With a basic grasp on the exposure triangle and the three variable settings that go into it, you can get off the Auto setting and begin experimenting with your camera's different manual settings. Programme (P) is a full auto setting in which the camera still controls the exposure based on the scene. It differs from the default Auto setting in that it unlocks more features within your camera's menu system.

Aperture Priority (A or Av) is a setting in which you set the aperture value you want and the camera decides the shutter speed and ISO for you to give a correct exposure. You might use this setting if you want a specific depth of field in your image. Keep in mind that the camera will be choosing the shutter speed, it could be fast or slow and give some motion blur.

Shutter Priority (Tv or S) is a setting in which you set the shutter speed you want and the camera decides the aperture and ISO for you to give the correct exposure. You might use this setting if you want to give a particular sense of motion or freeze the action. Keep in mind that the camera will be choosing the aperture, some images might have a shallow or narrow depth of field.

Manual (M) is a full manual setting which allows you to control every aspect of an exposure. If the settings aren’t correct in Manual the image may be under or over exposed. Manual is the best setting to use to fully understand camera settings and how they affect an image.