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A digital camera can be confusing to a person new to the technology. All of the different modes can leave your head spinning. Here is an overview of the common modes you will find on most digital cameras and how to use them.
Landscape Mode
Landscape mode is usually marked by an icon that looks like mountains or hills. This mode is great for taking pictures of wide, open spaces. What this mode does is keep everything in the frame in focus. So, if you are photographing mountains with trees in the foreground, it would all be in focus. This is called a long depth of field, which is caused by the lens opening being small, letting in very little light. This also makes it so the camera takes longer to take the photo, so the camera needs to be held very steady, preferably on a tripod, to avoid any camera shake and blurry pictures.
Portrait Mode
Portrait mode, marked by an icon of a head, is best for taking pictures of people. It makes the person that you are focused on very clear, but makes the background out of focus. This is great because it makes your subject the center of attention in the photo.
Portrait mode can also be used on inanimate objects, as long as the object can hold its own in an out of focus background. Play around and experiment to see if you like the results.
Action Mode
Action mode, marked by an icon of a running man, is great for taking pictures of moving subjects. It keeps the subjects from being blurry from the movement. Use this mode on anything that moves faster than casual movement, such as sporting events, dance recitals or races.
Night Mode
Marked by an icon of a moon, Night mode allows a digital camera to take great photos in very low light. Night mode may also be called ISO on some cameras. This mode needs complete stillness to take a clear photo, so, set the timer, depress the shutter button and let it do its thing. You can set the camera on a solid object or attach it to a tripod to get the best results.
Some cameras have more advanced modes, but as a beginner, these are all you need to focus on right away.