I’m a pro photographer and I still use aperture priority – but this one setting is a must to avoid ruined shots

There’s a common joke in photography circles that the aperture priority on a camera's mode dial means “A for amateur." But here’s the thing: I’m a pro photographer, and I still use aperture priority mode on occasion. Aperture priority isn’t a mode reserved just for photographers terrified of manual mode – but there is a lesser-known setting that needs to be adjusted in order to use A (or Av) like a professional.

Aperture priority mode is a semi-automatic exposure mode on a camera that allows the photographer to control the aperture, while leaving the shutter speed in auto mode. That allows budding photographers to control the photograph’s depth of field – the key element that comes from the aperture setting – without going into full manual mode.

But aperture priority isn’t just for photographers learning manual exposure settings for the first time – aperture priority is also used by many advanced and professional photographers when they need to quickly adjust the exposure, or when the lighting changes frequently.

I’m a wedding photographer, and I’ve photographed many ceremonies where the bride was about to walk down an aisle that was partially in shade and partially in sun, a scenario that requires either rapidly adjusting the camera settings – or using aperture priority. Using aperture priority allows me to control the image’s depth of field, while still getting a properly exposed shot even when there’s no time to switch settings.

But there’s a trick to using aperture priority mode like a professional – and that’s making sure that the automated shutter speed isn’t going to create accidental motion blur. If you, like me, love aperture priority mode, then there’s another setting that you need to adjust on your camera: the minimum shutter speed.

Using aperture priority means that the camera will select the shutter speed for you (and the ISO, if you are also in auto ISO mode). But that can be disastrous if the camera selects a shutter speed that’s too low, creating motion blur and camera shake. Thankfully, cameras have a setting tucked inside the menu that allows photographers to determine how low the shutter speed can go when in aperture priority mode.

The minimum shutter speed setting is usually tucked in a camera’s menu under the ISO settings. That may seem like an unusual place for a setting that’s tied to shutter speed, but when using aperture priority, you can limit the shutter speed as well as the ISO range that the camera uses to balance out the exposure.

This setting prevents the camera from choosing a shutter speed that’s too slow, avoiding blur. For example, if I’m taking family photos with kids running around, I’m going to set the minimum shutter speed at 1/250 because I don’t want those kids to turn into a blur. The camera will then balance out the exposure with the aperture that I’ve selected and a shutter speed that’s 1/250 or higher. This is key to avoiding blur when using the semi-automated aperture priority mode.

If I’m photographing a stationary subject like a landscape on a camera with stabilization, I may be a bit more lenient on that minimum shutter speed and set it to 1/60. If I’m shooting sports without a flash sync speed to worry about, I may set that higher at 1/500. Exactly where to set that minimum shutter speed depends on your subject.

In aperture priority mode, I can also choose to set the ISO at a fixed setting or give the camera a range to play with. Similarly, I can tell the camera to avoid a high ISO, such as 6400 or 12800, if I don’t want too much grain in the final image.

One small word of caution, though – if the lighting doesn't work for the minimum shutter speed and aperture range that you've selected, the shot is going to be a bit too dark.

The minimum shutter speed setting is key to getting great shots using aperture priority mode and avoiding motion blur. The exact location of where this setting is depends on your camera model, but look in the menu for terms like “ISO auto setting” or “ISO Speed Settings” and then in the sub-menu look for something called the minimum shutter speed.

I don’t shoot with aperture priority mode quite as often as I did as a new photographer. But, when the light is changing faster than my reaction time, I won’t hesitate to use aperture priority mode – just as long as I have the minimum shutter speed setting dialed in.

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Dive into more manual camera settings with our guide to manual exposure. Or, read about the differences between the PSAM modes on your camera's mode dial.