cfbudd Loc: Atlanta, Georgia

OMG! How insane! That's what 'mirror up' and 'shutter delay' are for. Surely Canon's have those features.

DMGill Loc: Colorado

I suspect that if your eye is behind the viewfinder, very little light will pass into the viewfinder unless you have a particularly bright eye.

cfbudd Loc: Atlanta, Georgia

Mark W Loc: Camden, Maine

SOCIAL INTERACTION ?

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

John Gerlach, it's hard to imagine you haven't come across these on your own. Maybe I'm missing something,
1. Maximum depth of field... wide open lens.
2. Minimum depth of field... lens closed down.
3. Stars... wide open lens, timed exposure, base iso.
4. Hummingbirds ... very bright flash, very fast shutter speed, very small aperture to increase depth of field.

cfbudd Loc: Atlanta, Georgia

This is all a gigantic spoof! And we UHH'ers have wasted 10 pages so far. Refer to your own writing, John. "Aperture-priority-is probably the most widely used exposure mode of serious photographers.", and "Barbara prefers Aperture-priority-", page 62 of your and Barbara's book, "Digital Wildlife Photography", Focal Press, 2013.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Thanks for exposing the OP as a fraud. I guess that is what I was missing. Something didn't make sense about a photographer with 40 years experience never having a reason to use aperture priority mode.

cfbudd Loc: Atlanta, Georgia

"-so aperture priority is often used by landscape photographers.", page 65 of the original Focal Press book by John and Barbara Gerlach on the subject of landscape photography, "Digital Landscape Photography".

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I prefer to always be in control of aperture so I use this mode, or some variety of it a lot. For things like sports action, I shoot wide open. For portraits and landscapes I prefer to choose and set my own depending upon​ my desired results. Best of luck with your book.

John Gerlach Loc: Island Park, Idaho

this is true, but skilled photographers tend to use tripods and don't have their eye to the viewfinder to prevent camera shake, especially for landscapes and macri.

John Gerlach Loc: Island Park, Idaho

What I said in the book years ago is likely true. I do believe most photographers probably prefer aperture-priority (perhaps as they do today), and so did Barbar back then. I tried it years ago when I first went to digital in 2003, but the problems it created were so serious I soon abandoned it. And I have rarely used it for any reason since. Prior to 2003, I only used manual with film, so I did not find out how often light in the viewfinder caused underexposure. I avoided that problem accidently by just using manual exposure with film, but digital made the pitfalls readily evident. So back to manual, especially for landscapes for many reasons. If you don't think you have a light through the viewfinder problem with your system, try this test. Put the camera on any auto mode and a polarizer over the lens. Point the camera at a dark area in the shade, but arrange the camera so sun can shine into the uncovered viewfinder. Look at the auto exposure that is set by the camera. Now cover the viewfinder with your hand or close the curtain. If there is a difference, that is the problem. If the unblocked viewfinder says 1/8 second at f/16, and the covered viewfinder says 1/30 at f/16, that means the image will be seriously too dark with auto exposure due to ambient passing into the viewfinder.

buddingfatographer Loc: Nashville

So what's the big conspiracy here? Are you insinuating that the OP is trying to pretend like he doesn't know what AP is? What's the motive? There has to be a motive! And basing your prosecution on the limited quotes you've provided, that "AP is probably the most widely used exposure mode for serious photographers" proves his "spoof?" He stated that it is widely used... not that he personally uses it or that he understands or sees a purpose for others using it. And on to exibit 2 of your evidence... "Barbara prefers AP." Well... Barbara isn't asking the question in the post... and asking on a forum to obtain a wide variety of responses would appear to me to be an obvious approach if you were wanting to mention a mode that you don't often use in a book. The word research comes to mind. You don't survey one person, not Barbara or anyone else. You cast the net wide and see what you come up with. It's funny to me that you guys are putting John on the cross because you believe that he's trying to make it appear that he doesn't know what AP is. He hasn't said that once... and hasn't claimed at all, in whole or in part that he has no clue what it is... never heard of it. He simply asked who uses it and why. Your evidence is baseless. When I'm a professional, and after 40 years experience (in 40 years), I can guarantee I'll never ask a question if this is the result... you guys are something else. Why buy a book in the first place... does anyone here not know how to expose a photograph with a camera? Anyone? Oh... there are other ways to do it? Maybe a way you aren't used to? Good grief! Like editing... if you send a raw file to 100 different people and ask them to edit it, you think you'll get 2 that are identical? Asking how others use a tool and why and gets pounded by "fellow" photographers? SHAMEFUL!

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Canon includes something they call the eyepiece cover (high-tech). It is a small piece of rubber that is fit onto the beloved camera strap. Canon recommends using it whenever the eyepiece is unused by the shooter. The 1 DX has one built in the viewfinder but all the other Canons I own came with the rubber piece. Why would someone not use this?

Certo Loc: Western North Carolina & Near Gulf of Mexico

Since my first SLR in 1984, a Canon AE1-P and my first How-To photography book, I've shot manual. I doubt I shot a half dozen images in P mode and I used Shutter Priority only for metering. Once an aperture was suggested I chose, often bracketing, what I wanted. Since the AE1-P did not offer Aperture Priority, I'd mentally calculated what I wanted for DoF. Thirty-three years later, I cannot imagine shooting without Aperture Priority, especially for people still learning to ace exposures with their gear. It's hard to imagine any serious discussion of photography excluding the power of DoF, across its entire spectrum from isolation to inclusion.

Jjackko

How about when going for selective focus and depth of field