photographylife

AI-Free Since 2008

REVIEWS LEARN ABOUT US FORUM SEARCH

HOME → PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES LEARN

• Beginner Photography
Understanding Aperture Priority Mode in • Landscape Photography

Photography • Wildlife Photography

• Portraiture
BY SPENCER COX | 51 COMMENTS
LAST UPDATED ON MARCH 14, 2024 • Post-Processing
• Advanced Tutorials

RIGHT NOW
Is The Decisive Moment

To Become a
Photography Life Member
Captured in aperture priority mode with an f-stop of f/4, giving a shallow depth of field

One of the most useful camera modes is called aperture priority. To use this REVIEWS
mode, all you need to do on most cameras is spin your camera’s PASM dial to the • Camera Reviews
“A” or “Av” setting. • Lens Reviews
• Other Gear Reviews
• Best Cameras and Lenses
Table of Contents
1. What Is Aperture Priority? PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS
2. How to Use Aperture Priority Mode Optimally
3. Shooting Handheld
3.1. Auto ISO
4. When to Avoid “A” Mode
5. Aperture Priority FAQs PHOTOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE
BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY
6. Conclusion

What Is Aperture Priority?

Aperture priority is a camera mode in which you manually set your aperture,
WILDLIFE MACRO
while the camera automatically selects a shutter speed. PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

That’s all there is to it. So, what makes aperture priority mode so valuable?

First, it gives you full control over the single most important setting in all of
photography – aperture. (Manual mode is the only other way to get full control COMPOSITION & BLACK & WHITE
CREATIVITY PHOTOGRAPHY
over aperture.) Get aperture right, and everything else follows.

Second, aperture priority mode is fast to use. That’s especially true compared to
manual mode, which takes more time to set properly when the light is changing.

NIGHT SKY PORTRAIT

In short, if used right, aperture priority mode lets you pick the optimal camera PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
settings – just like in manual mode – but more quickly.

How to Use Aperture Priority Mode Optimally

Aperture priority is not hard to use, so long as you understand aperture, ISO, and
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
shutter speed. PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOS

First, enter aperture priority mode by turning your PSAM dial to “A” (or “Av” on UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS
Canon cameras). With some Fuji and Leica cameras that don’t have a PSAM dial,
you get the same effect by turning the Shutter Speed dial to Auto.

Second, you must select your aperture manually – the f-stop you plan to use. In
aperture priority mode, the camera will never change the aperture you select. So,
it’s very important to pick the right one for your desired depth of field (and other
factors).

Third, select the proper exposure compensation. Be sure not to overexpose any
important highlights in your image. Often, this will necessitate -0.3 or -0.7
exposure compensation. (This setting works by altering which shutter speed
your camera selects, shifting the exposure in your desired direction.)

Fourth, pick the right ISO value. If your subject isn’t moving, and you’re shooting
SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL
from a tripod, stick to base ISO. This is ISO 100 on most cameras.
If you like our content, you can subscribe to our
newsletter to receive weekly email updates using
I’ll cover handheld photography in a moment, but hopefully you can see why
the link below:
aperture priority mode is so quick to use. For something like landscape
photography, you can pick a good aperture (maybe f/8), a reasonable exposure Subscribe to our newsletter
compensation (say, -0.3 EC), and base ISO – and then you’re done.

No matter how the light changes, your camera is now, essentially, set-it-and-
forget-it. Yet your settings are optimal.

NIKON D7000 + 24mm f/1.4 @ 24mm, ISO 100, 1 second, f/11.0

Shooting Handheld
For tripod-based photography, aperture priority mode is clearly useful and easy
to set. But when you’re shooting handheld or your subject is moving quickly,
things are a bit different.

As you know, aperture priority mode requires your camera to select a shutter
speed automatically. But in dark conditions, it’s going to select a long shutter
speed – say, 2 seconds – which you won’t be able to handhold sharply.

The solution is to increase ISO. As you leave base ISO and jump to ISO 400, 800,
1600, and so on, your camera will use a faster shutter speed to compensate. And
you’ll get back into handholding territory.

Although you can increase ISO manually, a quicker way is often to use Auto ISO.

Auto ISO

The genius of Auto ISO is that it has a built-in shutter speed limiter. Rather than
worrying about your camera selecting a 2-second shutter speed in aperture
priority mode, you can manually limit shutter speed to a safer value. Maybe 1/100
second for regular handholding, or 1/500 if you’re photographing sports.

With Auto ISO in aperture priority mode, the “Minimum Shutter Speed” limiter prevents your camera
from selecting a blurry shutter speed.

In fact, you can even limit shutter speed to change as you zoom in and out.
(That’s found by changing “Minimum Shutter Speed” to “Auto.”)

By default on most cameras, this lines up with the “1/focal length” rule. With a
24-120mm zoom, the camera would stick to 1/25 second or faster at the wide
end, and 1/125 second or faster at the telephoto end. (Many cameras today let
you adjust this default behavior to be faster – i.e., 1/50 and 1/250 instead – or
slower, if you so choose.)

