In this article, we will cover the three most important words you need to know about Photography. Let me rephrase that three of the four. The first is and always will be Light. Anyone that has ever picked up a camera should already know the importance of light. The three other essential words are what we will discuss in this article.
As the saying goes, you don’t become a photographer until you shoot in manual mode. If you are photographing nature, you have no control of your subject, and that’s why it’s essential to know how your manual settings work.
When you shoot in manual mode, you are in complete control of what the camera does.
However, there are three things you need to learn about before you switch the dial to M.
Aperture –
Aperture gives you control over your depth of field and the amount of light you allow in your camera. The smallest number represents that most amount of light. The largest number your lens will go will be the minimum amount of light and the longest depth of field.
While I have many lenses and they all do something different, my Tamron 180mm macro lens goes to F3.5. That means it’s allowing the lightest, but the least amount of depth of field.
Take, for instance, these two pictures I took of the butterfly weed (special thanks to the skipper who landed as I was taking the pictures). I shot in aperture mode (meaning I let the camera select the shutter speed). I took this shot in the middle of the day and was using my Nikon D3S with Tamron 180mm Macro Lens. The aperture on the left is set to F4.5 and the one on the right, F22.
For the one taken at F4.5, the camera chose the shutter speed of 1/1000, which is fast and an ISO 200. The one taken at F22, the camera, chose 1/125 for the shutter speed and ISO 720.
Starting, the best way I remembered was: Low Number = Shallow, Large Number = Infinity.
Shutter Speed.
When you shoot in shutter speed priority, your camera gets to choose the aperture mode. Photographers that don’t care what their depth of field is but need to freeze a moment find this to be their preferred setting. Sport is an excellent example of this.
Honestly, for me, though, I always try to shoot entirely in manual mode when I’m shooting sports, insects, or any other fast-moving object. Usually, because I know I’m going into these situations and I can think about what depth of field I want beforehand. Even when I’m photographing a flower in Aperture mode, I have my manual mode set if I need to turn it over quickly to capture a flying insect.
The best example I can show you is this. I had no intention of capturing this hoverfly as he passed by me, but I’m always ready. My manual setting is 1/1000 shutter speed, and aperture is at F/8. Which is where I set it when I’m in the garden. I had my ISO set at 800. It was in the middle of the day, and I was photographing a flower when this little guy starts whizzing by me. I quickly changed over to my manual mode to take this photo.
While I could have changed to Shutter Speed’s priority, I wouldn’t have known what aperture the camera would have chosen, and that, for me, is more important as a photographer. However, I encourage you to practice using this priority, which will help you find out what works best for you.
ISO
What is the ISO? Your ISO is used to control light sensitivity as it hits your camera sensor. The thing to remember about ISO’s is this. The lower the ISO, the softer the feel of the photograph, the higher the ISO, the grainier your pictures will become.
I try to never shoot over 2500 ISO unless I have no other choice.
I took this photograph of fire blowers at night. My ISO is set to 2500.
When you put all three of those together, you have the exposure triangle for your camera. When you choose manual mode, you are in control of all three of these factors.
If you are serious about learning photography, you need to practice in this mode. Manual mode will teach you more about your camera and photography than anything else. When I first started, I kept a journal and record things like my distance from my subject, the time of day, my aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, etc.
I hope this helps if you have any other questions, please feel free to drop me a note, and I will answer them for you.
If you are interested in close up photography, check out my article Macro Photography: Tips for Getting Closer to Your Subject.
Peace & Love, Ela
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