Using your Digital SLR camera can be simple.  Set the command dial to landscape mode when shooting landscapes, or portrait mode.  When photographing people, and start taking great pictures.

The command dial is a feature of most non-professional SLR cameras.  It is here that you set the shooting mode.  On many models, you are offered the choice of up to a dozen different settings, on fully automatic to manual.  The command on modes can be divided into two zones, basic and creative, most of the basic settings are shown as symbols which represent different types of subject or techniques, for example landscape, portrait, close-up and sport.  These were known as PIC modes, short for programmed image control, on the SLR film cameras, but this term seemed to have fallen out of favor on the newer SLR digital models.  The creative modes on less intuitive, with letters such as P, S , A and M., which stands for Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual.  The problem with the basic modes is that the camera is in control, using these modes will often give good results, and if you take the time to learn about creative shooting modes your picture was will be even better.

A brief guide to the exposure

The photograph was taken by exposing film will digital sensors to light.  However, you will need the right amount of light.  Over or under exposing reduce the quality of the image.

Apart from manual, although shooting modes on the command or provide all to exposure.  Sensors inside the camera, measure the Brightness of the light reflected from the subject and set the aperture and or shutter speed to give correct exposure.  The basic moods give for AE the camera sets both aperture and shutter speed for you.  The creative modes let you choose the shutter speed for you.  The creative modes let you choose the shutter speed or aperture and the camera sets the other value for you.

Creative choice.

Although you need just the right amount of light for correct exposure, there's more than one way to obtain it.  Bright lights acting from short a time can give the same exposure as the lower intensity lights, acting for a longer period of time. Inside every lens is the diaphragm, where a series of metal blades form invariable size hole, or aperture. The larger the aperture, the brighter the light reaching the film sensor.  The size of the aperture is given an effort number value.  Confusingly, the larger numbers, such as F16 or F22, referred to smaller apertures.  While the smaller numbers, such as F2.8 and F4, refer to wider apertures. Inside every Digital SLR camera, immediately in front of the film or sensor, is a focal plane shutter. The amount of time it is open controls the length of time the light can reach the film sensor. However, aperture and shutter speeds do not just control the exposure, and it is the other effects that have which lead to a range of shooting modes offered by most DSLR cameras.

As a rule, when photographing landscape you want everything from the foreground to the far horizon to appear sharp.  This is called wide depth-of-field and is obtained by setting a small lens aperture, such as F16 or even F22.  Landscape mode, tries its best but in bright light it may only managed to set at F11.  Cloudy weather will bring this down to F8. or even F5.6.  Why?  Because landscape mode has been programmed to set the shutter speed to 1/60th second or faster.  This is not a bad idea, if you're handholding your cameras, because of the possible effects of Camera shake at speeds any slower off or worse than a less than optimum Depth of field.

When you shoot a portrait, you may want to use a more wide lens aperture to throw distracting backgrounds out-of-focus. Most portraits and is quite good at this, usually giving apertures around F4 to F5 .6.  That's because a wider aperture means a faster shutter speed, and the portrait mode likes fast speeds.  However, there are two other factors which may come into play.  First, portrait mode automatically fires the built-in flash, if it senses low light or backlighting.  This can take you and your subject by surprise.  Second, it switches some cameras to continuous firing mode, helping you keep up with changing expressions if you keep your finger on the shutter button.

As you move closer to the subject, depth of field decreases.  You may want a smaller lens aperture to compensate, but you won't get it with close-up mode.  DSLR manufactures have decided that you need faster shutter speeds to compensate for the magnified effects of camera shake at close distances.  This makes close-up mode very similar to portrait mode.  Both give wide apertures and faster shutter speeds, although for different reasons.  And both activate the built-in flash automatically in low light with backlit subjects.

Sport suggests action, which means that a fast shutter speed might be useful to freeze the movement of the subject.  Tha’s what the sport mode gives you – 1/500 second or faster in bright light.  Surprisingly, portrait mode gives even faster speeds – 1/2000 second in bright light.  However, in some conditions portrait mode also activates the built in flash, which might not be suitable at some sport events, where flash is prohibited, or where it might distract the competitors. Sport mode never fires the flash automatically.