV works great for still shots, but whenever people are moving I cannot get a crisp shot. Lighting is usually too low, even with the lens opened all the way.
So how do I adjust in AV to keep the movement still?

ISO is the third aspect of the exposure triangle. You just need to raise the ISO :)

Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is a good book that covers many of the basics of photography.

[RichLPhotography]

ISO is the third aspect of the exposure triangle. You just need to raise the ISO :)

Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" is a good book that covers many of the basics of photography.

Yes... I'd suggest this book as well. Whether you're shooting in M, TV or AV.. the rules of this triangle all still apply. If you are controlling aperture and the camera is giving you a slow shutter speed, you can either raise the ISO or choose a larger aperture (lower number)

[SuzyView]

Yes, there are a lot of threads already on this. But why not answer this again.

I shoot in M mode now, but started in the green box, so don't be ashamed to admit it if the shots work for you. I like the P mode for flash at times, but for pro work, I always take the time to do the settings myself. Always M for me now. When I met Lloyd (PictureCrazy) I may have started my love of M mode, Lloyd's a gem.

[npompei]

Yeah I know raising the ISO is the helper. But as we all know, keeping that low makes for better pics. Especially when I am only shooting a rebel xt. something nicer would help lower the noise.

But thanks for the responses. I will give the ISO a rise soon!

[RichLPhotography]

Yeah I know raising the ISO is the helper. But as we all know, keeping that low makes for better pics. Especially when I am only shooting a rebel xt. something nicer would help lower the noise.

But thanks for the responses. I will give the ISO a rise soon!

Yes... its key to always keep the ISO as low as necessary, but I'd take a noisy, in-focus, properly exposed pic over one that was noise-free but out of focus anyday... and I think your clients would too.

On another note, if you are shooting weddings, you really do owe it to your clients to be shooting with something better than a rebel xt.

[egordon99]

Yeah I know raising the ISO is the helper. But as we all know, keeping that low makes for better pics. Especially when I am only shooting a rebel xt. something nicer would help lower the noise.

But thanks for the responses. I will give the ISO a rise soon!

I'd much rather have a noisy picture than a blurry picture. Do not fear the high ISO :)

[punkerz123]

Av mode 85% of the time. M mode when I find a good shutter speed to stick with (especially if the lighting isn't changing)