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        HOW TO SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE ON YOUR DSLR

        December 25, 2020

        PHOTOGRAPHERS

        WHY YOU SHOULD SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE

        Shooting in manual mode on your DSLR is the best way to take control of the images you want to take. This holds true whether you plan on editing them or not! The name of the game is to properly expose an image. Over-exposing is not good, under-exposing (a bit) is great if you plan to edit. To help you and teach you how to shoot in manual mode on your DSLR, we’ll go over the 3 big tools and how to manipulate them. We’ll have you properly exposing in no time (pun intended)! 😉

        I KNOW AUTOMATIC SOUNDS TEMPTING…

        It may sound a lot easier to have your camera go on automatic mode, or have that aperture priority checked, etc! Because then you don’t have to worry about it. This isn’t the case!! If you really want to take a specific shot, you are losing so much control over the image you could be taking, the image you could be imagining. There are so many intricacies that can be manipulated and played with in manual. And not to mention, SO MUCH FUN that can be had with shooting in manual mode! You can get insanely creative and get those cool shots you’ve always wanted to get. Once you understand it, it’ll be just as easy and as fast as that automatic mode button. I promise! Okay, let’s teach you how to shoot in manual mode on your DSLR!

        SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS POST FOR THE DOWNLOADABLE PDF FILE 🙂

        PREV. JOURNAL NEXT JOURNAL

        SHUTTER SPEED

        image on the left: 1/640SEC, f/5.6, ISO 100

        Note: 1/200 = faster than 1/30

        The faster it closes, the less light it will allow in, so it’ll create a darker image, AND the more in-focus the image will be (free hand).

        If you slow it down, more light has potential to flood the sensor, AND the blurrier the image will be (free hand). A slower shutter is how you get that smooth water effect in landscape images, or the streak of light on the freeway (with a tripod). It’s also how I get my artistic blurry images (free hand).

        Cheat Sheet:

        On a very bright day, raise the shutter (make it fast), to reduce the amount of light

        At night or in lower light-situations, lower it (slow it down) to increase the amount of light into the sensor

        How to shoot in Manual Mode

        F-STOP

        Note: it is the number used to adjust the aperture size, because it’s a fraction; f/1 is larger than f/4

        Like your pupil, the larger the aperture gets, the more light floods in = brighter image

        The smaller it is, the less light in = darker

        At the same time; the larger the F-Stop (f/1), the subject of the image will be in focus and the background super blurry like the cute bokeh everyone but me loves; the smaller it is, more closed it is (f/4), more of the image will be in focus (subject & background)

        Cheat Sheet:

        – on a very bright day, lower the f/stop

        – to get a whole group shot in focus, lower it

        – to get the bokeh effect, raise it

        – in a low-light situation, raise it

        How to Shoot in Manual Mode, image by Fatima Elreda Photo

        ISO

        image on the right: 1/125SEC, f/2.5, ISO 320

        Note: a higher ISO will add grain to your image

        On a bright day, lower it all the way to 100 to avoid over exposure. In low-light situations (dark room, shadows, after sunset), raise it upp. The higher the ISO goes, the more grain the image will naturally have. It’s just the way it is, dark situations are harder for a camera to capture.

        Cheat Sheet:

        – on a very bright day in the sun, lower it to 100

        – if using a flash, lower it ‘cause flash will replicate a bright day

        – in low light situations, raise it uppp (there will be grain if you go real high)

        YOUTUBE VIDEO & DOWNLOADABLE PDF

        I’ve created a Youtube video of me explaining this topic in further detail, if you’d like to watch that, click here!!

        To download a PDF version of this blog post, with a tad bit more info and imagery, press the download button!

         

        LEAVE A COMMENT DOWN BELOW!

        Thank you for going through this,  I hope this was helpful for you!! Did you learn how to shoot in manual mode on your DSLR with this blog post? If you did, I’d love to hear your feedback, leave a comment in the section down below!! It would be so helpful for me to know what it is you liked, if you would have preferred something else, what you might want more of in future posts, etc!! Thank you!

         

        DOWNLOAD "MANUAL SETTINGS FOR BEGINNERS" PDF
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