What settings do you typically use for different types of shots

This is a question I get a lot on field trips. People often ask, “What settings are you using?” and my response is usually, “What are you trying to say? What do you want to bring out in the image?”

I don’t follow a cookbook of camera settings, nor do I believe in one. The creative idea should drive the camera — not the other way around. Every scene, every subject, and every intention calls for something different. Once you know what you want the photograph to express, the settings naturally fall into place.