Most cameras these days come with selected modes for taking shots, eg Landscape, Cloudy Day, Full Sun, Indoors, Night.

It can be helpful to use these modes because it gives your camera a little extra information about the scene. This helps it pick the right combination of shutter speed, flash, and other exposure choices for a perfect picture.

Camera makers put a lot of thought into the settings for each of the different modes, and they tailor the settings to what will work well with their camera.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with and use the predefined scene modes of your camera. The following brief description of each mode and when to use it may assist you in using these different modes.

Landscape Mode
	This mode works really well when you’re photographing a large expanse of land. The camera automatically picks a smaller aperture, giving your image more sharpness amd depth-of-Field. It’s helpful to use a tripod or prop yourself up against something when you pick this mode. The added stability will help to ensure that the image turns out as sharp as possible.
Cloudy Day Mode
	This mode was designed to combat the dull colors you tend to get when you’re shooting on cloudy days. Wherever you can find color in your shots, it will be emphasized when you pick this mode. I like to try and find greens and blues when I’m shooting in this mode. These colors truly stand out.
Full Sun Mode
	You’ll want to use this mode when you’re taking pictures in the middle of the day, particularly in the summer. The camera automatically picks a faster shutter speed, allowing less light onto your image sensor. This results in a more evenly lit picture that isn’t too bright.
Incandescent Mode
	There are two kinds of indoor lighting situations. Incandescent mode is designed for pictures taken indoors under ordinary lightbulbs. As you are probably aware, most of these bulbs produce an orangish glow that can make your pictures look a little strange. When you pick incandescent mode, your camera removes the orange tinge, and your photos look much more natural. You may however find the creative effect of the tone enhancing for low-light photography. Some of the most attractive weddings photos can be taken using this lighting. You may have to flash-fill to retain the facial colours however.
Fluorescent Mode
	You’ll want to pick this mode when you’re shooting under fluorescent office lights (shopping centres and shops) . These lights tend to create a greenish/bluish tinge when you aren’t shooting in the right mode. Just like incandescent mode, your camera will compensate for this by creating an image that has no strange color distortions. It is in effect modifying your white point setting.
Night Mode
	You’ll need to hold your camera still for this one. The night mode (also known as the “night portrait mode”) uses the camera’s flash to take a portrait. It also keeps the shutter open a little longer, allowing some of the light from the background to make its way into the shot. This can give you beautiful cityscapes with natiral light portraits and close foregrounds.
Sports Mode
	This is a mode you’ll want to use when you’re taking action shots outdoors. Your camera will pick a very fast shutter speed so it can freeze action in an instant. Be aware that this mode doesn’t do so well in poorly lit spaces. If you are photographing an indoor sport, the pictures are likely to turn out dark. In this case you are better to preselect a speed and increase your ISO setting to give you an acceptable exposure.
Macro Mode
	This is the mode you’ll use to take pictures of flowers and bugs. Get up really close to your subject when you use this mode, and really do your best to fill the frame. The camera will automatically pick the best lighting settings for these up close shots. All you need to do is find something interesting to photograph.

Some cameras have even more modes than this and you will probably find reference to them in your camera manual.

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How to use your Digital Camera
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Photographing Motor Sports
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Capturing Movement with Shutter Speed
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Commonsense Colour Management
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Relationship of Shutter Speed and Aperture

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