The first thing to remember is this a still a camera and you get a picture by having the right amount of light hit the film or light sensor in a digital camera. You do this by adjusting the size of the lens opening (Aperture), or the length of time the shutter is open (Shutter Speed ). How you adjust the two of these in tandem will create a different picture. Without going into a long photography course, I will briefly explain what each of these does.

The Aperture controls how much light is hitting the sensor at any instant and the depth of focus. If I want everything in the picture to be in focus, both near and far objects, I will choose a small aperture. If I want selective focus, for example taking a portrait with a blurred background, you adjust the camera the other way.

The Shutter Speed controls how long the shutter is open so the light can get to the sensor. For a sporting event where you want to stop the action, you would use a short shutter speed but if you want to burl the movement to imply motion, you would use a longer shutter speed. You would also use a very long shutter speed for night shots with motion you want to capture like fireworks.

How does this relate to Scene modes? In its Default setting, the camera guesses at the best exposure, adjusting the Aperture and Shutter Speed without really knowing what you are taking a picture of. It goes for an average setting. By selecting a "scene" on your camera, you are telling the camera what you are taking a picture of so it can make a better choice of how to set the camera. It generally gives more accurate and pleasing results than the default Auto mode.

What are some of the more common Scene Modes? I have listed them below and apologize for not drawing the actual icons but my art work is not that good.

P	Program or Auto: This is the default where the camera makes all of the settings based upon an average.
A	Aperture Preference: Here you set the aperture according to the effect you want and the camera sets the appropriate shutter speed.
S	Shutter Preference: You set the shutter speed - fast for sports or slow for a motion- blur effect and the camera sets the appropriate aperture.
M	Manual: With this setting you select everything with no help from the camera. Reserve this for experienced users who want to get creative.
•	My Mode: This is an Olympus term which lets you set everything manually and then save those settings. This is useful if you are frequently taking pictures in a set location and lighting setup. An example would be if you frequently sell items on eBay and want to include pictures so you set up "stage" where you take your pictures and want to easily remember the correct settings.
•	Movie: Many digital still cameras can now take short movies limited in length by the size of the memory card. They are low resolution and generally limited to only 1 or 2 minutes or less.
•	Night: This sets a slow shutter speed to capture the available light and may also allow for the use of flash for a subject close to the camera.
•	Landscape: This setting is self-explanatory.
•	Action/Sports: This is really a shutter priority mode setting a high shutter speed to freeze the action.
•	Portrait: Used for taking pictures of people with the background blurred.
?	Play: This us usually a triangle similar to the play button on a CD player. It is used to view the pictures you have taken on the LCD screen.
•	Macro: You would use this setting to take close-up pictures.

Some cameras, like my Nikon CoolPic 4100, do not have all of these icons on the main dial but rather have a setting that says SCENE which brings up a menu on the LCD screen where you can set them. The Nikon even has scene modes for Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Museum, Fireworks and others. The Nikon also has an additional feature they call Assist Modes. These modes actually place lines over the image in the LCD screen to assist you in positioning the subject in a more pleasing way and/or line things up for panoramas or architecture. You might even find a Burst or Multi-Shot mode for firing off a set number of pictures in rapid succession. I used this to get some great action shots at a bull riding competition last year.

I suggest that you pick up a good book on basic photography when you get your camera. Even with the camera's help, good pictures require the picture taker to understand the basic principals of photography and graphic composition. We have reviewed several in the Cache. Digital or Film, it is still photography. Additional suggestions:

•	Check camera and printer manufacturers' web sites. They frequently have lessons and tips.
?	Kodak is an example. Go to: http://www.kodak.com then click on the Taking Great Pictures box on the top of the page.
?	Olympus also has lessons which are more geared toward their cameras for examples but they are still informative. http://olympusdigitalschool.com/photo_lessons/index.html
•	I like a monthly magazine called PC Photo ( http://www.pcphotomag.com )
•	PC World Magazine ( http://pcworld.com ) has newsletters that are very informative. ( http://www.pcworld.com/resource/newsletters ) One of the newsletters by Dave Johnson was the inspiration for this article.

I hope I have given you some enlightenment as to what Scene Modes are and what they do. I encourage everyone to read their camera's manual to see what is available. Then use the Scene Modes because by telling the camera what you are doing, the camera will use that information and do it for you. You don't have to know the details of how to adjust the settings. The end result is more successful pictures that you will be proud of.

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