I heard a professional wedding and event photographer speak highly about using P-Mode as an alternative to Aperture priority mode, and it made sense (with optional auto-ISO & exposure compensation). When the lighting and situations are changing frequently as can be the case at many weddings, events and outdoor sports, knowing that the camera will get it at least mostly right can prevent you from missing shots whilst shifting modes. Imagine being inside a dimly lit church, everyone in dark clothing and the bride walks in, dressed in dazzling white - your may need to adjust rapidly to ensure a high enough shutter speed to capture the shot - P-Mode, perhaps with highlight-weighted metering and auto ISO, can do this automatically, saving you seconds on shifting modes. Although I mainly shoot manual for most circumstances, I am going to give this a try at events and play with the settings a little more.
I learned photography on cameras from the late 1960s. There was no manual MODE, it waa just manual. Coming from that background, shooting in fully manual mode is completely natural to me, and i use it when i want my settings to be locked in, such as working in studio. But P mode is fantastic in many situations. Shiftable program, adjustable ISO, and exoosure compensation allow you as much creative control as manual if you know how to use it right, and it always keeps your exposure right. I think these guys who proclaim that pros only use manual just aren't familiar enough with their cameras to use the more complex modes and have to stick to doing it like the cavemen did back when I was learning.
For the last few months I’ve been shooting in P mode and I find it exhilarating. I can now focus - pun intended - on the content, composition and story telling.
I usually use A-mode and sometimes I get shaking frustrating pictures. Lately, I’m giving a try to P-mode. Although I feel it’s like cheating, I still can choose the Shutter Speed or the Aperture I want, and the percentage of failed shots are very low.
I shoot in P mode because I can quickly change the Aperture or Shutter speeds as the scene before me changes whether I am shooting Street Photography, at Weddings, or other public events! I trust my Nikon cameras to follow my lead in capturing the photo I want. Good light to all of Y'all!
