How many times have you come across a great picture opportunity and had all the wrong settings on your camera? Too many? Yeah. Let’s fix that.

I was reminded of this as I read through some of the comics from the WhatTheDuck site. The author has a great sense of humor and most of the comics are centered around digital photography and computers. Here’s the one that spurred today’s post (click it for a larger image)

When I’m out shooting with my D70, I start with ISO 200, Aperture Priority, around F8 or F11, continuous shooting, and my 17-50 or 28-105 lens. It’s my basic setup and I do a pre-flight check before I step out of the car. If I change anything for a particular shot I always pause a moment and go back to my Normal settings. I’m always starting from the same settings.

Modern digital cameras have a plethora of settings for many different situations. You can easily miss a shot while fumbling for the right Scene Mode, or get a really bad picture by using the wrong one. Decide on a Normal group of settings and use it. Base it on what subjects you shoot most. Remember to reset to Normal after you change things.

You should find yourself getting more consistent results and you’ll have the ability to get grab shots better, knowing that you’ve got your camera set properly.