Lesson Three: Shutter Priority Mode

Now on to the Shutter Priority or Tv mode.  Like I mentioned before, for the most part, you'll want to use Aperture priority mode.  However, there are some instances in which Shutter Priority mode is preferable.  If you're shooting sports photography or the subject of your photo is moving quickly, you'll want to shoot in Shutter priority mode.  This is because if you shoot it in Av mode, you'll more than likely get a photo with motion blur.  If you shoot in shutter priority mode, there's one thing you'll want to keep in mind - make sure that the shutter speed is faster than the inverse of the focal length of the lens you're using otherwise your photo will still be blurry.  Sounds complicated but it really isn't.  Here's an example.  If I'm shooting with a 100-300mm lens and I shoot at a focal length of 120mm, I'll want to make sure that my shutter speed is AT LEAST 1/120 second.  Since my camera doesn't have a shutter speed of 1/120 second, I'll want to shoot at 1/125 second.

There are two other reasons for choosing Tv mode over Av mode.  Both of these are for artistic purposes.  The first reason is if you want that milky-looking water fall or cloudy-looking moving water such as lakes/streams.  To do this, you'll want to set the shutter speed to a couple of seconds.  The other reason is if you want light streaks such as car headlight/tail lights.  Just like with moving water, you'll want to set the shutter speed for a couple of seconds.  If you are planning on doing either of these, make sure your camera is on a stable tripod.

Lesson Two: That funny dial at the top

By this point, I'm sure you've gotten the chance to play with the camera a little bit and have probably noticed that funny dial at the top.  You know, the one with the funny pictures (such as the flower) and letter combinations (such as Av) on them.  I highly suggest you play around with each setting and get a feel for what each one does and when to use each one.  When you first start out, playing with just the settings that have symbols on them is just fine but eventually, you'll want to start experimenting with the semi-automatic settings of the camera, such as Av mode or Tv mode.  These settings are the reason you shelled out all that money for a digital SLR instead of a point and shoot camera.  The settings with the symbols on them will have the camera make all the setting adjustments for you.  Sure, you'll get decent enough pictures most of the time but to get excellent shots all the time, you'll want to start with either aperture priority (probably labeled Av mode, no, I don't know why it's labeled Av) or shutter priority (probably labeled Tv mode on Canons.  I believe some other companies may refer to it as Sv mode).  Most of the time Av mode will be your best choice.  In Av mode, what the camera does is have you set the aperture (Terminology Alert: opening in the camera that lets light through).  The camera will automatically adjust all other settings such as shutter speed based on the aperture setting you choose.  Often, you'll see aperture setting denoted as f/x where x=a number.  For instance f/3.5.  An aperture of f/3.5 is bigger than f/8 and so lets more light in.  A trick that I use to remember this is to pretend that the f =1.  So, just like in math, 1/3.5 is greater than 1/8.  This mode is great for all around shooting and especially for landscapes and other non-moving objects or slow-moving objects.  However, there are a couple of cons to using this mode.  Since the aperature is what takes priority in this setting, the camera may have to keep the shutter open longer which increases the chance of having a blurry image aka motion blur.  Also, as previously mentioned, this mode works well for non-moving or slow moving objects but if the object you're trying to photograph is moving fairly fast, you'll probably end up with motion blur. That's probably when you'll want to switch over to Tv or shutter priority mode which we'll cover next time.