posted Thursday, 14 April 2011, 21:04 (+0800), by Martin
This is the eighth article in a
series on "understanding your camera"
that I am writing as I teach camera basics and camera operation to my children.
In the previous article in this series, I discussed the various modes available on most cameras, from the fully automatic modes to the semi-automatic modes, creative modes, and manual mode.
There are plenty of people who believe you are not a photographer unless you always use manual mode.
For someone who is relatively new to a DSLR camera, the idea of using manual mode can be a bit daunting, especially when you are struggling to come to terms with the concepts of exposure, aperture, and you are still learning your way around the controls of your camera.
I don't have anything against the people who choose to use manual mode. However, I do have a problem with the people who insist manual mode is the only way to use a DSLR camera.
Modern digital cameras contain a lot of electronics that can make smarter and faster decisions about exposure than you can.
Rather than having to choose the ISO, aperture and shutter speed manually, let the camera take control of one or more of those parameters, while you set the parameter(s) that are important.
Let the camera do most of the work, and you can then adjust the exposure up or down a little, if required, using exposure compensation.
This will allow you to focus on actually taking the photo, the composition, and capturing the moment, rather than fiddling with the camera's controls to get the right exposure in manual mode. This is especially true for people who are still learning the controls on their DSLR camera, where adjusting aperture, shutter speed and ISO isn't second nature, and you haven't yet figured out how to do it blind-folded, with one arm behind your back.
The mode dial on my DLSR camera is normally set to aperture priority. This is because aperture (ie, the depth-of-field) is typically the key variable that I want to control.
When using aperture priority, it is important to keen an eye on the shutter speed, to ensure it is fast enough for the focal length you are using, as a shutter speed that is too slow is likely to result in blurred photos when hand-holding your camera.
If necessary, opening up the aperture and/or increasing the ISO will increase the shutter speed.
I occasionally use shutter priority, normally in situations where I want to use a specific shutter speed. For example, when photographing propeller aeroplanes (Red Bull Air Race), a fast shutter speed will freeze the propeller, while a slower shutter speed (1/200 sec or so) captures the spinning propeller, and allows the background to be blurred when panning the camera, providing an impression of movement and speed.
Similarly, photos of moving cars showing rotating wheels and blurred background also gives the impression of movement.
I am not suggesting you discount manual mode completely. There is still a time and place for using manual mode on an SLR camera.
I typically use manual mode in the following situations:
Pull out your camera, and if you haven't used them yet, try using the creative modes (aperture priority and shutter priority), and maybe try using manual mode too.
Photography with one or more flashes introduces some additional factors into photography exposure, with the camera operating quite differently. I intend to discuss flash photography in more detail in future blog posts.
I am also intending to write about exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation.
Introduction
In the previous article in this series, I discussed the various modes available on most cameras, from the fully automatic modes to the semi-automatic modes, creative modes, and manual mode.
Don't Believe the "Manual Only" Brigade
There are plenty of people who believe you are not a photographer unless you always use manual mode.
For someone who is relatively new to a DSLR camera, the idea of using manual mode can be a bit daunting, especially when you are struggling to come to terms with the concepts of exposure, aperture, and you are still learning your way around the controls of your camera.
I don't have anything against the people who choose to use manual mode. However, I do have a problem with the people who insist manual mode is the only way to use a DSLR camera.
Let the Camera Do the Hard Work
Modern digital cameras contain a lot of electronics that can make smarter and faster decisions about exposure than you can.
Rather than having to choose the ISO, aperture and shutter speed manually, let the camera take control of one or more of those parameters, while you set the parameter(s) that are important.
Let the camera do most of the work, and you can then adjust the exposure up or down a little, if required, using exposure compensation.
This will allow you to focus on actually taking the photo, the composition, and capturing the moment, rather than fiddling with the camera's controls to get the right exposure in manual mode. This is especially true for people who are still learning the controls on their DSLR camera, where adjusting aperture, shutter speed and ISO isn't second nature, and you haven't yet figured out how to do it blind-folded, with one arm behind your back.
Camera Modes That I Use
The mode dial on my DLSR camera is normally set to aperture priority. This is because aperture (ie, the depth-of-field) is typically the key variable that I want to control.
When using aperture priority, it is important to keen an eye on the shutter speed, to ensure it is fast enough for the focal length you are using, as a shutter speed that is too slow is likely to result in blurred photos when hand-holding your camera.
If necessary, opening up the aperture and/or increasing the ISO will increase the shutter speed.
I occasionally use shutter priority, normally in situations where I want to use a specific shutter speed. For example, when photographing propeller aeroplanes (Red Bull Air Race), a fast shutter speed will freeze the propeller, while a slower shutter speed (1/200 sec or so) captures the spinning propeller, and allows the background to be blurred when panning the camera, providing an impression of movement and speed.
Similarly, photos of moving cars showing rotating wheels and blurred background also gives the impression of movement.
shutter priority: 1/125-second exposure while panning captures the movement and speed
There is Still a Place for Manual Mode
I am not suggesting you discount manual mode completely. There is still a time and place for using manual mode on an SLR camera.
I typically use manual mode in the following situations:
- long exposure photography using a tripod
- indoor flash photography
- studio photography
What's Next?
Pull out your camera, and if you haven't used them yet, try using the creative modes (aperture priority and shutter priority), and maybe try using manual mode too.
Photography with one or more flashes introduces some additional factors into photography exposure, with the camera operating quite differently. I intend to discuss flash photography in more detail in future blog posts.
I am also intending to write about exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation.
Manual, shutter priority and aperture priority are the only modes one should use, the others are for people who don't care to learn about their camera