{"id":17714,"date":"2022-04-02T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/girlaroundtheworld.co.uk\/?p=17714"},"modified":"2023-05-03T18:39:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T17:39:11","slug":"how-to-shoot-manual-mode-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlaroundtheworld.co.uk\/how-to-shoot-manual-mode-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginner\u2019s Guide to Photography – How to Shoot Manual Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you a passionate, beginner photographer with a desire to expand your knowledge? Want to achieve more with your camera and produce higher quality images?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been dreaming of shooting in manual mode but you\u2019ve been scared of all the complicated settings\u2026 I got you! There\u2019s no need to postpone the move to manual or to feel confused by your camera. This complete guide for how to shoot manual mode is here to HELP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready to set your creativity free with new opportunities only achieved by shooting manual! Sure, using the \u201cAuto\u201d mode is a safe and sound way of getting your pictures done quickly and pain-free, but where\u2019s the fun in that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To master manual mode, we need to learn how to control the four important elements of photography: ISO, shutter speed, aperture and white balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s delve in and get on our way to flawless manual photography. Are you ready?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Why shoot in Manual Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Why<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you just bought a new, fancy, professional camera (oooh, eer). You\u2019ve been taking pictures with it for a while, using mostly the Auto mode, and while your pictures are high-quality, you keep looking at other creator\u2019s work (done with the same gear) and it\u2019s just\u2026 different. You notice they\u2019re doing a better job, maybe their pictures have a more cinematic look to them or a more professional feel overall. What\u2019s the difference?<\/i> You might ask. What are they doing differently? <\/i>Heh, the answer is simple, my friends: they\u2019re shooting in manual mode<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>What is Manual Mode?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, but what\u2019s so amazing about shooting in manual mode compared to other modes? Easy: when you do manual photography, you have absolute control over all your camera\u2019s settings – ISO, shutter speed, aperture and white balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These terms sound scary to you? Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll cover each of them down below. When you shoot in Auto, you basically let your camera \u201cdecide\u201d everything for you. And professional photographers don\u2019t really want that, do we? Nope. We want control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve been dreaming of achieving pretty bokeh portraits (those beautiful blurry, artistic backgrounds), taking moody flat lays or shooting movement without ending up with blurred blobs of subjects, your camera\u2019s manual mode is the answer. While the automatic mode is a good way of taking straight-forward pictures, this \u201cuniversal\u201d mode does not work perfectly in all situations, unfortunately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s another situation: let\u2019s say you want to shoot a gloomy portrait in low light. Your camera\u2019s flash will automatically turn on, although you\u2019d prefer to not use any external light. This ruins your setting and it can get pretty frustrating at times. The solution? Once again, Shooting manual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, there\u2019s a\u2026 let\u2019s say \u2018downside\u2019 to this shooting mode – everything will take a bit longer. While it\u2019s quick and painless to take a picture on Auto mode, achieving that perfect result will require a bit more patience and experimenting when it comes to Manual mode. At least at first, while you\u2019re getting used to everything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIP: <\/b>I know I\u2019ve mentioned about ten times now that shooting in manual mode is THE best way to go, but if you\u2019re just starting out and you need to shoot something in movement, such as street or sports photography, it\u2019s best to set your camera to a quicker mode such as Auto or Aperture priority. It\u2019s better not to lose your shot completely in these situations, so make sure to set your priorities straight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know everything about all the advantages of shooting manual over automatic, let\u2019s dig in deeper and find out how to ACTUALLY do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4 Important elements to master for shooting in manual mode<\/h2>\n\n\n

<\/a>1 – ISO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"ISO<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ISO. Three letters, an ocean of questions. What\u2019s up with this ISO everyone\u2019s talking about? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want me to get super specific, I can tell you that ISO literally means \u201cInternational Organization for Standardization\u201d, but that surely won\u2019t be very clarifying. So let me explain it in standard human words. In short, ISO means your camera\u2019s sensitivity to light<\/strong>. Unlike the shutter speed or aperture, which are both physical settings, ISO is a digital adjustment that your camera makes according to the setting you\u2019re photographing. Or, more accurately, a digital adjustment that YOU make! We\u2019re talking about all-manual shooting, baby!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FUN FACT: <\/b>If you\u2019re familiar with film photography (at least a tiny bit), you might know that different films have different values written on the package (100, 200, 400). This is the film\u2019s sensitivity to light. Exactly like a digital camera\u2019s ISO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, if you set your ISO to a higher number (let\u2019s say 800 or 1000), this means you\u2019re allowing your camera to pick up more light from the environment. This is a great way to compensate for the lack of light in some \u201charsh\u201d conditions. On the other hand, if you\u2019re shooting on a sunny day, it\u2019s best to set your ISO as low as possible, such as 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIP: <\/b>After a lot of experimenting with different ISO settings in dark conditions, I recommend to not <\/b>set your ISO too high (above 1600, for example), as this will result in higher chances of ending up with a lot of noise in your pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this depends on how high your camera performs. A way to avoid raising your ISO, for example, would be widening your aperture instead. To prevent your ISO going too high, I\u2019d go for that. If these words still sound strange to you, don\u2019t worry, by the end of this article you\u2019ll understand everything I\u2019m saying here.<\/p>\n\n\n

What is noise?<\/h4>\n\n\n
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In photography, \u201cnoise\u201d is similar to grain and it pretty much looks like little bits of discoloration or strange-colored pixels<\/strong>. In short, noise makes images look bad and \u201cuneven\u201d. This visual flaw often happens when shooting in low light.
