Using your camera - simple tipsModes

Modes

When in auto mode, simply press the shutter-release button and the camera selects all settings, depending on the type of lighting and brightness of a scene.

When there's not enough light the camera automatically fires the flash. All you have to do is point the camera and shoot the picture you want.

In most cases, full automatic mode will take a good photograph but sometimes you may want to achieve a special effect, for example, freezing motion completely or throwing the background out of focus.

Using the menu button or the mode dial on the top of the camera, you can choose different modes that will help you with these effects.

For example, portrait mode, often indicated by a small icon of a face, will help you put your background out of focus, which is good for taking pictures of people.

In this mode, try to get as close as you can to your subject, and zoom in too. Landscape mode, usually an icon of a mountain, does the opposite; it puts lots of the scene in focus. Sport mode, an icon of a sprinter, helps to freeze any movement in the photograph, good for a nice sharp shot of action.

Some cameras have 20 or more of these modes helping you to get the kind of photo you're after. They're handy and quick to select, but often not as versatile as more manual settings, such as shutter speed and aperture priority modes which give you more precise control under different light conditions. Your camera's manual should explain the different modes it has.

Self-timer mode

If you want to be in your own picture, perhaps as part of a group, use the self-timer.

Place the camera on a tripod or a level surface, select the self-timer mode, compose the picture and press the shutter button. Most cameras let you choose how long you will have to get into place before the picture is taken. Usually, there's an option of 2 or 10 seconds.