How to Get Started with Auto Mode for Nature Landscape Photography?

Last updated on March 7th, 2022 at 02:21 pm

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Okay, so you finally bought a new camera or had generated interest in nature landscape photography. You must be keen to get started as a learner with auto mode for taking stunning landscape photos.

We are on the same page, alright!

If you feel underconfident or shy, you are starting with an auto mode for nature landscape photography. Let me tell you it’s beautiful.

I also started with auto mode for taking nature landscape pictures or photos for a few months or as close to a year. But gradually, my heart said it’s time to take over all the control from the camera to your hand. I think it’s pretty standard that starting with guidance is necessary, and later stages apply the way you want to.

I hope you’re now feeling more confident and not apart from the rest of the world.

But what is an auto mode, since I assume you are a beginner in DSLR!

What is an Auto Mode in the DSLR camera?

Automatic or an Auto mode is a function in the DSLR where the camera decides & controls everything for you. i.e., in terms of Aperture value, shutter speed, ISO, etc. In Auto Mode, you need to fill the frame with your interest area & release the shoot button.

Especially for someone who is a newbie and teaching himself from the start, Auto mode is very productive if you try to understand why the camera chooses this setting for capturing the frame.

Auto mode is just like when a photographer says A for Aperture, B for Blur, etc. I hope you got this!

Newbie Guide in Using Auto Mode for Nature Landscape Photography

1. Aim & Shoot

Since you are just starting, the Auto mode will do things for you. It’s the camera’s creativity strike that will speak here.

Ahh, that’s entirely not true!

Still, a handful of things would be in your control, like how you will picturise; would it be a low angle, a high above, or the way you wanted. Let me tell you, practicing other angels will help you when you are shifting to manual mode.

Suppose you take a mountain picture on a bright sunny day and take every photo from the same eye-level perspective. Then, at least, you can control your view in Auto mode; to try and go very below or use a tree as an element or create something on your own.

As you can see in the image above, I shot this Image in Auto mode. While shooting in the Auto mode, you will still know the exposure triangle settings. That was shot at 1/320s at F9 and ISO 100. In this case, the camera controls everything while I have aimed and fired.

When I was starting with the Auto mode, I used to take pictures from eye level every time. I used to find the shortcomings: “oh, I should try; this angle looks boring, or I might have taken a nice seat on the ground before clicking.” I still use a starting range camera, Nikon, D3500 with the kit lens.

Photography is all about trial and error; sometimes, you succeed, you learn. You can start self-learning basic landscape photography at any age and anywhere.

2. Image Quality

Image quality is yet another critical factor. But, again, being a newbie, it’s been told to shoot the landscape pictures in RAW.

The RAW file gives the complete data, and you have more control over the RAW data than any other file format in the post-processing.

But I would say that you should shoot most of the images in JPEG format. I have a strong reason for that.

If you shoot in RAW at the beginning of your Nature Landscape photography journey, you will develop a habit that will correct everything later in post-processing.

That’s why I insist you should shoot in JPEG format until & unless you trained your mind to shoot correctly on the spot in the RAW format.

3.  Focus Mode

The Landscape photos require everything in a sharp focus, right from the position where you are standing to the farthest point visible. I shot the above Image on the Auto mode, and the values I got were 1/640s at F5.6 and ISO 100.

Shooting landscape pictures in AF area mode requires you to focus on a particular subject, but sometimes the other becomes out of focus.

Let’s take an example of the Image above – If I had focused on my front where there are few bushes, the mountains had been become completely blurred. However, the focus is quite acceptable here.

Make sure to switch from AF to manual focus. That allows you to focus anywhere in a possible manner.

The Manual focus mode can also shoot when things are not in focus.

I believe you should first try to AF the area of your interest, press the release button to lock the focus, and then change to the manual guide. That will make things easy to apply and execute.

What is more important here is that you are making yourself learn something. Likewise, you can learn 7 Simple landscape Compositions at Home. If you believe me or not, everything starts from home “An idea, planning, execution and so on.”

4.  Turn off the flashlight

The flashlight automatically turns on when shooting in slightly low light conditions because the camera is in Auto mode. The camera decides everything for you if you have remembered. The same thing goes for this case as the camera chooses to that the available light outside is relatively low to focus and shoot the perfect exposure.

For e.x – On a bright sunny day, you take mountains with a river picture and stand under a big tree. The tree is stopping the outside light from hitting your sensor. The camera automatically assumes that the available light is low because you are standing under the tree. The light is available reasonably, but the positioning is a problem here.

You might consider changing your position or turning off the Auto flash option in your camera.

That will make you understand the light conditions in a more sorted way.

5. Shoot while looking in the viewfinder

I feel very connected to shooting while looking in the viewfinder because it creates a personal touch and brings enthusiasm in shooting something. That is what I think.

Suppose you feel a lot more comfortable while shooting through the display & if this can bring out the best from you, you can go ahead. Shooting through the show is very effective when the situation becomes challenging.

For e.x – If you wanted to make a particular thing look big, shoot from the ant eye level. Then you cannot see from the viewfinder; the display would be convenient in this situation.

Also, if you cannot lie flat on the ground, the display shoot will be convenient then.

6. Shooting without a tripod

Understandably, you are shooting without a tripod since you had just bought your new camera or generated interest in this niche, as I had conveyed above.

Shooting with a self-timer will be going to solve your problem. With every new edition, the camera’s understanding of light and conditions is improving, and the cameras’ self-timer is no exception.

For e.x, shoot something static, like the mountains or the forest. However, you also wanted your camera not to move and remain still. You can control this by using a self-timer. A few seconds of self-timer will give pure justice that you are not touching your camera from hand and shooting.

That is how the self-timer will going to play its role here.

Conclusion

Ahh, that ends up with using Auto mode for nature landscape photography. You will understand this when you keep applying what you have learned. You can pick one topic from the listed above points every week and start shooting, considering the week’s issue. That will help you understand the Auto mode concept in a few weeks and then apply altogether and keep practicing. You will feel much more confident when shifting to the manual mode.

Don’t forget to keep your camera neat & clean as you do to yourself. After all, it’s part of your daily life.

I hope this has helped you in understanding and learning.

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If you have any questions regarding traveling and landscape photography, you can directly contact me on Facebook or Instagram.

Until then, Stay Safe & Stay Positive, and I will see you on the roads.