<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to better understand what the HECK I\u2019m talking about, the key is to experiment. Here\u2019s a short ISO challenge that you can try. Go outside at different times of the day. Decide on a fixed shutter speed and aperture, but play with the ISO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, set it to 100 – if it\u2019s super sunny outside, you\u2019ll see that your picture ends up pretty balanced. Then raise it to 400 – if it\u2019s a bit cloudy, this ISO value could work best. If it\u2019s dark, let\u2019s get serious and set the ISO to 1600. You can consider this to be your cheat-sheet, but the best way to get used to all this information is to try out different settings and see what each of them does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>2 – Shutter speed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"shutter<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Okay, let\u2019s proceed to the next term. Shutter Speed. This is literally the amount of time your camera\u2019s shutter stays open when taking the picture<\/strong>. During this time, light gets in and \u201ctickles\u201d the camera\u2019s sensor, and then the image is \u201cborn\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this logic, if your shutter stays open for only a super short amount of time, your image will end up being darker. If the shutter stays open for longer, this means more light can get in and reach the sensor, so your image will be brighter.
Easy, right? I told you I can explain this stuff! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another conclusion to these facts is that, if your shutter stays open for a short time, your photographed subject will \u201cfreeze\u201d in the frame instantly, whilst if your shutter stays open for longer, you\u2019ll end up with some motion blur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIP: <\/b>If you\u2019re taking action shots, setting your camera to a faster shutter speed is the way to go to get your subjects perfectly sharp and in focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A standard shutter speed to play around is 1\/125, which literally means a fraction of a second. By the way, it’s best to not set your shutter speed below 1\/60, as you\u2019ll end up with shaky images<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t have any other solution, make sure you\u2019re using a good tripod<\/a> to avoid blurriness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EASY CHEAT:<\/b> No matter which of the settings you are adjusting (ISO, shutter speed, aperture), you\u2019ll want to always be aware of how your changes are effecting the final image. An easy way to keep on top of this is to check<\/strong> your camera\u2019s exposure meter<\/b>. You\u2019ll find this meter by looking through the viewfinder. It\u2019s basically a long horizontal line with many vertical lines. The bold vertical line in the middle with a \u201c0\u201d underneath is the setting you are aiming for. Think of the meter as a way to gage that you are achieving a balanced image and the central \u201c0\u201d point signifies that you\u2019ve got it \u201cjust perfect\u201d,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a good place to start when starting off on manual mode, so make sure to check your meter each time you adjust your settings. Of course, this is just an approximation dictated by your camera, so, as I mentioned before, when you\u2019ve gained some confidence, make sure to experiment with this too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>3 – Aperture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Aperture<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Okay, here\u2019s where things get a bit more complicated, but please bear with me. The meaning of \u201caperture\u201d is pretty intuitive. It\u2019s basically an opening in the middle of your camera\u2019s lens that dictates how \u201copen\u201d your lens is. Following this logic, if your aperture is large (wide opening), your image will be brighter; if your aperture is small, your image will be darker<\/strong>. The reason why I\u2019m saying that things are a bit more complicated when it comes to aperture is because the numbers are\u2026 the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hear me out: a bigger aperture of your lens (also known as an f-stop) is f\/1.4, for example. Big aperture equals small value. Counter-intuitive. On the other hand, a smaller aperture is f8, for example. Smaller aperture means bigger value. You get me? Confusing I know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another super important thing to know is that aperture is also responsible for how much of your subject or setting will be in focus – a thing called \u201cdepth of field\u201d in photography. Hey, we\u2019re already getting to a PRO level here! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want professional looking images where the subject is in focus and it has a blurry background with lots of pretty bokeh, you\u2019ll want to go for a bigger aperture, so smaller values – such as f\/1.4<\/strong>. The same works the other way around: if you want an image where everything is super sharp and in focus (maybe a landscape?), go for a bigger aperture value such as f\/8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIP: <\/b>A good, middle value to start experimenting with is f\/5.6 And maybe a good idea would be to avoid f\/11 or f\/16 in the beginning, as your pictures may end up super dark or look dull and boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHEAT-SHEET: <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n