A question about lighting and camera settings

[TimeTexas]

So I've noticed that in the galleries on the forum you can see the EXIF data if you select an image. I don't know what that stands for, but it tells you the camera settings when you take the photo.

So this raises a question from a non photographer. Do you have certain camera settings you use and then adjust the light so it looks correct? Or do you get everything set up and then change the camera settings so it looks right in the photo?

I am in the second category, but that's just how I learned it using my phone. Change the settings to make the photo look right. I do adjust the brightness if the lighting some, but I primarily control how the photo looks by changing shutter speed or exposure.

I've learned you don't go higher than 8 in the f-stop, unless absolutely necessary (which I do sometimes for macros because otherwise a lot of the shot is out of focus.

I also know that lower exposure is better so I try to keep that at around 400. 

I have learned that slow shutter speeds don't work well with seconds hands.

I guess the question is do your camera settings for the shot take precedence and you adjust the lighting or do you set up the shot with the right lighting and then adjust the camera settings to get the correct capture, or both?

Now, of to read about EXIF.