Understanding how to shoot in manual mode is essential for achieving creative control in your photography. This video by covers the essentials of manual mode and semi-automatic modes.
Coming to you from Pat Kay, this informative video demystifies manual mode and its benefits. Kay explains that while automatic and semi-automatic modes have their place, manual mode gives you ultimate control over your images. Automatic settings can often get exposure wrong, especially in tricky lighting conditions or when you’re aiming for a specific creative effect. Manual mode allows you to precisely control shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, which is crucial once you understand the exposure triangle.
Kay revisits the exposure triangle, emphasizing its three components: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Shutter speed controls how long the shutter is open, affecting motion blur and light exposure. Fast shutter speeds freeze action, perfect for sports or street photography. Slow shutter speeds let in more light, ideal for landscapes but can introduce blur if there’s movement. Aperture, measured in f-stops, controls the lens opening. Larger apertures (lower f-stop numbers) let in more light and create a shallow depth of field, resulting in a pleasing background blur (bokeh). Smaller apertures (higher f-stop numbers) let in less light but increase depth of field, keeping more of the scene in focus.
ISO effectively adjusts the sensor’s sensitivity to light. Lower ISO values (e.g., ISO 100) produce higher image quality with less noise, while higher values (e.g., ISO 12,800) increase sensitivity but can introduce grain and reduce image quality. Kay stresses that while shutter speed and aperture have direct creative impacts, ISO is typically used last to adjust exposure without affecting these creative choices.
In practical terms, Kay suggests prioritizing different elements of the exposure triangle depending on your subject and shooting conditions. For street photography, where freezing motion is critical, start with shutter speed, then set your aperture, and adjust ISO last. For portraits, where a blurred background is desirable, begin with aperture, then set shutter speed, and tweak ISO as needed. For landscapes with a tripod, start with ISO at its lowest setting to maximize image quality, then set aperture for depth of field, and finally adjust shutter speed for proper exposure.
That's just the start, as semi-automatic modes like aperture priority (A or Av) and shutter priority (S or Tv) are also useful. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Kay.
