If things are in motion you want at least a shutter speed of 250 or
higher. If you are photographing still life, adjust the aperture to the
right amount of light and let the shutter speed fall wherever it may.
Aperture Priority Mode
Here you set the aperture yourself to gather more or less light or to
get less or greater depth of field and let the camera do the rest. For
example: if you want a razor thin depth of field on the subject with
everything else being out of focus, set the aperture as wide as
possible (f/1.4, f/2.8, etc.), but if you want as much as possible in
focus, set it to f/11, f/22 or higher. Read about the effects of
“di ffraction.”
Manual Mode
In this mode the photographer sets everything: the shutter speed,
the aperture, and the focus. THIS is the mode I generally use and
recommend although you can use any of the above-mentioned
modes with the exception of auto-focus for macro work. Setting
aperture, shutter speed, and ISO limits becomes natural very
quickly. Using manual mode I depend on viewing the in-camera
histogram to see whether any of the image is blown out.
Manual mode is a simple process of trial and error. Take a photo of
the subject and look at the histogram screen. If the histogram has
blown highlights (too far to the right) then increase the shutter
speed a notch or two and try again. If there is not enough light then
decrease the shutter speed a bit and keep shooting.
Again: after each shot check out the histogram screen to see if the
light is within bounds. When it is, you have a photograph that you
can keep. In this way your histogram screen replaces the light
meter we had to use in the days of film. Using this method we don’t
need any of the standard program modes. For macro work it is
essential and, although it will take you a few days to be comfortable
making your own settings, once you learn it you will never go back.
Below is the Nikon 105mm Macro lens, perhaps the most popular
macro lens of them all and a solid worker.