When is it OK to shoot in AUTO Mode? In this Q&A video, I give you concrete steps you can take if you're not quite confident shooting in manual mode, but don't want to revert back to full AUTO.

Have you ever wondered whether it's ever okay to take a photo in auto mode?

If so that is a question that we're answering today! This is a question that that was posted on my Instagram feed, and I know that many of you have the exact same question, so I wanted to come in and make sure that answer it for you.

As usual, there are 2 ways to enjoy this post - watching the video is your best bet (and it’s only 6 minutes long!) but if reading is more your thang, then scroll on down for the highlights.

*** FREE GUIDE! 👉Manual Settings Cheat Sheet!

So, is it ever okay to use auto mode?

My answer would be, first of all, what is the PURPOSE of this shot? Is it simply to capture a moment in time? Is the moment more important than absolutely anything else? If so then of course, it's absolutely fine to use auto mode!

It's absolutely fine to take a snapshot. I take snapshots. I will sometimes hand that camera to my husband pop on auto mode so that he can take a photo of me. If all I'm concerned about is making a image of that moment in time, then I will definitely just snap a shot and move on. So if that's you and you do struggle in manual mode, then it's absolutely fine to use auto mode - you don't have to always shoot in manual mode.

However, if the purpose of the shot is something other than simply a snapshot, then I would consider using a different mode on your camera, to help you get better results.

Why AUTO mode isn’t the best mode

When using AUTO, it's basically like handing your camera to a blind and deaf man and hoping that he'll take a picture that you’ll love. You're not telling him what's in the frame. You're not telling him whether you're shooting a landscape shop or a landscape shot or a portrait shot. You're not telling him whether there is 1 or 8 people in the frame and you're not saying whether that person is moving or they're stationary. So you're basically handing that camera with no instruction whatsoever.

In that situation, the camera just has to guess at what's in front of it, so it simply chooses middle of the road settings. It tries to cover as much eventualities as it can. As it doesn't know whether it's a landscape or a portrait, it chooses settings that are in the middle.

So what happens when you have middle of the road settings? You get middle of the road photos!

If it’s a snapshot, then that's fine! We don't care if it's a middle of the road photo. But if we want something more than that, then we need to start telling the camera what to do. Now, obviously the best way to do this - the way that you get the most control over your images - is shoot in manual mode.

That’s what we teach you how to do inside Auto to Awesome, because it really gives you SO much more control over your images!

But if you're not comfortable yet shooting in full manual mode, and you don’t want to shoot an auto, I would encourage you to take the next step: to shoot in the scene modes.

The Scene Modes

Now the scene modes are basically a way of telling your camera what it is that it's photographing.

So it's still automatic mode. You still don't have to do anything, but it's giving that clue to the camera, saying “I'm taking a portrait style image” or “I'm taking a sports” image. And that way the camera knows to blur out the background for a portrait, or use a faster shutter speed for an action shot.

It's a way of using AUTO, but giving your camera a clue about what it's photographing and that's going to help you get better results.

Move Onto Aperture or Shutter Priority

If you feel like taking a bit more control of your camera, which I do recommend, then you can also shoot in one of the semi-automatic modes like aperture priority mode or shutter priority mode. If you're photographing a portrait style shot, then aperture priority mode is your best bet.

That way you can choose the aperture, but the camera is going to choose the shutter speed and the ISO number for you, and balance the exposure. So you only have to worry about one setting, but that does mean that you're taking that little bit of control to get better results.

If you a photographing your child or your grandchild on sports day for example, then you might want to choose shutter priority mode. That's when you choose the shutter speed and the camera chooses the ISO and the aperture number for you. Again, you only have to choose one setting, but it's going to help you get better results and you can actually move a step further.

Learning photography is all about layering on the information and skills - and moving to manual mode is no different!

So do I ever shoot in Aperture or Shutter Priority Mode?

There's certainly times when I shoot an aperture priority mode over full manual mode. They are few and far between, but I will on occasions where I am a moving around a lot, in and out of in different situations and I want to be able to react quickly. However, when my main concern is getting a good shot, then I will switch to fully manual mode because that's giving me the most control.

You can also get your mitts on a FREE manual mode cheat sheet here! So if you want a little bit of help choosing your settings, either in manual mode, or aperture / shutter priority mode, then be sure to download it. You can grab your free copy here:

I hope you enjoyed this video, and I look forward to seeing you next week!

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