My final recommendation:

If you’re shooting handheld, use aperture priority mode with Auto ISO and
Auto Minimum Shutter Speed. If you want to be safe, prioritize Auto Minimum
Shutter Speed one click “faster” than default.
If you’re shooting sports, use aperture priority mode with Auto ISO. Use a
manual minimum shutter speed of 1/500, 1/1000, or whatever you feel will
comfortably eliminate motion blur.
If you’re shooting from a tripod and capturing something like a landscape,
use aperture priority mode without Auto ISO. Your shutter speed may end up
being multiple seconds long, but there’s nothing wrong with that if your
tripod is stable.

NIKON D7500 + 300mm f/4 @ 300mm, ISO 560, 1/800, f/4.0

The settings here are optimal, yet it took no extra effort in the field beyond setting f/4. (1/800 was my
“Minimum Shutter Speed.”)

This is only a brief explanation of how useful Auto ISO can be. If you want a good
primer on Auto ISO, take a look at our complete guide on the subject.

When to Avoid “A” Mode

I use aperture priority about 95% of the time for my own photography –
regardless of the genre I’m shooting and whether I’m using a tripod. It’s just that
flexible.

But sometimes, aperture priority mode is not ideal. That’s especially true when
you need to use the same camera settings across a series of photos. For
example, with panoramas or focus stacking, I almost always use Manual mode.

The same is true in conditions when automatic exposure gives you poor results.
For example, with Milky Way photography, cameras rarely meter your scene
correctly. Even with exposure compensation, you will often get images that are
too dark or inconsistently exposed in aperture priority mode. I always use Manual
for taking star photos, or other images in very dark conditions.

NIKON Z 7 + 20mm f/1.8 @ 20mm, ISO 400, 30 seconds, f/5.6

Aperture priority mode also restricts you to shutter speeds of 30 seconds (on
most cameras) or shorter. If you want to use your camera’s bulb or time mode,
you will need to be in Manual.

On top of that, I recommend using manual mode if you do flash photography.

Otherwise, you won’t have total control over the balance between flash and
ambient light. All of my flash-lit macro photography is done in manual mode, for
example.

Lastly, some photographers like using manual mode in combination with Auto
ISO for shooting sports and wildlife. The reason why this method is often easier
to use is because with wildlife for example, you will often suddenly encounter
situations where you will need a much higher shutter speed to freeze action. But
then the next moment could be a stationary subject where a very high shutter
speed like 1/2000th of a second will result in far too much noise and hence
reduced image quality.

That is why the minimum shutter speed technique in wildlife and sports doesn’t
always work: because you often need very high shutter speeds but you don’t
want those to define the minimum. Not to mention that you might want to go
lower than the minimum shutter speed if you have time with very still subjects,
because you can often handhold very low shutter speeds with today’s lastest
IBIS systems.

The only downside to not using aperture priority mode is that in bright
conditions, you’ll be in danger of overexposure (because the camera will hit base
ISO and not be able to go any darker).

There are two solutions to this: the first is to flip back and forth between aperture
priority and manual with auto ISO if your camera has a very quick way to do so,
such as programming a button for it.

The second is to learn to recognize the bright light scenarios that require a
higher shutter speed and set a higher shutter speed accordingly. For wildlife, it’s
not too much of a serious problem because you’ll rarely be shooting in bright
light, and also, today’s mirrorless cameras make it easy to see when
overexposure may be a problem. Of course, aperture priority is easier to work
with if you never encounter fast-moving subjects.

There are a few other cases in which manual mode could be the better choice,
but those are the main situations. When you learn how to use it properly,
aperture priority is surprisingly flexible.

Aperture Priority FAQs

Why Should You Use Aperture Priority Mode?

A few reasons. First, aperture priority mode is faster to use than manual mode.
Second, it reacts to changing light automatically, so you are less likely to get a
bad exposure. Third, it maintains almost all your control over the camera, so
you can still select the optimal settings for almost any shot – as if you had done
things manually.

How Do You Set Aperture Priority to Your Camera?

On most cameras, setting aperture priority is as simple as turning the PASM
dial to the “A” setting (or “Av” on Canon cameras). Some cameras, like the
Nikon D850, have a Mode button instead of a PASM dial, with the identical
function. On a few cameras with retro designs – mainly Fuji and Leica – you get
the same result by rotating the shutter speed dial to Auto, then selecting your
aperture manually on the camera lens.

Do Professionals Use Aperture Priority Mode?

All the time! However, professional photographers are not a monolith. Some
(like me) are big fans of aperture priority mode, while others prefer to stick with
manual. Of the four PASM camera modes, aperture priority and manual are by
far the most common for professional photographers to use.

