Still at a loss about shooting in full manual mode? This quick video offers a simple explanation about three things to keep in mind to get you started.
Shooting in manual mode can seem intimidating to anyone used to auto mode. But, once you understand how these three exposure elements work, you’ll be on your way to mastering manual mode in no time, whether shooting film or digital.
In the video tutorial below by JoshinCincinnati, he covers the only three things that anyone who wants to shoot in manual mode needs to understand: aperture, or the opening of your camera’s lens; shutter speed, or how long the camera’s shutter stays open to let in more light; and ISO, or how bright your photo looks like. Your camera takes care of all these when you’re shooting in auto mode. But in manual mode, you’ll have to choose the right settings for the shooting situation and results you have in mind.
Josh explains how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work, and how they affect your photos. Aperture, for example, does more that let in more light hitting your film or camera sensor. It also controls the depth of field, which dictates how sharp the background looks. Fast shutter speeds freeze motion; slow settings produce motion blur. You can shoot with higher ISO settings when shooting indoors and low light situations to make sure you get brighter results, but not too high or your photos will have a lot of noise (or grain if you’re shooting with high ISO films).
You may have heard about this trio of camera settings collectively as the Exposure Triangle. A well-exposed photo is actually the result of balanced Exposure Triangle, and it applies whether you’re shooting with film or digital. We have more resources on the Exposure Triangle if you want to learn more about the topic.
Check out JoshinCincinnati’s YouTube channel for more of his photography videos.
Screenshot image from the video