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Five ways to master manual mode

Master manual mode

If you own a DSLR and have a passion for photography, you have landed in the right place. A lot of people are under the common misconception that buying a new DSLR camera will instantly improve their photography. They place an order, and a few days later, their new, shiny toy arrives on their doorstep. Then things usually get tricky. Once the camera is out of its packaging it becomes quickly apparent that working the damn thing is much harder than it looks. Therefore the dial is switched to Auto mode, and that is where it stays for the foreseeable. Here is a handy guide to help you master manual mode in no time.

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How to use your exposure settings for creative effect

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Whether you’re shooting photography or video, film or digital, exposure generally boils down to three elements in your camera. ISO, aperture and shutter speed. All three of these things will affect your exposure, how bright the image is. But each will also change how the final image appears on the camera. Aperture changes your depth of field. Shutter speed changes motion blur. ISO determines the amount of noise you get.

There are differences in how you might approach certain problems when it comes to shooting video vs stills, though. We may be limited by technical issues, such as flash sync speed for photography. Or the 180° shutter rule for video. So, in this video, filmmaker Caleb Pike talks us through what each does, and how we can use them to our advantage to get the results we want.

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Everything you ever needed to know about shutter speed

There’s a lot more to shutter speed than simply filling in a part of the exposure triangle.  The creative choices when it comes to shutter speed are just as important as the technical.

In this video from PhotoRec TV, Toby Gelston tells us all about shutter speed, the issues that can arise from having one that’s too fast or too slow, how to fix them.  He also talks about how we can use shutter speed creatively to give you the images you really want.

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Focus: Why I choose Servo focus over Single

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Have you ever thought about changing your focus setting on your camera? Or perhaps wanted to delve into more of the reasoning behind why you should (in my opinion) consider it?

First and foremost, what you choose to work in and you feel you work best in is entirely your choice, I’m just putting out there what’s worked for me and WHY I think it works for me.

Like many, when I first started taking pictures I started with the camera on auto, then moved to the A/S/P modes on the dial and lastly ended up at manual.

With each progression I found myself delving more and more into the little things that can help you get ahead of your hardware barriers and software limitations so that the only thing between you and a great picture is yourself and not your gear.

The more I transitioned to shallow apertures in my portraiture work the more and more accurate focus became paramount to nailing my shots. As I shoot handheld 99% of the time it’s important to me that the focus on my camera can keep up with the subtle movements of my breathing, swaying and recomposing.

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15 Common Mistakes People Make When Taking Photos And How To Fix Them

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Regardless of skill level, we’ve all made at a least a few of these common photography faux pas. Even pros like Jeff Cable are guilty of a few, which is precisely why he’s here to share his experiences and advice on how you can recognize the mistakes as you’re committing them and what you can do correct it.

The clip is about an hour long, but don’t let that deter you. Jeff is an outstanding educator who knows how to keep it light, fun, and engaging. Watch the video here, then we’ll recap the list for you after the jump…

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