Conclusion
Aperture priority mode is a lifesaver for many types of photography. It’s not a
crutch for photographers who don’t understand manual mode; it’s a faster way to
set optimal manual settings in changing conditions, with less risk of over- or
under-exposure.

Of course, aperture priority mode is not always ideal. In cases like panorama and
flash photography, manual is almost certainly the way to go. But overall, the
benefits of aperture priority are pretty impressive. If you know your stuff, you’ll
end up with more keepers and better exposures – with half the time to get there.

I hope you found this article on aperture priority mode to be useful! If you have
any questions or recommendations on using aperture priority mode, please let
me know in the comments section below.

RELATED ARTICLES

Indoors Flash Photography - Introduction to Shutter Speed Understanding Shutter Speed

Off-Camera Flash in Photography

Nikon Commander Mode Understanding Metering and Understanding Digital Camera

Metering Modes Modes (PSAM and More)

DISCLOSURES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND SUPPORT OPTIONS

FILED UNDER: PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES

TAGGED WITH: APERTURE, CAMERA SETTINGS, CAMERA TERMINOLOGY

About Spencer Cox

I'm Spencer Cox, a landscape photographer based in Colorado. I
started writing for Photography Life a decade ago, and now I run
the website in collaboration with Nasim. I've used nearly every digital camera
system under the sun, but for my personal work, I love the slow-paced
nature of large format film. You can see more at my personal website and my
not-exactly-active Instagram page.

Join the discussion

Post Comment
Name*

Email*

51 COMMENTS Newest

LEO
October 1, 2022 1:34 am

Nice article!

Figured out the value of Aperture priority mode quite early, but i would have loved to find an
article like this in the early stages.

Also, i’ve listened to it with the embedded voice assistant / narrator set to “Microsoft Yan
Online (Natural) – English (Hongkong)” (probably available only under Edge), wend down
smoothly.

0 Reply

Darrell H.
September 26, 2022 12:56 pm

I really enjoyed your article on Aperature Priority as you explain this in very plain, simple
terms…thanks!

0 Reply

wendy stahl
July 9, 2022 5:05 pm

for some reason I could never wrap my brain around Aperture priority. I used Manual for
years and always struggled with blurry images, over or underexposure. this is the best
explanation I have ever read. thank you so much. I understand the importance of setting iso
to auto and minimum shutter speed to avoid camera shake. thank you so much!

0 Reply

Marcia
July 6, 2022 11:13 am

This is the best article explaining aperature priority I have read. Thank you so much !

2 Reply

Roland Benjamin
June 29, 2022 2:53 pm

This is the best solution so far to the answers of my research

0 Reply

Spencer Cox Author

Reply to Roland Benjamin June 29, 2022 3:28 pm

Very glad to hear it!

0 Reply

Henning
February 7, 2022 2:51 pm

Thank you so much. I am using Fuji H1 shooting birds. So far manually. Will try aperture
priority now.

0 Reply

Rob
July 15, 2021 10:22 am

So accessible and informative – explanations and examples were really good, thanks.

0 Reply

Oscar
January 17, 2021 3:33 pm

Ty so much for going through the aperture priority mode. I have a Canon 90D. I have a
question if you could talk about the TV mode on the little spindle on camera ?

1 Reply

Spencer Cox Author

Reply to Oscar June 29, 2022 3:30 pm

TV mode is just shutter priority mode, which functions similarly to aperture priority,
except you’re manually selecting the shutter speed, and the camera is automatically
selecting the aperture. It’s not a mode I recommend using, because there is usually only
a small range of ideal aperture values that work best for a photo. I don’t want the camera
choosing my aperture for me, since it will often pick something outside that range.

0 Reply

kundabungkid
November 12, 2020 1:19 pm

What happens to the aperture when using a Zoom lens in aperture priority mode if the
Aperture is set to wide open and the zoom is fully extended?

0 Reply

LEO
Reply to kundabungkid October 1, 2022 1:28 am

you probably found out since 2020, but for anyone else :

The aperture will go down; Aperture wise, the camera accounts for that as you manually
changing the aperture.
(at least in general, i am not aware of exceptions)

0 Reply

AJ Ward
October 7, 2020 11:25 pm

Aperture Priority has sped up my ability to grab sports shots during partly cloudy days when
the sun intermittently illuminates the fields from play to play. However, my rate of keepers
still didn’t improve until I mastered the usage of the various metering modes. White uniforms
against a dark background, or skin tone lighter or darker than backgrounds and uniforms still
require the user to have a full understanding of how your camera’s metering mode works,
which helps you choose, for example when to use spot vs center metering mode.

0 Reply

Load More Comments

SITE MENU REVIEWS MORE

About Us Reviews Archive Contact Us

Beginner Camera Reviews Subscribe
Photography Lens Reviews Workshops
Lens Database Other Gear Reviews Support Us
Lens Index Submit Content
Photo Spots
Search
Forum

Copyright © 2024 · Photography Life